Before and after imagery of the original Franklin Extensometer. The original Franklin extensometer measured aquifer compaction near the groundwater pumping center at Franklin, Virginia from 1979 to 1995.
Jason P. Pope
Jason Pope is a hydrologist at the Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center.
Jason has been an employee of the USGS since 2001. He has investigated a variety of topics related to groundwater in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain, including aquifer-system compaction and land subsidence, regional groundwater flow and availability, interpretation and mapping of hydrostratigraphy, estimation of water withdrawal and use, groundwater residence time, and water quality. His technical interests include the management and analysis of geospatial data, computer modeling of groundwater flow, techniques for estimating various components of water withdrawal and use, and measurement of aquifer-system compaction.
Science and Products
Land Subsidence on the Virginia Coastal Plain
Land subsidence is a loss of ground elevation, often experienced as the ground slowly sinking over the course of years. In eastern Virginia, high rates of groundwater use is a major factor in the land subsidence affecting the area. The Virginia-West Virginia Water Science Center, with the help of our partners, has been monitoring land subsidence in the Virginia Coastal Plain since 1979 using a...
Virginia Eastern Shore Groundwater Resources
Informed management of groundwater resources for the Eastern Shore of Virginia depends on the availability of detailed and up-to-date scientific information. The USGS and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality are conducting a long-term cooperative study to enhance the understanding of groundwater resources in the sole-source aquifer system beneath Accomack and Northampton counties...
Virginia Coastal Plain Aquifer System and Groundwater Resources
Groundwater is a heavily used source of water in the Virginia Coastal Plain. Long term and widespread groundwater withdrawals have resulted in regional water-level declines, and created the potential for saltwater intrusion. Sound management of this vital resource relies on continual improvement of the scientific understanding of the aquifer system.
Before and after imagery of the original Franklin Extensometer. The original Franklin extensometer measured aquifer compaction near the groundwater pumping center at Franklin, Virginia from 1979 to 1995.
Franklin Extensometer After Aquifer Rebound
Photo of the Franklin extensometer from 2015, after it sustained damage due to aquifer recovery.
Photo of the Franklin extensometer from 2015, after it sustained damage due to aquifer recovery.
2015 Franklin Extensometer Aquifer Rebound Damage
Photo of the original Franklin extensometer taken during an inspection in 2015. Recording had ended in 1995, and between 1995 and 2015, groundwater pumping rates lessened causing the aquifer to briefly recover and the land to rebound. This rebound was so significant that it caused the damage to the extensometer seen above.
Photo of the original Franklin extensometer taken during an inspection in 2015. Recording had ended in 1995, and between 1995 and 2015, groundwater pumping rates lessened causing the aquifer to briefly recover and the land to rebound. This rebound was so significant that it caused the damage to the extensometer seen above.
USGS Scientists Inspect A Research Site in Franklin, Virginia
USGS Scientists inspect the Franklin Extensometer research site in 2015. The extensometer at Franklin had been measuring land subsidence since 1979 but had been offline since 1995 and would be brought back online the following year.
USGS Scientists inspect the Franklin Extensometer research site in 2015. The extensometer at Franklin had been measuring land subsidence since 1979 but had been offline since 1995 and would be brought back online the following year.
Franklin Extensometer Before Aquifer Rebound
Image of the franklin extensometer before it was damaged by aquifer recovery.
Originally published in:
Pope, J. P. (2002). Characterization and modeling of land subsidence due to groundwater withdrawals from the confined aquifers of the Virginia Coastal Plain (Doctoral dissertation, Virginia Tech).
Image of the franklin extensometer before it was damaged by aquifer recovery.
Originally published in:
Pope, J. P. (2002). Characterization and modeling of land subsidence due to groundwater withdrawals from the confined aquifers of the Virginia Coastal Plain (Doctoral dissertation, Virginia Tech).
