Study of groundwater vulnerability in three unconfined aquifers in Slovenia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miha Curk ◽  
Matjaž Glavan ◽  
Joseph Adu-Gyamfi ◽  
Janine Halder ◽  
Sonja Cerar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Nitrate Pollution ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
Nitrate Sources ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Unconfined Aquifers

<p>Groundwater is the main source of drinking water in Slovenia, but nitrate pollution originating from agriculture and urban areas is threatening its quality in several areas of the country. The aim of this study is to assess the vulnerability of three different unconfined aquifers in Slovenia (Ljubljansko polje, Dravsko-ptujsko polje and Krško-brežiško polje). All three study areas are located on alluvial plains with shallow groundwater levels and similar soil types, but different ratios of urban and agricultural land use. Soil types and land use were analyzed in each area as they contribute strongly to leaching of nitrate. Along with this we performed the analysis of stable isotopes of O, H and N to determine the origin of groundwater recharge and trace the possible sources of nitrate pollution. Results will give us an overview of nitrate pollution pathways through better understanding of nitrate sources, vulnerable areas, and groundwater recharge characteristics.</p>

scholarly journals Spatial-Temporal Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Urban Areas Using Remote Sensing Images and GIS Analysis: The Case Study of Opole, Poland

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 312
Author(s):  
Barbara Wiatkowska ◽  
Janusz Słodczyk ◽  
Aleksandra Stokowska
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Management Procedures

Urban expansion is a dynamic and complex phenomenon, often involving adverse changes in land use and land cover (LULC). This paper uses satellite imagery from Landsat-5 TM, Landsat-8 OLI, Sentinel-2 MSI, and GIS technology to analyse LULC changes in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. The research was carried out in Opole, the capital of the Opole Agglomeration (south-western Poland). Maps produced from supervised spectral classification of remote sensing data revealed that in 20 years, built-up areas have increased about 40%, mainly at the expense of agricultural land. Detection of changes in the spatial pattern of LULC showed that the highest average rate of increase in built-up areas occurred in the zone 3–6 km (11.7%) and above 6 km (10.4%) from the centre of Opole. The analysis of the increase of built-up land in relation to the decreasing population (SDG 11.3.1) has confirmed the ongoing process of demographic suburbanisation. The paper shows that satellite imagery and GIS can be a valuable tool for local authorities and planners to monitor the scale of urbanisation processes for the purpose of adapting space management procedures to the changing environment.

scholarly journals Land Use Dynamics and Variations in Sprawl across Municipalities in the Bamenda Urban-scape from 1996-2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 224
Author(s):  
Fombe Lawrence F. ◽  
Acha Mildred E.
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Urban Growth ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Town Planning ◽  
Land Values ◽  
Landsat Images ◽  
Land Use Dynamics ◽  
Spatiotemporal Analyses

Worldwide urban areas are having increasing influence over the surrounding landscape. Peri-urban regions of the world are facing challenges which results from sprawl with increasing problems of social segregation, wasted land and greater distance to work. This study seeks to examine the trends in land use dynamics, urban sprawl and associated development implications in the Bamenda Municipalities from 1996 to 2018. The study made use of the survey, historical and correlational research designs. The purposive and snowball techniques were used to collect data. Spatiotemporal analyses were carried out on Landsat Images for 1996, 2008, and 2018 obtained from Earth Explorer, Erdas Image 2014 and changes detected from the maps digitized. The SPSS version 21 and MS Excel 2016 were used to analyze quantitative and qualitative data. The former employed the Pearson correlation analysis. Analysis of land use/land cover change detection reveals that built-up area has increased significantly from 1996 to 2018 at the detriment of forest, wetland and agricultural land at different rates within each municipality. These changes have led to invasion of risk zones, high land values, uncoordinated, uncontrolled and unplanned urban growth. The study suggests that proactive planning, use of GIS to monitor land use activities, effective implementation of existing town planning norms and building regulations, are invaluable strategies to sustainably manage urban growth in Bamenda.

Ecosystem Valuation of Agricultural Land Use Change

2022 ◽  
pp. 90-126
Author(s):  
Dimple Behal
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
Agricultural Ecosystem ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
Rapid Pace

With the rapid pace of urbanization, land-use change is essential for economic and social progress; however, it does not come without costs. With such rapid urbanization, there comes pressure on the land and its resources, like that of food and timber production with a significant impact on the livelihood of millions of people. With the loss of agricultural land due to developmental activities, future agriculture would be very intensive. Therefore, it is likely with the existing pattern of allocating land uses for future development that we may lose the ecosystem services and highly productive agricultural lands. The value of these ecosystem services to agriculture is enormous and often underappreciated. The study focuses on identifying underlying causes of the land-use change, ecosystem services affected due to land-use change in peri-urban areas of Chandigarh using spatial mapping of affected ecosystem services and suggesting proposals for promoting agricultural ecosystem values using economically-informed policy instruments.

scholarly journals Spatio-Temporal Variation Analysis of Landscape Pattern Response to Land Use Change from 1985 to 2015 in Xuzhou City, China

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yantao Xi ◽  
Nguyen Thinh ◽  
Cheng Li
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Landscape Pattern ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Barren Land

