scholarly journals Natural Groundwater Recharge Response to Climate Variability and Land Cover Change Perturbations in Basins with Contrasting Climate and Geology in Tanzania

Earth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 556-585
Author(s):  
Kassim Ramadhani Mussa ◽  
Ibrahimu Chikira Mjemah ◽  
Revocatus Lazaro Machunda
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Land Cover Changes ◽  
Moisture Balance ◽  
Two Temperature ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Soil Moisture Balance

The response of aquifers with contrasting climate and geology to climate and land cover change perturbations through natural groundwater recharge remains inadequately understood. In Tanzania and elsewhere in the world, studies have been conducted to assess the impact of climate change and variability, and land use/cover changes on stream flow using different models, but similar studies on groundwater dynamics are inadequate. This study, therefore, examined the influence of land use/cover and climate dynamics on natural groundwater recharge in basins with contrasting climate and geology in Tanzania, applying the modified soil moisture balance method, coupled with the curve number (CN). The method hinges on the balance between the incoming water from precipitation and the outflow of water by evapotranspiration. The different parameters in the soil moisture balance method were computed using the Thornthwaite Water Balance software. The potential evapotranspiration (PET) was calculated using the daily maximum and minimum temperatures, utilizing two-temperature-based PET methods, Penman–Monteith (PM) and Hargreaves–Samani (HS). The rainfall data were obtained from the gauging stations under the Tanzania Meteorological Agency and some additional data were acquired from climate observatories management by water basins. The results show that there has been a quasi-stable CN in the Singida semi-arid, fractured crystalline basement aquifer (74.2 in 1997, 73.64 in 2005, and 73.87 in 2018). In the Kimbiji, humid, Neogene sedimentary aquifer, the CN has been steadily increasing (66.69 in 1997, 69.08 in 2008, and 71.42 in 2016), indicating the rapid land cover changes in the Kimbiji aquifer as compared to the Singida aquifer. For the Kimbiji humid aquifer, the PET calculated using the Penman–Monteith (PM) method for the 1996/1997, 2007/2008, and 2015/2016 hydrological years were 1156.5, 1079.5, and 1143.9 mm/year, respectively, while for the Hargreaves–Samani (HS) method, the PET was found to be 1046.1, 1138.3, and 1204.4 mm/year for the 1996/1997, 2007/2008, and 2015/2016 hydrological years, respectively. For the Singida semi-arid aquifer, the PM PET method resulted in 2083.3, 2053.6, and 1875.4 mm/year for the 1996/1997, 2004/2005, and 2017/2018 hydrological years, respectively. The HS method produced relatively lower PET values for the semi-arid area (1839.4, 1814.7, and 1710.2 mm/year) for the 1996/1997, 2004/2005, and 2017/2018 hydrological years, respectively. It was equally revealed that the recharge and aridity indices correspond with the PET calculated using two temperature-dependent methods. The decline of certain land covers (forests) and increase in others (built-up areas) have contributed to the increase in surface runoff in each study area, possibly resulting in the decreasing trend of groundwater recharge. An overestimation of the PET using the HS method in the Kimbiji humid aquifer was observed, which was relatively smaller than the overestimation of the PET using the PM method in the Singida semi-arid aquifer. Despite the difference in climate and geology, the response of the two aquifers to rainfall is similar. The combined influence of climate and land cover changes on natural groundwater recharge was observed to be prominent in the Kimbiji aquifer, while only climate variability appreciably influences natural groundwater recharge in the Singida semi-arid aquifer. El Nino and the Southern Oscillation as part of the climate variability phenomenon dwarfed the time lags between rainfall and recharge in the two basins, regardless of their difference in climate and geology.

scholarly journals Groundwater recharge rates and surface runoff response to land use and land cover changes in semi-arid environments

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. O. Owuor ◽  
K. Butterbach-Bahl ◽  
A. C. Guzha ◽  
M. C. Rufino ◽  
D. E. Pelster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Land Cover Changes ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Recharge Rates ◽  
Semi Arid

Quantification of groundwater recharge in a hard rock terrain of Orissa: a case study

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 1319-1326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranu Rani Sethi ◽  
A. Kumar ◽  
S. P. Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Hard Rock ◽  
Balance Study ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Hard Rock Terrain ◽  
Moisture Balance ◽  
Soil Moisture Balance

A study was carried out to select the best method to estimate groundwater recharge in a hard rock terrain. Various standard empirical methods, soil-moisture balance method, water table fluctuation (WTF) method and commonly adopted norms set by Groundwater Estimation Committee (GEC), Govt of India were used to estimate recharge for the Munijhara watershed in the Nayagarh block of Orissa (India). The empirical formulae gave recharge rates ranging from 13 cm to 32 cm/year with average of 22.4 cm and standard deviation of 5.34, independent of other influencing factors like soil, topography and geology. The soil-moisture balance study indicated that recharge is more dependent on the continuous heavy rainfall total annual volume of rainfall. Recharge was limited at up to 10 mm per day, possibly due to presence of hard rock below the soil surface. The rise in water table depth was 3.45 m to 5.35 m with a mean rise of 4.5 m during the year 2006–2007. Annual groundwater recharge based on the WTF approach varied from 10.3 to 16.85 cm with a mean of 13.5 cm, standard deviation of 1.57 cm and coefficient of variation 11.57%. This recharge accounted for 8 to 14% of rainfall received. With a water budget approach based on GEC norms, recharge was calculated as 17 cm per year. The study showed that the magnitudes of annual groundwater recharge as estimated by the WST method and GEC norms are in conformity with other recent findings in India under the same climate conditions. Based on the results recharge structures could be planned in suitable locations to reduce fallow areas under the watershed.

