Marsh Hydrology Research

The Great Marsh is wet, of course, as in wetlands, but where does all that water come from? Most of it flows up to the surface via springs. You might picture clear water bubbling up through rocks on a mountain when you think “spring,” but in the marsh they look more like muddy patches with different plants (including certain native Cardamine species) than the surrounding vegetation. Step on that muddy patch, and you’ll find yourself dropping into a hole in the marsh sediment.

In 2023 to 2024 West Chester University Master’s student Ashley Falco analyzed the landscape around the Great Marsh through a groundwater flow model to learn about why the marsh has persisted for more than 9,000 years, and how it will respond to potential drier periods. Check out her poster to learn more.

In 2024 to 2025 Julia Martin led a team of Franklin and Marshall students installing HOBO water temperature loggers in springs and groundwater in the Great Marsh to measure to compare the water at the surface to the water coming up through the springs. She also analyzed the bedrock to learn more about how the water filters up through cracks in otherwise impermeable metamorphic rock to ultimately reach the surface at the spring sites. Check out her senior thesis presentation poster to learn more.