scholarly journals Active rock glaciers as shallow groundwater reservoirs, Austrian Alps

Grundwasser ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Wagner ◽  
Alexander Brodacz ◽  
Karl Krainer ◽  
Gerfried Winkler
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Ground Ice ◽  
Discharge Data ◽  
Austrian Alps ◽  
Rock Glaciers ◽  
Permafrost Ground ◽  
Alpine Catchments

Abstract Rock glaciers are the most prominent landforms of alpine permafrost and comprise complex shallow aquifer systems in (high) alpine catchments. Recession analyses of groundwater discharge of four active rock glaciers that contain permafrost ground ice show that they have a base flow component of the order of a few liters per second, similar to that of a relict rock glacier in which permafrost ground ice is absent. This is related to an unfrozen (fine-grained) base layer with a thickness of about 10 m. Based on a threshold analysis of precipitation events and event water discharge, depressions atop the bedrock or the permafrost table seem to play only a minor role in storing groundwater. This important finding has rarely been documented, but is highly relevant for optimal groundwater resources management in sensitive (high) alpine catchments and ecosystems. All the rock glaciers analyzed here are located in the Austrian Alps and represent the nationwide sites where suitable discharge data are available. The analysis highlights the hydrogeological importance of these discrete permafrost-derived debris accumulations as complex shallow groundwater bodies with important—but limited—storage and buffer capabilities.

scholarly journals The first consistent inventory of rock glaciers and their hydrological catchments of the Austrian Alps

2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Wagner ◽  
Roswitha Pleschberger ◽  
Simon Kainz ◽  
Markus Ribis ◽  
Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Rock Glacier ◽  
Austrian Alps ◽  
Crystalline Bedrock ◽  
Aquifer Systems ◽  
Catchment Areas ◽  
Rock Glaciers ◽  
Alpine Catchments

AbstractA first consistent and homogenized polygon-based inventory of rock glaciers of the Austrian Alps is presented. Compiling previous inventories and updating them by using digital elevation models (1 m grid resolution) derived from airborne laser scanning yield a dataset of 5769 rock glaciers in a ca. 48400 km2 large area. A consistent methodological approach for assigning attributes, stored in a detailed attribute table, was developed and applied here to improve comparability and reproducibility. The majority (60 %) of the studied landforms is considered to be relict (no permafrost); the remaining 40 % may still contain permafrost ice and are thus classified as intact. Rock glaciers range in elevation from 476 to 3312 m a.s.l. and cover a total area of 303 km2. The distribution of rock glaciers is mainly related to the topography of the Austrian Alps and related effects such as past glaciation history.In addition, a comprehensive analysis of the hydrological catchment areas of all individual rock glaciers was carried out. A hydrological catchment analysis in rock glacier areas is of great interest for sustainable water management issues in alpine catchments as these landforms represent shallow aquifer systems with a relatively high storage and thus buffer capability, especially in crystalline bedrock areas. A total area of almost 1280 km2 is drained through rock glaciers.The presented rock glacier and rock glacier catchment inventories provide an important basis for further research, particularly for a better understanding of the hydrogeology and geomorphology of alpine catchments and their potential alteration in the light of climate change, but also in terms of paleoglaciation and deglaciation in the Alpine Lateglacial to Holocene period. As such, the inventories are seen as an important base to stimulate further research.

Evaluation of Shallow Groundwater Quantity in Harbin by Numerical Modeling

2011 ◽  
Vol 255-260 ◽  
pp. 2745-2750
Author(s):  
Chang Lei Dai ◽  
Zhi Jun Li ◽  
Shao Min Du ◽  
Chun He Liu
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Modeling ◽  
Groundwater Modeling ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
System Structure ◽  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Hydrogeological Model ◽  
Aquifer System ◽  
Structure Boundary ◽  
Groundwater Quantity

