Novel Instruments for in Situ Continuous Rn-222 Measurement in Groundwater and the Application to River Bank Infiltration

There is little known about the short-term dynamics of groundwater surface water exchange in losing rivers. This is partly due to the paucity of chemical techniques that can autonomously collect high-frequency data in groundwater bores. Here we present two new instruments for continuous in situ Rn-222 measurement in bores for quantifying the surface water infiltration rate into an underlying or adjacent aquifer. These instruments are based on Rn-222 diffusion through silicone tube membranes, either wrapped around a pole (MonoRad) or strung between two hollow end pieces (OctoRad). They are combined with novel, robust, low-cost Geiger counter Rn-222 detectors which are ideal for long-term autonomous measurement. The down-hole instruments have a quantitative response time of about a day during low flow, but this decreases to <12 h during high-flow events. The setup was able to trace river water bank infiltration during moderate to high river flow during two field experiments. Mass-balance calculations using the Rn-222 data gave a maximum infiltration rate of 2 m d(-1). These instruments offer the first easily constructible system for continuous Rn-222 analysis in groundwater, and could be used to trace surface water infiltration in many environments including rivers, lakes, wetlands, and coastal settings.