Franklin Extensometer Historical Photo
Image of the original extensometer at Franklin, Virginia, which recorded aquifer compaction from 1979 to 1995.
Originally published in:
Image of the original extensometer at Franklin, Virginia, which recorded aquifer compaction from 1979 to 1995.
Originally published in:
Science and Products
Land Subsidence on the Virginia Coastal Plain
Land subsidence is a loss of ground elevation, often experienced as the ground slowly sinking over the course of years. In eastern Virginia, high rates of groundwater use is a major factor in the land subsidence affecting the area. The Virginia-West Virginia Water Science Center, with the help of our partners, has been monitoring land subsidence in the Virginia Coastal Plain since 1979 using a...
Virginia Eastern Shore Groundwater Resources
Informed management of groundwater resources for the Eastern Shore of Virginia depends on the availability of detailed and up-to-date scientific information. The USGS and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality are conducting a long-term cooperative study to enhance the understanding of groundwater resources in the sole-source aquifer system beneath Accomack and Northampton counties...
Virginia Coastal Plain Aquifer System and Groundwater Resources
Groundwater is a heavily used source of water in the Virginia Coastal Plain. Long term and widespread groundwater withdrawals have resulted in regional water-level declines, and created the potential for saltwater intrusion. Sound management of this vital resource relies on continual improvement of the scientific understanding of the aquifer system.
Before and After: Franklin Extensometer
Before and after imagery of the original Franklin Extensometer. The original Franklin extensometer measured aquifer compaction near the groundwater pumping center at Franklin, Virginia from 1979 to 1995.
Before and after imagery of the original Franklin Extensometer. The original Franklin extensometer measured aquifer compaction near the groundwater pumping center at Franklin, Virginia from 1979 to 1995.
Franklin Extensometer After Aquifer Rebound
Photo of the Franklin extensometer from 2015, after it sustained damage due to aquifer recovery.
Photo of the Franklin extensometer from 2015, after it sustained damage due to aquifer recovery.
2015 Franklin Extensometer Aquifer Rebound Damage
Photo of the original Franklin extensometer taken during an inspection in 2015. Recording had ended in 1995, and between 1995 and 2015, groundwater pumping rates lessened causing the aquifer to briefly recover and the land to rebound. This rebound was so significant that it caused the damage to the extensometer seen above.
Photo of the original Franklin extensometer taken during an inspection in 2015. Recording had ended in 1995, and between 1995 and 2015, groundwater pumping rates lessened causing the aquifer to briefly recover and the land to rebound. This rebound was so significant that it caused the damage to the extensometer seen above.
USGS Scientists Inspect A Research Site in Franklin, Virginia
USGS Scientists inspect the Franklin Extensometer research site in 2015. The extensometer at Franklin had been measuring land subsidence since 1979 but had been offline since 1995 and would be brought back online the following year.
USGS Scientists inspect the Franklin Extensometer research site in 2015. The extensometer at Franklin had been measuring land subsidence since 1979 but had been offline since 1995 and would be brought back online the following year.
Franklin Extensometer Before Aquifer Rebound
Image of the franklin extensometer before it was damaged by aquifer recovery.
Originally published in:
Pope, J. P. (2002). Characterization and modeling of land subsidence due to groundwater withdrawals from the confined aquifers of the Virginia Coastal Plain (Doctoral dissertation, Virginia Tech).
Image of the franklin extensometer before it was damaged by aquifer recovery.
Originally published in:
Pope, J. P. (2002). Characterization and modeling of land subsidence due to groundwater withdrawals from the confined aquifers of the Virginia Coastal Plain (Doctoral dissertation, Virginia Tech).
Franklin Extensometer Historical Photo
Image of the original extensometer at Franklin, Virginia, which recorded aquifer compaction from 1979 to 1995.
Originally published in:
Image of the original extensometer at Franklin, Virginia, which recorded aquifer compaction from 1979 to 1995.
Originally published in: