A hydro-economic model for managing groundwater resources in semi-arid regions

This paper discusses the interpretation of surface features that can assist in the evaluation of groundwater resources in semi-arid and arid developing regions. The lack of infrastructure in these areas places serious constraints on borehole drilling, which in turn limits the data which can be obtained directly from the subsurface. Under these conditions, surface indicators may be used to infer useful information about the subsurface, which includes shallow aquifers. This article summarizes those surface indicators which provide useful data in arid and semi-arid regions and provides a review of the literature to assist in their interpretation. Patterns of surface indicators covering a large area may be more effective and less costly for interpreting basic regional hydrogeological conditions than detailed data obtained from a limited number of boreholes. The hydrogeological information which can be obtained by using the methods discussed in this article include the regional flow patterns, an estimate of the depth to groundwater, aquifer geology and estimates of the regional recharge and discharge zones. This data may in turn provide support for subsequent well drilling campaigns, limited environmental assessments, and potable water assessments for humanitarian base camps in developing regions.

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Is Annual Recharge Coefficient a Valid Concept in Arid and Semi-Arid Region?

10.5194/hess-2017-160 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yiben Cheng ◽

Hongbin Zhan ◽

Wenbin Yang ◽

Hongzhong Dang ◽

Wei Li

Keyword(s):

Arid Regions ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Heavy Precipitation ◽

Annual Precipitation ◽

Precipitation Event ◽

Precipitation Pattern ◽

Deep Soil ◽

Bare Sand ◽

Sand Land ◽

Semi Arid

Abstract. Deep soil recharge (DSR) (at depth more than 200 cm) is an important part of water circulation in arid and semi-arid regions. Quantitative monitoring of DSR is of great importance to assess water resources and study water balance in arid and semi-arid regions. Simple estimates of recharge based on fixed fractions of annual precipitation are misleading because they do not reflect the plant and soil factors controlling recharge. This study used a typical bare land on the Eastern margin of Mu Us Sandy Land of China an example to illustrate a new lysimeter method of measuring DSR underneath bare sand land in arid and semi-arid regions. Positioning monitoring was done on precipitation and DSR measurement underneath mobile sand dunes from 2013 to 2015 in the study area. Results showed that use of a constant recharge coefficient for estimating DSR in bare sand land in arid and semi-arid regions is questionable and could lead to considerable errors. It appeared that DSR in those regions was influenced by precipitation pattern, and was closely correlated with spontaneous heavy precipitation (defined for an event with more than 10 mm precipitation) other than the average precipitation strength. This study showed that as much as 42 % of precipitation in a single heavy precipitation event can be transformed into DSR. During the observation period, the maximum annual DSR could make up to 24.33 % of the annual precipitation. This study provided a reliable method of estimating DSR in sandy area of arid and semi-arid regions, which is valuable for managing groundwater resources and ecological restoration in those regions.

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Coastal Aquifer Salinization in Semi-Arid Regions: The Case of Grombalia (Tunisia)

Water ◽

10.3390/w13020129 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 129

Author(s):

Siwar Kammoun ◽

Rim Trabelsi ◽

Viviana Re ◽

Kamel Zouari

Keyword(s):

Coastal Aquifer ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Exchange Process ◽

Shallow Aquifer ◽

Return Flow ◽

Rock Interaction ◽

Freshwater Resource ◽

Semi Arid ◽

Groundwater Mineralization

Groundwater resources are facing increasing pressure especially in semi-arid regions where they often represent the main freshwater resource to sustain human needs. Several aquifers in the Mediterranean basin suffer from salinization and quality degradation. This study provides an assessment of Grombalia coastal aquifer (Tunisia) based on multidisciplinary approach that combines chemical and isotopic (δ2H, δ18O, 3H, 14C and δ13C) methods to characterize the relation between groundwater quality variation and aquifer recharge. The results indicate that total dissolved solids exceed 1000 mg/L in the most of samples excepting the recharge area. In addition to water–rock interaction, evaporation and nitrate pollution contributing to groundwater mineralization, the reverse cation exchange process constitute an important mechanism controlling groundwater mineralization with enhancing risk of saltwater intrusion. Environmental isotope tracers reveal that groundwater is evolving within an open system to close system. A significant component of recent water that is recharging Grombalia aquifer system is confirmed by applying correction models based on the δ13C values and 14C activities and tritium contents. However, this recharge, which is mainly associated to the return flow of irrigation water, contributes to the groundwater salinization, especially for the shallow aquifer.

