scholarly journals Temporal dependence of potentiometric levels and groundwater salinity in alluvial aquifer upon rainfall and evapotranspiration

RBRH ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robertson Valério de Paiva Fontes Júnior ◽  
Abelardo Antônio de Assunção Montenegro

ABSTRACT Rainfall uncertainty and high evapotranspiration rates in the semiarid regions not only play an important impact on surface water scarcity, but interfere on shallow groundwater quantity and quality. The aim of this study was to apply geostatistical methodology to analyze the time dependence of potentiometric levels and groundwater salinity in an intensively monitored alluvial aquifer upon agroclimatological variables, and thus investigate possible monthly and annual correlations. Statistically stable piezometers were considered for the temporal analysis, representing the mean behavior of the whole aquifer. It has been verified that stable piezometers for groundwater levels exhibited temporal dependence of 7 months, similar to the temporal scale of variation for monthly precipitation and potential evapotranspiration, which is consistent to the resulting crossed-semivariogram. Meanwhile, stable piezometers for electrical conductivity showed high uncertainty on temporal dependence scale, which ranged from 3 to 8 months. Thus, rainfall and evapotranspiration alone did not properly explain the temporal dynamics of groundwater salinity. The produced maps successfully identified the long term time pattern of groundwater variation, constituting an important support for water resources evaluation.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-66
Author(s):  
Ermias Hagos ◽  
Amare Girmay ◽  
Tesfamichael Gebreyohannes

This paper deals with the results of a pilot study conducted to estimate the shallow groundwater resource potential and irrigation capacity at the household level in Tahtay Koraro Woreda, northwestern zone of Tigray, Ethiopia. The potential evapotranspiration and actual evapotranspiration of the study area are estimated to be 1484 mm/year and 814 mm/year respectively. The runoff is approximately calculated to be 280 mm/year and the annual groundwater recharge is estimated to be 29 mm/year. The total annual groundwater abstraction for human, livestock, and irrigation is estimated to be 25 mm/year. It should be noted that the groundwater recharge rate is expected to remain constant while the total annual groundwater discharge is expected to increase from year to year. This relation when projected over a long period may result in a negative groundwater budget which can result in depletion of groundwater (lowering of groundwater levels), reduced baseflow to streams, and deterioration of water quality.  The computed values for hydraulic conductivity of the aquifers range from 1.63 m/day to 7.27 m/day with an average value of 4.9 m/day and transmissivity from 48.9 m2/day to 218.1 m2/day with an average value of 147.14 m2/day. The aquifers in the highly weathered basalt and highly weathered siltstone – sandstone intercalation have transmissivity values ranging from 99 m2/day to 218.1 m2/day with an average value of 157 m2/day and are grouped into the moderate potentiality aquifers category. The aquifers in the slightly weathered and fractured metavolcanics grouped under low potentiality based on the lower transmissivity values (<50 m2/day). The study area has low to moderate groundwater potentiality, hence, large-scale groundwater pumping is not possible. Therefore, the current activity of using hand dug wells for household-level irrigation is the best way of using groundwater for irrigation and other uses as well. Increasing the depth of the existing hand dug wells that are constructed in highly weathered basalt and highly weathered siltstone – sandstone intercalation can also enhance the yield of the hand dug wells. It is recommended to use water-saving irrigation technologies rather than increasing the number of wells. This will also help in increasing the irrigation area. Groundwater recharge enhancement structures such as trenches, percolation ponds, and check dams be constructed in scientifically selected localities to further enhance the groundwater potential.


2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 10053-10093
Author(s):  
W. A. Timms ◽  
R. R. Young ◽  
N. Huth

Abstract. The magnitude and timing of deep drainage and salt leaching through clay soils is a critical issue for dryland agriculture in semi-arid regions (<500 mm yr−1 rainfall), such as parts of Australia's Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). In this unique study, hydrogeological measurements and estimations of the historic water balance of crops grown on overlying Grey Vertosols were combined to estimate the contribution of deep drainage below crop roots to recharge and salinization of shallow groundwater. Soil sampling at two sites on the alluvial flood plain of the Lower Namoi catchment revealed significant peaks in chloride concentrations at 0.8–1.2 m depth under perennial vegetation and at 2.0–2.5 m depth under continuous cropping indicating deep drainage and salt leaching since conversion to cropping. Total salt loads of 91–229 t ha−1 NaCl equivalent were measured for perennial vegetation and cropping, with salinity to ≥10 m depth that is not detected by shallow soil surveys. Groundwater salinity varied spatially from 910 to 2430 mS m−1 at 21 to 37 m depth (N = 5), whereas deeper groundwater was less saline (290 mS m−1) with use restricted to livestock and rural domestic supplies in this area. The Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) software package predicted deep drainage of 3.3–9.5 mm yr−1 (0.7–2.1% rainfall) based on site records of grain yields, rainfall, salt leaching and soil properties. Predicted deep drainage was highly episodic, dependent on rainfall and antecedent, and over a 39 yr period was restricted mainly to the record wet winter of 1998. During the study period, groundwater levels were unresponsive to major rainfall events (70 and 190 mm total), and most piezometers at about 18 m depth remained dry. In this area, at this time, recharge negligible due to low rainfall and large potential evapotranspiration, transient hydrological conditionsafter changes in land use and a thick clay dominated vadose zone. This is in contrast to regional groundwater modelling that assumes annual recharge of 0.5% of rainfall. Importantly, it was found that leaching from episodic deep drainage could not cause discharge of saline groundwater in the area, since the water table was several meters below the incised river bed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 1203-1219 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. A. Timms ◽  
R. R. Young ◽  
N. Huth

Abstract. The magnitude and timing of deep drainage and salt leaching through clay soils is a critical issue for dryland agriculture in semi-arid regions (<500 mm yr−1 rainfall, potential evapotranspiration >2000 mm yr−1) such as parts of Australia's Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). In this rare study, hydrogeological measurements and estimations of the historic water balance of crops grown on overlying Grey Vertosols were combined to estimate the contribution of deep drainage below crop roots to recharge and salinization of shallow groundwater. Soil sampling at two sites on the alluvial flood plain of the Lower Namoi catchment revealed significant peaks in chloride concentrations at 0.8–1.2 m depth under perennial vegetation and at 2.0–2.5 m depth under continuous cropping indicating deep drainage and salt leaching since conversion to cropping. Total salt loads of 91–229 t ha−1 NaCl equivalent were measured for perennial vegetation and cropping, with salinity to ≥ 10 m depth that was not detected by shallow soil surveys. Groundwater salinity varied spatially from 910 to 2430 mS m−1 at 21 to 37 m depth (N = 5), whereas deeper groundwater was less saline (290 mS m−1) with use restricted to livestock and rural domestic supplies in this area. The Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) software package predicted deep drainage of 3.3–9.5 mm yr−1 (0.7–2.1% rainfall) based on site records of grain yields, rainfall, salt leaching and soil properties. Predicted deep drainage was highly episodic, dependent on rainfall and antecedent soil water content, and over a 39 yr period was restricted mainly to the record wet winter of 1998. During the study period, groundwater levels were unresponsive to major rainfall events (70 and 190 mm total), and most piezometers at about 18 m depth remained dry. In this area, at this time, recharge appears to be negligible due to low rainfall and large potential evapotranspiration, transient hydrological conditions after changes in land use and a thick clay dominated vadose zone. This is in contrast to regional groundwater modelling that assumes annual recharge of 0.5% of rainfall. Importantly, it was found that leaching from episodic deep drainage could not cause discharge of saline groundwater in the area, since the water table was several meters below the incised river bed.


Author(s):  
Campos Cedeño Antonio Fermín ◽  
Mendoza Álava Junior Orlando

Abstract— The Manabí Hydrographic Demarcation (DHM) is characterized as the only one that does not receive input from Andes Mountains, therefore, its water network is fed exclusively by the rainfall that occurs in the rainy season and that the warm current of El Niño plays a fundamental role in its production. In order to have technical information, important for the planning, control and development of the water resources of the DHM, in this research is made a temporal analysis of the monthly precipitation for 55 years, period 1963-2017. The National Institute of Hydrology and Meteorology of Ecuador (INAMHI) in station M005, located in the Botanical Garden of the Technical University of Manabí (Universidad Técnica de Manabí) in Portoviejo, obtained these records. An analysis is made of the monthly and annual patterns, establishing that the El Niño events that occurred in 1983, 1997 and 1998, have set guidelines for the change in rainwater production at the intensity and temporal distribution levels, increasing the months of drought, while the levels of rainfall increase, concentrating in fewer months, basically in February and March. This is a situation that increases the water deficit especially when there is not enough infrastructure of hydraulic works for the storage and regulation of runoff.   Index Terms— Hydrology, rainfall, monthly distribution, annually distribution, climate change, El Niño phenomenon


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Anita Drumond ◽  
Milica Stojanovic ◽  
Raquel Nieto ◽  
Luis Gimeno ◽  
Margarida L. R. Liberato ◽  
...  

