SPECTRAL ANALYSIS OF GROUNDWATER SOUND: INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY

The purpose of this project is to explore the sound of groundwater flow. We propose to record both audio and video deep inside water wells and find a relationship between the sounds of the water and Hydraulic Conductivity (the rate at which water flows through an underground aquifer). Our hypothesis is that if ambient sounds deep in water wells are recorded and analyzed in detail for multiple wells, then some correlation can be made between Hydraulic Conductivity and the sound parameters. There is limited research on this topic and, if successful, could open up a new aspect of Hydrogeology for understanding a new characteristic of groundwater. It would also create a new method for estimating Hydraulic Conductivity. Lastly, this newfound knowledge could lead to new models of groundwater flow for demonstration and outreach programs that currently do not exist because no visual or audio data has been captured from the inside of groundwater wells.