“See” groundwater flow by using a Hele-Shaw cell. The Hele-Shaw cell consists of two parallel transparent walls with a small gap between them that is filled with a viscous liquid that moves in response to a pressure difference along the plates. The pattern of flow between the walls of the cell is equivalent to groundwater flow in a plane. This video shows the groundwater flow pattern resulting from recharge at the top of a ridge discharging to a water body on the right side. Midway through the video, the right side is blocked and the left side is opened so the transient shift of the flow lines can be observed. (2 minutes)
A discussion of the material in this video provided in Section 2.6 “The “Hear See Do” of Flow Nets” of the Groundwater Project book “Graphical Construction of Groundwater Flow Nets”. Section 2.6 can be read online, or the entire book can be read online or a PDF of the book can be downloaded.
Citation: Jiao, J.J., Liang, W.Z., & Poeter, E. (2020). Flow Paths: Hele-Shaw demonstration of surficial recharge to groundwater discharging first to water body one side and then the other side. Video of The Groundwater Project, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.