A large part of the population and the economic activities of South America are located in eastern regions of the continent, where extreme climate events are a recurrent phenomenon. This study identifies and characterizes the dry and wet climate periods at domain-scale occurring over the eastern South America (ESA) during 1980–2018 through the multi-scalar Standardized Precipitation–Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). For this study, the spatial extent of ESA was defined according to a Lagrangian approach for moisture analysis. It consists of the major continental sink of the moisture transported from the South Atlantic Ocean throughout the year, comprising the Amazonia, central Brazil, and the southeastern continental areas. The SPEI for 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of accumulation was calculated using monthly precipitation and potential evapotranspiration time series averaged on ESA. The analysis of the climate periods followed two different approaches: classification of the monthly SPEI values as mild, moderate, severe, and extreme; the computation of the events and their respective parameters (duration, severity, intensity, and peak). The results indicate that wet periods prevailed in the 1990s and 2000s, while dry conditions predominated in the 2010s, when the longest and more severe dry events have been identified at the four scales.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 195-201
Author(s):  
Joélia Natália Bezerra da Silva ◽  
Janaína Vital de Albuquerque ◽  
Luana de Oliveira Rodrigues

Due to its large territory, Brazil has different climatic regions, which determines biome variations and equally diverse ecosystems, of this variety of vegetal landscapes, accompanies the diversity of climates. In this context, results of studies carried out locally, which guide measures, decision-making laws and regulations that reach large scales in the territory, need to be carefully planned, because there is a high risk of disregarding environmental specificities of the studied areas. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the environmental dynamics resulting from the impacts of the last decades that have affected the habitat of the guaiamum (Cardisoma guanhumi) in the Acaú-Goiana Extractivist Reserve (RESEX) and surrounding areas. The analysis of the spatial-temporal dynamics, in the RESEX and adjacent areas, was made from the vegetation indices (SAVI) through remote sensing. In this way, three images of the RESEX were analyzed, two from the year 2010 and one from 2015, in which the RESEX was already in full legal operation. It is noticeable that there are some areas within the Conservation Unit with small plots of exposed soil, which can demonstrate the occurrence of fires.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Gowing ◽  
Geoff Parkin ◽  
Nathan Forsythe ◽  
David Walker ◽  
Alemseged Tamiru Haile ◽  
...  

Abstract. There is a need for an evidence-based approach to identify how best to support development of groundwater for small scale irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We argue that it is important to focus this effort on shallow groundwater resources which are most likely to be used by poor rural communities in SSA. However, it is important to consider constraints, since shallow groundwater resources are likely to be vulnerable to over-exploitation and climatic variability. We examine here the opportunities and constraints and draw upon evidence from Ethiopia. We present a methodology for assessing and interpreting available shallow groundwater resources and argue that participatory monitoring of local water resources is desirable and feasible. We consider possib le models for developing distributed small-scale irrigation and assess its technical feasibility. Because of power limits on water lifting and also because of available technology for well construction, groundwater at depths of 50 m or 60 m cannot be regarded as easily accessible for small-scale irrigation. We therefore adopt a working definition of shallow groundwater as < 20 m depth. This detailed case study in the Dangila woreda in Ethiopia explores the feasibility of exploiting shallow groundwater for small-scale irrigation over a range of rainfall conditions. Variability of rainfall over the study period (9 % to 96 % probability of non-exceedance) does not translate into equivalent variability in groundwater levels and river baseflow. Groundwater levels, monitored by local communities, persist into the dry season to at least the end of December in most shallow wells, indicating that groundwater is available for irrigation use after the cessation of the wet season. Arguments historically put forward against the promotion of groundwater use for agriculture in SSA on the basis that aquifers are unproductive and irrigation will have unacceptable impacts on wetlands and other groundwater-dependent ecosystems appear exaggerated. It would be unwise to generalise from this case study to the whole of SSA, but useful insights into the wider issues are revealed by the case study approach. We believe there is a case for arguing that shallow groundwater in sub-Saharan Africa represents a neglected opportunity for sustainable intensification of small-scale agriculture.


Author(s):  
René Garreaud ◽  
Camila Alvarez-Garreton ◽  
Jonathan Barichivich ◽  
Juan Pablo Boisier ◽  
Duncan Christie ◽  
...  