In order to complete the geological survey of Harbin, it is necessary to understand the regime and law of groundwater in Harbin with the method of groundwater numerical modeling which requires the evaluation of groundwater resources quantity as a basic and critical step. Based on the analysis of hydrogeological conditions of the shallow aquifer in Harbin which includes the characteristics of aquifer system structure, boundary conditions, groundwater regime and recharge and discharge, a conceptual hydrogeological model has been built up with GMS (Groundwater Modeling System). With the numerical simulation model transferred by the conceptual model, the total amounts of renewable groundwater resources under different precipitation frequencies have been calculated. The result not only illustrates that the shallow aquifer in Harbin has certain potential in development and utilization but also provides some reference for managing a highly precise groundwater quantity evaluation by groundwater numerical modeling techniques.

scholarly journals Optimizing Groundwater Aquifers Potential in The Development of Irrigation Wells for Agriculture Using Geo-Electrical Method

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rustadi , O T Purwadi, I G B Darmawan
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Vertical Electrical Sounding ◽  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Electrical Method ◽  
Groundwater Aquifers ◽  
Groundwater Aquifer ◽  
Bedrock Depth ◽  
Electrical Sounding ◽  
2D Resistivity

The identification of shallow groundwater aquifers is demanded to sustain the balance of utilization in agriculture and anticipate frictions that can occur due to the overlapping usage of groundwater resources. This study is aimed to identify the potential of groundwater resources based on the thickness and depth of the groundwater aquifer. Geoelectric resistivity methods have done with vertical electrical sounding (VES) and horizontal profiling techniques (2D mapping). The VES data acquisition was carried out with a Schlumberger array while 2D mapping by alpha Wenner array. Inversion results of vertical electrical sounding (VES) show that groundwater resistivity values in sedimentary rocks ranged from 1 to 100 ?m and in igneous rocks between 0.5 - 150 ?m. The results of 2D Resistivity Mapping also show that shallow aquifer depth ranged from 1 to 5 m with a thickness ranged from 15 m to more than 70 m. Meanwhile, bedrock depth ranged from 20 to 150 m with a pattern deeper to the west. Furthermore, the potential of groundwater aquifers in the development of irrigation wells for agriculture should be carried out in the western part of the study area.   Keywords: Groundwater, Shallow Aquifer, Rock Resistivity, Irrigation Well, Geo-Electrical Sounding.

Evolution of groundwater chemistry on shallow aquifer of Yogyakarta City urban area

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doni Prakasa Eka Putra
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Unconfined Aquifer ◽  
Groundwater Chemistry ◽  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Nitrate Content ◽  
New Business ◽  
Urban Settlements ◽  
A Minor ◽  
New Settlements ◽  
Yogyakarta City

Since 1980s, accelerated by urbanization, Yogyakarta City was shifting to many directions defined by main road networks and service centres. Urbanization has transformed rural dwellings to become urban settlements and generated urban agglomeration area. Until now, new business centres, education centres and tourism centres are growing hand in hand with new settlements (formal or informal) without proper provision of water supply and sanitation system. This condition increase the possibility of groundwater contamination from urban wastewater and a change of major chemistry of groundwater as shallow unconfined aquifer is lying under Yogyakarta City. To prove the evolution of groundwater chemistry, old data taken on 1980s were comparing with the recent groundwater chemistry data. The evaluation shows that nitrate content of groundwater in 1980s was a minor anion, but nowadays become a major anion, especially in the shallow groundwater in the centre of Yogyakarta City. This evidence shows that there is an evolution of groundwater chemistry in shallow groundwater below Yogyakarta City due to contamination from un-proper on-site sanitation system. Keywords: Urbanization, Yogyakarta city, rural dwellings, settlements, agglomeration, contamination, groundwater

scholarly journals Assessment of liquid and solid water storage in rock glaciers versus glacier ice in the Austrian Alps

2021 ◽  
pp. 149593
Author(s):  
Thomas Wagner ◽  
Simon Kainz ◽  
Kay Helfricht ◽  
Andrea Fischer ◽  
Michael Avian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Storage ◽  
Austrian Alps ◽  
Glacier Ice ◽  
Rock Glaciers ◽  
Solid Water

Remediation of MTBE-contaminated groundwater by integrated circulation wells and advanced oxidation technologies

