Monitoring of soil moisture and groundwater levels using ultrasonic waves to predict slope failures

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsuhiko Tanaka ◽  
Takefumi Suda ◽  
Kazuhiro Hirai ◽  
Kazunari Sako ◽  
Ryoichi Fuakgawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Ultrasonic Waves ◽  
Slope Failures ◽  
Groundwater Levels

Monitoring of Soil Moisture and Groundwater Level Using Ultrasonic Waves to Predict Slope Failures

2009 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 09KD12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsuhiko Tanaka ◽  
Takefumi Suda ◽  
Kazuhiro Hirai ◽  
Kazunari Sako ◽  
Ryoichi Fukagawa
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Ultrasonic Waves ◽  
Slope Failures

Assess 21st century Flash Drought in the United States using high resolution regional climate models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandi Gamelin ◽  
Jiali Wang ◽  
V. Rao Kotamarthi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
Groundwater Levels

<p>Flash droughts are the rapid intensification of drought conditions generally associated with increased temperatures and decreased precipitation on short time scales.  Consequently, flash droughts are responsible for reduced soil moisture which contributes to diminished agricultural yields and lower groundwater levels. Drought management, especially flash drought in the United States is vital to address the human and economic impact of crop loss, diminished water resources and increased wildfire risk. In previous research, climate change scenarios show increased growing season (i.e. frost-free days) and drying in soil moisture over most of the United States by 2100. Understanding projected flash drought is important to assess regional variability, frequency and intensity of flash droughts under future climate change scenarios. Data for this work was produced with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Initial and boundary conditions for the model were supplied by CCSM4, GFDL-ESM2G, and HadGEM2-ES and based on the 8.5 Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP8.5). The WRF model was downscaled to a 12 km spatial resolution for three climate time frames: 1995-2004 (Historical), 2045-2054 (Mid), and 2085-2094 (Late).  A key characteristic of flash drought is the rapid onset and intensification of dry conditions. For this, we identify onset with vapor pressure deficit during each time frame. Known flash drought cases during the Historical run are identified and compared to flash droughts in the Mid and Late 21<sup>st</sup> century.</p>

scholarly journals Meteorological, soil moisture, surface water, and groundwater data from the St Denis National Wildlife Area, Saskatchewan, Canada

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward K. P. Bam ◽  
Rosa Brannen ◽  
Sujata Budhathoki ◽  
Andrew M. Ireson ◽  
Chris Spence ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Groundwater Availability ◽  
Surface Water And Groundwater

Abstract. Long-term meteorological, soil moisture, surface water, and groundwater data provide information on past climate change, most notably information that can be used to analyze past changes in precipitation and groundwater availability in a region. These data are also valuable to test, calibrate and validate hydrological and climate models. CCRN (Changing Cold Regions Network) is a collaborative research network that brought together a team of over 40 experts from 8 universities and 4 federal government agencies in Canada for 5 years (2013–18) through the Climate Change and Atmospheric Research (CCAR) Initiative of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The working group aimed to integrate existing and new data with improved predictive and observational tools to understand, diagnose and predict interactions amongst the cryospheric, ecological, hydrological, and climatic components of the changing Earth system at multiple scales, with a geographic focus on the rapidly changing cold interior of Western Canada. The St Denis National Wildlife Area database contains data for the prairie research site, St Denis National Wildlife Research Area, and includes atmosphere, soil, and groundwater. The meteorological measurements are observed every 5 seconds, and half-hourly averages (or totals) are logged. Soil moisture data comprise volumetric water content, soil temperature, electrical conductivity and matric potential for probes installed at depths of 5 cm, 20 cm, 50 cm, 100 cm, 200 cm and 300 cm in all soil profiles. Additional data on snow surveys, pond and groundwater levels, and water isotope isotopes collected on an intermittent basis between 1968 and 2018 are also presented including information on the dates and ground elevations (datum) used to construct hydraulic heads. The metadata table provides location information, information about the full range of measurements carried out on each parameter and GPS locations that are relevant to the interpretation of the records, as well as citations for both publications and archived data. The compiled data are available at https://doi.org/10.20383/101.0115.

Rooting depth and plant water relations explain species distribution patterns within a sandplain landscape

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip K. Groom
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Loss ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
Tissue Water ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Water Deficits ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Water Potentials

Tree and shrub species of the Banksia woodlands on the sandplains of northern Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia possess a range of strategies to avoid or tolerate soil water deficits during the annual summer drought. Shallow-rooted shrub species (< 1 m rooting depth) inhabit a range of locations in the landscape, from top of dune crests to wetland embankments. These are the most drought-tolerant of all sandplain species, surviving extremely low summer soil water potentials (< –7 MPa) and tissue water deficits by significantly reducing their transpirational water loss (< 0.2 mmol m–2 s–1). This is in contrast to the few shallow-rooted species restricted to low-lying or seasonally waterlogged areas which are reliant on subsurface soil moisture or groundwater to maintain their relatively high summer water use. Recent studies of water source usage of selected Banksia tree species have shown that these deep-rooted species access groundwater up to a maximum depth of 9 m depth during the summer months, or soil moisture at depth when groundwater was greater than maximum rooting depths, depending on the species. Medium- and deep-rooted (1–2 m and > 2 m, respectively) shrub species cope with the summer soil drying phase and related decrease in groundwater levels by conserving leaf water loss and incurring predawn water potentials between –1 and –4 MPa, enabling them to occur over a range of topographic positions within the sandplain landscape.

Evaluation of 2018 drought and effectiveness of adaptation measures in the Netherlands

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjolein H.J. van Huijgevoort ◽  
Janine A. de Wit ◽  
Ruud P. Bartholomeus
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Capillary Rise ◽  
Hydrological Drought ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Drought Event ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;Extreme dry conditions occurred over the summer of 2018 in the Netherlands. This severe drought event led to very low groundwater &amp;#160;and surface water levels. These impacted several sectors like navigation, agriculture, nature and drinking water supply. Especially in the Pleistocene uplands of the Netherlands, the low groundwater levels had a large impact on crop yields and biodiversity in nature areas. Projections show that droughts with this severity will occur more often in the future due to changes in climate. To mitigate the impact of these drought events, water management needs to be altered.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this study, we evaluated the 2018 drought event in the sandy regions of the Netherlands and studied which measures could be most effective to mitigate drought impact. We have included meteorological, soil moisture and hydrological drought and the propagation of the drought through these types. Droughts were determined with standardized indices (e.g. Standardized Precipitation Index) and the variable threshold level method. Investigated measures were, for example, higher water levels in ditches, reduced irrigation from groundwater, and increased water conservation in winter. We also studied the timing of these measures to determine the potential for mitigating effects during a drought versus the effectiveness of long term adaptation. The measures were simulated with the agro-hydrological Soil&amp;#8211;Water&amp;#8211;Atmosphere&amp;#8211;Plant (SWAP) model for several areas across the Netherlands for both agricultural fields and nature sites.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As expected, decreasing irrigation from groundwater reduced the severity of the hydrological drought in the region. Severity of the soil moisture drought also decreased in fields that were never irrigated due to the effects of capillary rise from the groundwater, but, as expected, increased in currently irrigated fields. Increasing the level of a weir in ditches had a relatively small effect on the hydrological drought, provided water was available to sustain higher water levels. This measure is, therefore, better suited as a long term change than as ad hoc measure during a drought. The effectiveness of the measures depended on the characteristics of the regions; for some regions small changes led to increases in groundwater levels for several months, whereas in other regions effects were lost after a few weeks. This study gives insight into the most effective measures to mitigate drought impacts in low-lying sandy regions like the Netherlands.&lt;/p&gt;

Comparison of different assimilation methodologies of groundwater levels to improve predictions of root zone soil moisture with an integrated terrestrial system model

2018 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 224-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongjuan Zhang ◽  
Wolfgang Kurtz ◽  
Stefan Kollet ◽  
Harry Vereecken ◽  
Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
System Model ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Terrestrial System

scholarly journals An Unsaturated/Saturated Coupled Hydrogeological Model for the Llamara Salt Flat, Chile, to Investigate Prosopis tamarugo Survival

Geosciences ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Samuel ◽  
Nicole Blin ◽  
José F. Muñoz ◽  
Francisco Suárez
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Health State ◽  
Hydrogeological Model ◽  
Tree Roots ◽  
Groundwater Exploitation ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Applied Model ◽  
Current Water