scholarly journals Linking soil moisture balance and source-responsive models to estimate diffuse and preferential components of groundwater recharge

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 8455-8492
Author(s):  
M. O. Cuthbert ◽  
R. Mackay ◽  
J. R. Nimmo
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Shallow Water Table ◽  
Soil Matrix ◽  
Moisture Balance ◽  
Soil Moisture Balance

Abstract. Results are presented of a detailed study into the vadose zone and shallow water table hydrodynamics of a field site in Shropshire, UK. A conceptual model is developed and tested using a range of numerical models, including a modified soil moisture balance model (SMBM) for estimating groundwater recharge in the presence of both diffuse and preferential flow components. Tensiometry reveals that the loamy sand topsoil wets up via macropore flow and subsequent redistribution of moisture into the soil matrix. Recharge does not occur until near-positive pressures are achieved at the top of the sandy glaciofluvial outwash material that underlies the topsoil, about 1 m above the water table. Once this occurs, very rapid water table rises follow. This threshold behaviour is attributed to the vertical discontinuity in the macropore system due to seasonal ploughing of the topsoil, and a lower permeability plough/iron pan restricting matrix flow between the topsoil and the lower outwash deposits. Although the wetting process in the topsoil is complex, a SMBM is shown to be effective in predicting the initiation of preferential flow from the base of the topsoil into the lower outwash horizon. The rapidity of the response at the water table and a water table rise during the summer period while flow gradients in the unsaturated profile were upward suggest that preferential flow is also occurring within the outwash deposits below the topsoil. A variation of the source-responsive model proposed by Nimmo (2010) is shown to reproduce the observed water table dynamics well in the lower outwash horizon when linked to a SMBM that quantifies the potential recharge from the topsoil. The results reveal new insights into preferential flow processes in cultivated soils and provide a useful and practical approach to accounting for preferential flow in studies of groundwater recharge estimation.

scholarly journals The impact of land use/land cover changes and hydraulic structures on flood recession process

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun Chang ◽  
Ping Feng
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Hydraulic Structures ◽  
Land Cover Changes ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Soil Moisture Storage ◽  
Recession Curves ◽  
Moisture Storage

Intensified human activities have brought about great changes in runoff generation and convergence. As a significant part of the hydrological process, recession flows represent the capacity of a river basin to store rain and drain it during dry periods; therefore study of the influence of human-induced factors on flood flow recession is of great importance. The Fuping sub-catchment was selected as the study area. Comparisons of land use/land cover and soil moisture storage capacity changes were made between reference and impaired periods. In addition, 64 recession flows during 1958–2005 were simulated using the linear and non-linear reservoir recession models. Then the influence of land use/land cover changes and hydraulic structures on recession flows was identified. Results showed that grassland and cultivated land declined in area while forests increased. At the same time, there was a sharp increase in the soil moisture storage capacity. The non-linear recession model, being more accurate than the linear recession model, was used to simulate the recession process. Compared with recession curves before 1980, the initial outflow from the basin declined while the power law coefficient and recession duration increased; the power law exponent was relatively constant. Furthermore, the shapes of recession curves were flattened.

scholarly journals A soil moisture monitoring network to characterize karstic recharge and evapotranspiration at five representative sites across the globe

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romane Berthelin ◽  
Michael Rinderer ◽  
Bartolomé Andreo ◽  
Andy Baker ◽  
Daniela Kilian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Karst Systems ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Soil Moisture Monitoring ◽  
Sequential Reactions

Abstract. Karst systems that are characterized by a high subsurface heterogeneity are posing a challenge to study their complex recharge processes. Experimental methods to study karst processes mostly focus on characterizing the entire aquifer. Despite their important role for recharge processes, the limited focus has been given on studies of the soil and epikarst and most available research has been performed at sites of similar latitudes. In our study, we describe a new monitoring concept that allows the improvement of soil and epikarst processes understanding by covering different karst systems with different land cover at different climate regions. First, we describe the site selection and the experimental setup. Then we describe the five individual sites and their soil profiles. We also present some preliminary data and highlight the potential of the data for future research aimed at answering the relevant research questions: (1) How do the soil and epikarst heterogeneities influence water flow and storage processes in the karst vadose zone? (2) What is the impact of the land cover type on karstic groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration? (3) What is the impact of climate on karstic groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration? In order to answer these questions, we monitor soil moisture, which controls the partitioning of rainfall into infiltration, soil water storage, evapotranspiration, and groundwater recharge processes. We installed a soil moisture-monitoring network at five different climate regions: in Puerto Rico (tropical), Spain (Mediterranean), the United Kingdom (humid oceanic), Germany (humid mountainous), and Australia (dry semi-arid). At each of the five sites, we defined two 20 m × 20 m plots to install soil moisture probes under different land use types (forest and grassland). At each plot, 15 soil moisture profiles were installed with probes at different depths from the top soil to the epikarst (over 400 soil moisture probes were installed). Our first results show that the monitoring network provides new insights into the soil moisture dynamics of the five study sites and that significant differences prevail among forest and grassland sites. Some profiles are characterized by sequential reactions of soil moisture, i.e., the uppermost probe reacts first and the lowest probe reacts last, while at other profiles, we find non-sequential reactions that we interpret to result from preferential flow processes. While the former favours storage in the soil providing water for evapotranspiration, the latter can be seen as an indicator for the initiation of fast and preferential recharge into the karst system. Covering the spatiotemporal variability of these processes through a large number of installed probes, our monitoring network will allow to develop a new conceptual understanding of evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge processes in karst regions across different climate regions and land use types, and provide the base for quantitative assessment with physically-based modelling approaches in the future.

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