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bassam Tawabini ◽  
Mohammed Makkawi
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Remediation ◽  
Treatment Time ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Advanced Oxidation ◽  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Contaminated Groundwater ◽  
Butyl Ether ◽  
Tertiary Butyl ◽  
Industrial Facilities ◽  
Environmental Threats

Abstract The proximity of shallow groundwater systems to sources of contamination usually exposes them to severe environmental threats. Hazardous pollutants that leak from gas stations, landfills, and industrial facilities may eventually reach the underneath shallow groundwater aquifers, posing risks to human health and the environment. Cleaning contaminated groundwater sources has always been a challenge to the local authorities. This is even more challenging when dealing with difficult pollutants such as methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) due its high solubility in water, poor biodegradability, and poor adsorption onto solids. This study aims to assess the efficiency of a pilot groundwater remediation system to treat a shallow aquifer contaminated with MTBE. The in-house designed and fabricated pilot system combines the technology of circulation wells and UV-based advanced oxidation technology for the breakdown and removal of MTBE from water. An ultraviolet/hydrogen peroxide (UV/H2O2) process was used in this study to remove MTBE from water. The concentration of MTBE was reduced from approximately 1,400 μg/L to as low as 34 μg/L within 30 minutes, with a treatment efficiency of about 98%. The study also assesses the effects of the UV intensity and the treatment time needed to remove the target pollutant.

Linking rivers to the rock record: Channel patterns and paleocurrent circular variance

Geology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.P. Galeazzi ◽  
R.P. Almeida ◽  
A.H. do Prado
Keyword(s):  
Water Discharge ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Sedimentary Record ◽  
Discharge Data ◽  
Alluvial Rivers ◽  
Channel Pattern ◽  
Fluvial Deposits ◽  
Circular Variance ◽  
Rock Record ◽  
Channel Patterns

Alluvial rivers are the most important agents of sediment transport in continental basins, whose fluvial deposits enclose information related to the time when rivers were active. In order to extract the most information from fluvial deposits in the sedimentary record, it is imperative to quantify the natural variability of channel patterns at the global scale, explore what controls may influence their development, and investigate whether channel pattern information is preserved in the alluvial plains in order to develop tools for recognizing them in the sedimentary record. By surveying 361 reaches of modern alluvial rivers with available water discharge data at a global scale, we present a quantitative channel pattern classification based on sinuosity and channel count index applicable to the recognition in the rock record. A continuum of channel patterns ranging from high-sinuosity single channel to lowsinuosity multichannels is documented, along with the proportion of depositional elements in their alluvial plains and their conditions of occurrence. Preserved barforms in the alluvial plains of these rivers are used to infer and quantify paleoflow directions at the channel-belt scale and result in ranges of paleocurrent circular variance that may lead to channel pattern identification in the rock record. Data from this work indicate that the recognition of channel patterns may be used to predict paleogeographic features such as the scale of drainage basin area and discharge, slope, and annual discharge regimes.

scholarly journals Permafrost as a climatic indicator in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 131-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Guglielmin ◽  
F. Dramis
Keyword(s):  
Ground Ice ◽  
Patterned Ground ◽  
Thermal Inversion ◽  
Ground Temperatures ◽  
The North ◽  
Victoria Land ◽  
Investigation Methods ◽  
Isotopic Analyses ◽  
History Of ◽  
Rock Glaciers

AbstractKnowledge of permafrost characteristics and distribution in Antarctica and their relationships with present and past climates is still poor. This paper reports investigations on permafrost in an area located between Nansen Ice Sheet to the south and Mount Melbourne (2732 m a.s.l.) to the north. Investigation methods included geomorphological surveys and geoelectrical soundings as well as crystallography, chemical and isotopic analyses of the ground ice. Geomorphological surveys helped to explain the relationships between periglacial landforms (e.g. rock glaciers and patterned ground) and the glacial history of the area. Geoelectrical soundings allowed us to define different ground-ice units in the ice-free areas. Each unit was characterised by a different type of permafrost (dry or ice-poor permafrost, marine or continental massive buried ice and sub-sea permafrost). To identify the nature of ground ice, trenches were dug and some shallow boreholes were drilled to a maximum depth of-3.6 m in massive buried ice. Samples of both ice-poor permafrost and massive ice were collected and analyzed. Chemical, isotopic δ18O and crystal analyses were also carried out. The relationships between climate and thermal regimes of the active layer and the upper part of permafrost were determined using a monitoring station for ground temperatures at Boulder Clay Glacier, near the Italian Antarctic station. During winter, there were several significant thermal-inversion events in the ground, which cannot be explained only by air-temperature changes, suggesting a possible influence of winter snowfall, even if these events are usually considered very rare.