Abstract. Since 2010 an uninterrupted sequence of dry years, with annual rainfall deficits ranging from 25 to 45 %, has prevailed in Central Chile (western South America, 30–38° S). Although intense 1- or 2-year droughts are recurrent in this Mediterranean-like region, the ongoing event stands out because of its longevity and large spatial extent. The extraordinary character of the so-called Central Chile Mega Drought (MD) was established against century long historical records and a millennial tree-ring reconstruction of regional precipitation. The largest MD-averaged rainfall relative anomalies occurred in the northern, semi-arid sector of central Chile but the event was unprecedented to the south of 35° S. ENSO neutral conditions have prevailed since 2011 (but for the strong El Niño 2015) contrasting with La Niña conditions that often accompanied past droughts. The precipitation deficit diminished the Andean snowpack and resulted in amplified declines (up to 90 %) of river flow, reservoir volumes and groundwater levels along central Chile and westernmost Argentina. In some semiarid basins we also found a conspicuous decrease in the runoff-to-rainfall coefficient. A substantial decrease in vegetation productivity occurred in the shrubland-dominated, northern sector, but a mix of greening and browning patches occurred farther south where irrigated croplands and exotic forest plantations dominate. The ongoing warming in central Chile, making the MD one of the warmest 6-year period on record, may have also contributed to such complex vegetation changes by increasing potential evapotranspiration. The understanding of the nature and biophysical impacts of the MD contributes to preparedness efforts to face a dry, warm future regional climate scenario.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10740
Author(s):  
Linyan Pan ◽  
Junfeng Dai ◽  
Zhiqiang Wu ◽  
Liangliang Huang ◽  
Zupeng Wan ◽  
...  

When considering the factors affecting the spatial and temporal variation of nitrogen and phosphorus in karst watersheds, the unique karst hydrogeology as an internal influencing factor cannot be ignored, as well as natural factors such as meteorological hydrology and external factors such as human activities. A watershed-scale field investigation was completed to statistically analyze spatial and temporal dynamics of nitrogen and phosphorus through the regular monitoring and collection of surface water and shallow groundwater in the agricultural-dominated Mudong River watershed in the Huixian Karst Wetland over one year (May 2020 to April 2021). Our research found that non-point source pollution of nitrogen (84.5% of 239 samples TN > 1.0 mg/L) was more serious than phosphorus (7.5% of 239 samples TP > 0.2 mg/L) in the study area, and shallow groundwater nitrogen pollution (98.3% of 118 samples TN > 1.0 mg/L) was more serious than surface water (68.6% of 121 samples TN > 1.0 mg/L). In the three regions with different hydrodynamic features, the TN concentration was higher and dominated by NO3−-N in the river in the northern recharge area, while the concentrations of TN and TP were the highest in shallow groundwater wells in the central wetland core area and increased along the surface water flow direction in the western discharge area. This research will help improve the knowledge about the influence of karst hydrodynamic features on the spatial patterns of nitrogen and phosphorus in water, paying attention to the quality protection and security of water in karst areas with a fragile water ecological environment.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Uwihirwe ◽  
Markus Hrachowitz ◽  
Thom Bogaard

&lt;p&gt;This study was conducted using data collected from 3 catchments in North-Western region of Rwanda; Kivu, upper Nyabarongo and Mukungwa. We used two parsimonious&amp;#160; models, a transfer function noise time series model and a linear reservoir conceptual model, to simulate groundwater levels using rainfall and potential evapotranspiration as model inputs. The transfer function noise model was identified as the model with great explanatory predictive power to simulate groundwater levels as compared to the linear reservoir model. Hereafter, the modelled groundwater levels were used together with precipitation to explain the landslide occurrence in the studied catchments. These variables were categorized into landslide predisposing conditions which include the standardized groundwater level on the landslide day h&lt;sub&gt;t&lt;/sub&gt; and prior to landslide triggering event h&lt;sub&gt;t-1&lt;/sub&gt; and landslide triggering conditions which include the rainfall event, event intensity and duration.&amp;#160; Receiver operating characteristics curve and area under the curve metrics were used to test the discriminatory power of each landslide explanatory variable. The maximum true skill statistics and the minimum radial distance were used to highlight the most informative hydrological and meteorological threshold levels above which landslide are high likely to occur in each catchment. We will discuss our results of incorporation of groundwater information in the landslide predictions and compare these results with landslide prediction capacity which solely use of precipitation thresholds.Here we focus on at the same time on the practicalities of data availability for day-to-day landslide hazard management, both in terms of missed and false alarms&lt;/p&gt;


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