What is aquifer transmissivity?
Mia Phillips
Updated on February 25, 2026
Transmissivity describes the ability of the aquifer to transmit groundwater throughout its entire saturated thickness (Figure 7). Transmissivity is measured as the rate at which groundwater can flow through an aquifer section of unit width under a unit hydraulic gradient.
What is the difference between hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity?
Hydraulic conductivity is the rate of flow under a unit hydraulic gradient through a unit cross-sectional area of aquifer (opening A). Transmissivity is the rate of flow under a unit hydraulic gradient through a unit width of aquifer of thickness m (opening B).
Why is transmissivity important?
Transmissivity is an important hydraulic parameter to determine the amount of water passed horizontally across a given saturated thickness of an aquifer. The techniques to quantify this parameter, such as grain size analyses or pumping tests, can have limitations of time/spatial scale, viability, or economically.
How does transmissivity affect drawdown?
Transmissivity – effects the shape of the drawdown. If transmissivity is high, then the drawdown is broad and shallow. If transmissivity is low, then the drawdown is narrow and deep. Storativity – effects primarily the amplitude of the drawdown.
What is spectral transmissivity?
Transmissivity is an optical property of a material, which describes how much light is transmitted through material in relation to an amount of light incident on the material. The light that was not transmitted was either reflected or absorbed.
What is meant by transmissivity?
Transmissivity is the rate at which water passes through a unit width of the aquifer under a unit hydraulic gradient.
What is transmissivity radiation?
The fraction of radiation transmitted is called the transmissivity (τ). It is the ratio of transmitted radiation (G tr) to incident radiation (G). Its value: 0 ≤ τ ≤ 1. The first law of thermodynamics requires that the sum of the absorbed, reflected, and transmitted radiation energy be equal to the incident radiation.
What is the Theis equation used for?
The Theis equation (Theis, 1935) describes radial confined groundwater flow in a uniformly thick horizontal, homogeneous, isotropic aquifer of infinite areal extent. The radius of the pumped well is assumed negligible (line source or sink approximation).
How to calculate transmissivity?
Theis Equation to Determine Transmissivity Transmissivity= (Pumping Rate*Well Function of u)/4*pi*Storage Coefficient GO Drawdown across One Log Cycle from Distance-Drawdown Graphs when Transmissivity is Given Drawdown Across One Log Cycle=2.3*Pumping Rate/ (Transmissivity*2*pi) GO
What are the largest aquifers in the US?
The Ogallala Aquifer. The Ogallala Aquifer is the largest aquifer in the United States. It is part of the High Plains aquifer system, which underlies parts of eight states from Texas to South Dakota. 90% of the water extracted from the Ogallala Aquifer is used for irrigation, 3 supplying the water for roughly one-third…
Where are aquifer locations?
The Ogallala Aquifer , or High Plains Aquifer, is a vast yet shallow aquifer located beneath the Great Plains in the United States. One of the world’s largest aquifers, it lies under about 174,000 mi² (450,000 km²) in portions of South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas.
What is a Trinity Aquifer?
The Trinity Aquifer, a major aquifer, extends across much of the central and northeastern part of the state. It is composed of several smaller aquifers contained within the Trinity Group.