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Hydropolitics and Hydroeconomics of Shared Groundwater Resources: Experience in Arid and Semi-arid Regions

Overexploitation and Contamination of Shared Groundwater Resources - NATO Science for Peace and Security Series ◽

10.1007/978-1-4020-6985-7_20 ◽

2008 ◽

pp. 415-431

Author(s):

Manuel R. Llamas Madurga ◽

Pedro Martínez-Santos ◽

África de la Hera

Keyword(s):

Arid Regions ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Semi Arid

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Global-scale modeling of groundwater recharge

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-12-863-2008 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 863-885 ◽

Cited By ~ 216

Author(s):

P. Döll ◽

K. Fiedler

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Groundwater Recharge ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Global Scale ◽

Unbiased Estimation ◽

Data Sets ◽

Total Runoff ◽

Semi Arid

Abstract. Long-term average groundwater recharge, which is equivalent to renewable groundwater resources, is the major limiting factor for the sustainable use of groundwater. Compared to surface water resources, groundwater resources are more protected from pollution, and their use is less restricted by seasonal and inter-annual flow variations. To support water management in a globalized world, it is necessary to estimate groundwater recharge at the global scale. Here, we present a best estimate of global-scale long-term average diffuse groundwater recharge (i.e. renewable groundwater resources) that has been calculated by the most recent version of the WaterGAP Global Hydrology Model WGHM (spatial resolution of 0.5° by 0.5°, daily time steps). The estimate was obtained using two state-of-the-art global data sets of gridded observed precipitation that we corrected for measurement errors, which also allowed to quantify the uncertainty due to these equally uncertain data sets. The standard WGHM groundwater recharge algorithm was modified for semi-arid and arid regions, based on independent estimates of diffuse groundwater recharge, which lead to an unbiased estimation of groundwater recharge in these regions. WGHM was tuned against observed long-term average river discharge at 1235 gauging stations by adjusting, individually for each basin, the partitioning of precipitation into evapotranspiration and total runoff. We estimate that global groundwater recharge was 12 666 km3/yr for the climate normal 1961–1990, i.e. 32% of total renewable water resources. In semi-arid and arid regions, mountainous regions, permafrost regions and in the Asian Monsoon region, groundwater recharge accounts for a lower fraction of total runoff, which makes these regions particularly vulnerable to seasonal and inter-annual precipitation variability and water pollution. Average per-capita renewable groundwater resources of countries vary between 8 m3/(capita yr) for Egypt to more than 1 million m3/(capita yr) for the Falkland Islands, the global average in the year 2000 being 2091 m3/(capita yr). Regarding the uncertainty of estimated groundwater resources due to the two precipitation data sets, deviation from the mean is 1.1% for the global value, and less than 1% for 50 out of the 165 countries considered, between 1 and 5% for 62, between 5 and 20% for 43 and between 20 and 80% for 10 countries. Deviations at the grid scale can be much larger, ranging between 0 and 186 mm/yr.

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Global-scale modeling of groundwater recharge

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/hessd-4-4069-2007 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 4069-4124 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

P. Döll ◽

K. Fiedler

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Groundwater Recharge ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Global Scale ◽

Unbiased Estimation ◽

Data Sets ◽

Total Runoff ◽

Semi Arid

Abstract. Long-term average groundwater recharge, which is equivalent to renewable groundwater resources, is the major limiting factor for the sustainable use of groundwater. Compared to surface water resources, groundwater resources are more protected from pollution, and their use is less restricted by seasonal and inter-annual flow variations. To support water management in a globalized world, it is necessary to estimate groundwater recharge at the global scale. Here, we present a best estimate of global-scale long-term average diffuse groundwater recharge (i.e. renewable groundwater resources) that has been calculated by the most recent version of the WaterGAP Global Hydrology Model WGHM (spatial resolution of 0.5° by 0.5°, daily time steps). The estimate was obtained using two state-of-the art global data sets of gridded observed precipitation that we corrected for measurement errors, which also allowed to quantify the uncertainty due to these equally uncertain data sets. The standard WGHM groundwater recharge algorithm was modified for semi-arid and arid regions, based on independent estimates of diffuse groundwater recharge, which lead to an unbiased estimation of groundwater recharge in these regions. WGHM was tuned against observed long-term average river discharge at 1235 gauging stations by adjusting, individually for each basin, the partitioning of precipitation into evapotranspiration and total runoff. We estimate that global groundwater recharge was 12 666 km3/yr for the climate normal 1961–1990, i.e. 32% of total renewable water resources. In semi-arid and arid regions, mountainous regions, permafrost regions and in the Asian Monsoon region, groundwater recharge accounts for a lower fraction of total runoff, which makes these regions particularly vulnerable to seasonal and inter-annual precipitation variability and water pollution. Average per-capita renewable groundwater resources of countries vary between 8 m3/(capita yr) for Egypt to more than 1 million m3/(capita yr) for the Falkland Islands, the global average in the year 2000 being 2091 m3/(capita yr). Regarding the uncertainty of estimated groundwater resources due to the two precipitation data sets, deviation from the mean is less than 1% for 50 out of the 165 countries considered, between 1 and 5% for 62, between 5 and 20% for 43 and between 20 and 80% for 10 countries. Deviations at the grid scale can be much larger, ranging between 0 and 186 mm/yr.

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A new approach to the fight against desertification in Inner Mongolia

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892907003864 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 95-97 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

GANG LI ◽

GAOMING JIANG ◽

YONGGENG LI ◽

MEIZHEN LIU ◽

YU PENG ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Surface ◽

Inner Mongolia ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Tree Planting ◽

Source Control ◽

Anthropogenic Factors ◽

Chinese Government ◽

Land Restoration ◽

Semi Arid

The world's arid and semi-arid regions are severely affected by desertification. In China, wind erosion, water erosion, soil salinization and the freezing and melting processes have contributed to 2.64 million km2 of desertified land, covering 27.5% of the country's land surface (State Forestry Administration, Peoples' Republic of China 2005). Although climate change could be a reason for desertification, anthropogenic factors such as overgrazing and overcultivation also contribute to degradation in grassland areas (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005; Zheng et al. 2006). The Chinese government has adopted afforestation as the main measure to control desertification. Major projects, including the ‘Three North Shelterbelt Programme’ (also known as the ‘Green Great Wall’) and the ‘Sandstorm Source Control Project around Beijing and Tianjin’, are necessary to shield northern and eastern agricultural ecosystems against sand and dust (Zhou 2002). However, these countermeasures require substantial effort and investment, and, in the semi-arid and arid regions of Inner Mongolia, newly planted trees have often died of drought, while tree planting could also be responsible for exhausting the precious groundwater resources of these regions (Jackson et al. 2005). Alternative and more practical ways of combating desertification by using multi-disciplinary approaches observing both social and ecological principles are required. The Hunshandake Sandy Land restoration demonstration project conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences was an attempt to restore desertified grassland mainly through natural processes, and requiring limited investment.

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Is annual recharge coefficient a valid concept in arid and semi-arid regions?

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-21-5031-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 21 (10) ◽

pp. 5031-5042 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Yiben Cheng ◽

Hongbin Zhan ◽

Wenbin Yang ◽

Hongzhong Dang ◽

Wei Li

Keyword(s):

Arid Regions ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Ordos Basin ◽

Annual Precipitation ◽

Precipitation Event ◽

Precipitation Pattern ◽

Total Precipitation ◽

Deep Soil ◽

Semi Arid ◽

Precipitation Events

Abstract. Deep soil recharge (DSR) (at depth greater than 200 cm) is an important part of water circulation in arid and semi-arid regions. Quantitative monitoring of DSR is of great importance to assess water resources and to study water balance in arid and semi-arid regions. This study used a typical bare land on the eastern margin of Mu Us Sandy Land in the Ordos Basin of China as an example to illustrate a new lysimeter method of measuring DSR to examine if the annual recharge coefficient is valid or not in the study site, where the annual recharge efficient is the ratio of annual DSR over annual total precipitation. Positioning monitoring was done on precipitation and DSR measurements underneath mobile sand dunes from 2013 to 2015 in the study area. Results showed that use of an annual recharge coefficient for estimating DSR in bare sand land in arid and semi-arid regions is questionable and could lead to considerable errors. It appeared that DSR in those regions was influenced by precipitation pattern and was closely correlated with spontaneous strong precipitation events (with precipitation greater than 10 mm) other than the total precipitation. This study showed that as much as 42 % of precipitation in a single strong precipitation event can be transformed into DSR. During the observation period, the maximum annual DSR could make up 24.33 % of the annual precipitation. This study provided a reliable method of estimating DSR in sandy areas of arid and semi-arid regions, which is valuable for managing groundwater resources and ecological restoration in those regions. It also provided strong evidence that the annual recharge coefficient was invalid for calculating DSR in arid and semi-arid regions. This study shows that DSR is closely related to the strong precipitation events, rather than to the average annual precipitation, as well as the precipitation patterns.

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