scholarly journals Hydrogeological Classification and the Correlation of Groundwater Chemistry with Basin Flow in the South-Western Part of Bangladesh

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahpara Sheikh Dola ◽  
Khairul Bahsar ◽  
Mazeda Islam ◽  
Md Mizanur Rahman Sarker
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Flow ◽  
Water Chemistry ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Deep Basin ◽  
Deep Groundwater ◽  
Deep Aquifer ◽  
Delta Plain ◽  
Type Water

Attempt has been made to find the relationship between the basin groundwater flow and the current water chemistry of south-western part of Bangladesh considering their lithological distribution and aquifer condition. The correlation of water chemistry and basin groundwater flow is depicted in the conceptual model. The water-types of shallow groundwater are predominantly Mg-Na-HCO3 and Ca- Mg-Na-HCO3 type. In the deep aquifer of upper delta plain is predominately Na-Cl, Ca-HCO3 and Mg- HCO3 type. In the lower delta plain Na-Cl type of water mainly occurs in the shallow aquifer and occasionally Ca-HCO3, Ca-Mg-Na-HCO3 and Mg-HCO3 type may also occur in shallow aquifer of the eastern part of lower delta plain which could have originated from the recent recharge of rain water. Na- Cl type water is also found in the deep aquifer of lower delta plain. The origin of Na-Cl type water in the deep aquifer of lower delta part might be connate water or present day sea water intrusion. Fresh water occurring in the deep aquifer in the lower delta area is mostly of Mg-Ca-HCO3 and Na-HClO3 types. This type of water originate from intermediate or deep basin flow from the northern part of Bangladesh. The probable source of deep groundwater is Holocene marine transgression (Khan et al. 2000) occurred in 3000–7000 cal years BP and the deep groundwater of Upper Delta plain and Lower Delta plain is clearly influenced by deep basin flow coming from north part of BangladeshJournal of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Vol. 42, No. 1, 41-54, 2018

scholarly journals Water discharge estimates from large radar altimetry datasets in the Amazon basin

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 7591-7611 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. V. Getirana ◽  
C. Peters-Lidard
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
Rating Curve ◽  
Radar Altimetry ◽  
Discharge Data ◽  
Modeling Uncertainties ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Relative Errors ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. In this study, we evaluate the use of a large radar altimetry dataset as a complementary gauging network capable of providing water discharge in ungauged regions within the Amazon basin. A rating-curve-based methodology is adopted to derive water discharge from altimetric data provided by Envisat at 444 virtual stations (VS). The stage-discharge relations at VS are built based on radar altimetry and outputs from a global flow routing scheme. In order to quantify the impact of modeling uncertainties on rating-curve based discharges, another experiment is performed using simulated discharges derived from a simplified data assimilation procedure. Discharge estimates at 90 VS are evaluated against observations during the curve fitting calibration (2002–2005) and evaluation (2006–2008) periods, resulting in mean relative RMS errors as high as 52% and 12% for experiments without and with assimilation, respectively. Without data assimilation, uncertainty of discharge estimates can be mostly attributed to forcing errors at smaller scales, generating a positive correlation between performance and drainage area. Mean relative errors (RE) of altimetry-based discharges varied from 15% to 92% for large and small drainage areas, respectively. Rating curves produced a mean RE of 54% versus 68% from model outputs. Assimilating discharge data decreases the mean RE from 68% to 12%. These results demonstrate the feasibility of applying the proposed methodology to the regional or global scales. Also, it is shown the potential of satellite altimetry for predicting water discharge in poorly-gauged and ungauged river basins.

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