The Propopis tamarugo Phil, also known as Tamarugo, is an endemic and protected tree that survives in the Atacama Desert—a hyper arid and highly saline environment. The Tamarugo is threatened because of groundwater overexploitation, and its preservation depends on the soil moisture in the vadose zone, as many of the tree roots do not reach the current water table levels. To improve the estimation of soil moisture available for the Tamarugo trees, we applied a hydrogeological model that couples the unsaturated and saturated zones. The model was used to represent different groundwater exploitation and recharge scenarios between February 2006 and September 2030 to predict simultaneously groundwater levels and soil moisture. The model results show that even at locations where water table depletion is relatively small (~1–1.5 m), soil moisture can drastically decrease (0.25–0.30 m3/m3). Therefore, Tamarugo survival can be better addressed, as the applied model provides a management tool to estimate response of Tamarugo trees to changing soil moisture. To further improve the model and its use to assess Tamarugo survival, more field data, such as soil hydrodynamic properties and soil moisture, should be collected. Additionally, relationships between the state of the Tamarugo trees and soil moisture should be further constructed. In this way, the developed model will be able to predict future conditions associated to the Tamarugo’s health state.

Development and testing of a remote sensing-based model for estimating groundwater levels in aeolian desert areas of China

2011 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aidi Huo ◽  
Xunhong Chen ◽  
Huike Li ◽  
Ming Hou ◽  
Xiaojing Hou
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Desert Area ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Sensing Data ◽  
Desert Areas ◽  
Regional Groundwater

Huo, A., Chen, X., Li, H., Hou, M. and Hou, X. 2011. Development and testing of a remote sensing-based model for estimating groundwater levels in aeolian desert areas of China. Can. J. Soil Sci. 91: 29–37. Regional groundwater level is an important data set for understanding the relationships between groundwater resources and regional ecological environments. The decline in water table levels leads to vegetation degradation and thus affects the ecological environment. Such a negative effect is especially apparent in the desertification areas. In this study, a remote-sensing based method was proposed to predict the distribution of the regional groundwater level in an aeolian desert area in northern China. The study used the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) remote sensing data and field investigations. Based on field investigation of groundwater level, soil moisture, and other supporting information in the aeolian desert area, as well as the soil moisture distribution derived from the MODIS images, empirical equations describing the relationship between the soil moisture and groundwater level were obtained. The groundwater levels derived using the MODIS image data were verified by groundwater levels measured from 58 wells. The results show that the correlation coefficient between the measured groundwater levels and the remote sensing-based estimated water levels was 0.868, indicating that the error is small and the predictions closely reflect the real water levels. This model can be used to predict groundwater levels in aeolian desert areas based on remote sensing data sets.

scholarly journals A prototype platform for water resources monitoring and early recognition of critical droughts in Switzerland

2014 ◽  
Vol 364 ◽  
pp. 492-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Zappa ◽  
L. Bernhard ◽  
C. Spirig ◽  
M. Pfaundler ◽  
K. Stahl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Early Recognition ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Ensemble Forecasts ◽  
Hydrological Simulation ◽  
Information Platform ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Local Water ◽  
Real Time Information

Abstract. In recent years Switzerland has experienced some unprecedented drought situations. At a political level solutions have been requested for early recognition of hydrological droughts. A prototype information platform has been developed to guide water resources management during situations where water resources drop below critical levels. The development was steered by stakeholders from national administrations and different economic sectors. Since June 2013 the platform has presented daily updated real-time information on several drought indicators including precipitation, streamflow, lake levels, groundwater levels, soil moisture deficit, snow resources, dryness in forests and stream temperatures. For three basins, ensemble forecasts of runoff, soil moisture, snowpack and groundwater storage have been provided. Furthermore, a nationwide operational hydrological simulation at 600 × 600 m resolution gives indications on local water resources deficits. Information for each variable has been used to create automatic "awareness maps" for nine large regions. Three levels of information with increasing detail and complexity can be accessed by over 180 registered users. The operators of the platform give interpreted comments on the content of the platform each week-day. The test phase of the platform will last until the end of 2014.

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