Rapid urbanization has dramatically spurred economic development since the 1980s, especially in China, but has had negative impacts on natural resources since it is an irreversible process. Thus, timely monitoring and quantitative analysis of the changes in land use over time and identification of landscape pattern variation related to growth modes in different periods are essential. This study aimed to inspect spatiotemporal characteristics of landscape pattern responses to land use changes in Xuzhou, China durfing the period of 1985–2015. In this context, we propose a new spectral index, called the Normalized Difference Enhanced Urban Index (NDEUI), which combines Nighttime light from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program/Operational Linescan System with annual maximum Enhanced Vegetation Index to reduce the detection confusion between urban areas and barren land. The NDEUI-assisted random forests algorithm was implemented to obtain the land use/land cover maps of Xuzhou in 1985, 1995, 2005, and 2015, respectively. Four different periods (1985–1995, 1995–2005, 2005–2015, and 1985–2015) were chosen for the change analysis of land use and landscape patterns. The results indicate that the urban area has increased by about 30.65%, 10.54%, 68.77%, and 143.75% during the four periods at the main expense of agricultural land, respectively. The spatial trend maps revealed that continuous transition from other land use types into urban land has occurred in a dual-core development mode throughout the urbanization process. We quantified the patch complexity, aggregation, connectivity, and diversity of the landscape, employing a number of landscape metrics to represent the changes in landscape patterns at both the class and landscape levels. The results show that with respect to the four aspects of landscape patterns, there were considerable differences among the four years, mainly owing to the increasing dominance of urbanized land. Spatiotemporal variation in landscape patterns was examined based on 900 × 900 m sub-grids. Combined with the land use changes and spatiotemporal variations in landscape patterns, urban growth mainly occurred in a leapfrog mode along both sides of the roads during the period of 1985 to 1995, and then shifted into edge-expansion mode during the period of 1995 to 2005, and the edge-expansion and leapfrog modes coexisted in the period from 2005 to 2015. The high value spatiotemporal information generated using remote sensing and geographic information system in this study could assist urban planners and policymakers to better understand urban dynamics and evaluate their spatiotemporal and environmental impacts at the local level to enable sustainable urban planning in the future.

scholarly journals Groundwater recharge processes in an Asian mega-delta: hydrometric evidence from Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 2917-2932
Author(s):  
Sara Nowreen ◽  
R. G. Taylor ◽  
M. Shamsudduha ◽  
M. Salehin ◽  
A. Zahid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Conceptual Models ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Depositional Environments ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Groundwater Depletion ◽  
Bengal Basin ◽  
River Channels ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Pleistocene Aquifer

AbstractGroundwater is used intensively in Asian mega-deltas yet the processes by which groundwater is replenished in these deltaic systems remain inadequately understood. Drawing insight from hourly monitoring of groundwater levels and rainfall in two contrasting settings, comprising permeable surficial deposits of Holocene age and Plio-Pleistocene terrace deposits, together with longer-term, lower-frequency records of groundwater levels, river stage, and rainfall from the Bengal Basin, conceptual models of recharge processes in these two depositional environments are developed. The representivity of these conceptual models across the Bengal Basin in Bangladesh is explored by way of statistical cluster analysis of groundwater-level time series data. Observational records reveal that both diffuse and focused recharge processes occur in Holocene deposits, whereas recharge in Plio-Pleistocene deposits is dominated by indirect leakage from river channels where incision has enabled a direct hydraulic connection between river channels and the Plio-Pleistocene aquifer underlying surficial clays. Seasonal cycles of recharge and discharge including the onset of dry-season groundwater-fed irrigation are well characterised by compiled observational records. Groundwater depletion, evident from declining groundwater levels with a diminished seasonality, is pronounced in Plio-Pleistocene environments where direct recharge is inhibited by the surficial clays. In contrast, intensive shallow groundwater abstraction in Holocene environments can enhance direct and indirect recharge via a more permeable surface geology. The vital contributions of indirect recharge of shallow groundwater identified in both depositional settings in the Bengal Basin highlight the critical limitation of using models that exclude this process in the estimation of groundwater recharge in Asian mega-deltas.

scholarly journals Influence of Climate and Land Use Change on the Groundwater System of the Veluwe, The Netherlands: A Historical and Future Perspective

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2866
Author(s):  
Marjolein H. J. Van Huijgevoort ◽  
Bernard R. Voortman ◽  
Sjoerd Rijpkema ◽  
Kelly H. S. Nijhuis ◽  
Jan-Philip M. Witte
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Future Perspective ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
The Future

Changes in land use and climate have a large influence on groundwater recharge and levels. In The Netherlands, precipitation shifts from summer to winter are expected, combined with an increase in summer temperature leading to higher evaporation. These changes in climate could threaten the fresh water supply and increase the importance of large groundwater reservoirs. Sustainable management of these groundwater reservoirs, therefore, is crucial. Changes in land use could help mitigate the effects of climate change by decreasing the evaporation. In this study, we investigate the effect of changes in climate and land use on a large groundwater reservoir in The Netherlands, the Veluwe, for a historical period (1850–2016) and in the future (2036–2065). During the historical period, evaporation increased due to conversions from heather and drift sand to pine forest across the Veluwe. This change in land use had a larger effect on the groundwater recharge than change in climate over the historical period. In the future, an increase in winter precipitation will lead to higher groundwater levels in the elevated parts of the region. Surrounding areas are more vulnerable to an increase in dry periods in the summer. Groundwater reservoirs provide an opportunity to store water during wetter periods, which could alleviate drought impacts in surrounding regions during dry periods. Land use change, such as conversion from pine forest to other land use types, is a possible measure to increase water availability.

scholarly journals Application of the SWAT model in the Pinios river basin under different land-use scenarios

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-79 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Pinios River ◽  
Monthly Runoff ◽  
The One ◽  
Main Components

This paper investigates the hydrological effects of specific land use changes in a catchment of the river Pinios in Thessaly (Ali Efenti catchment), through the application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) on a monthly time step. The model's calibration efficiency is verified by comparing the simulated and observed discharge time series at the outlet of the watershed, where long series of hydrometrical data exist. The model is used to simulate the main components of the hydrologic cycle, in order to study the effects of land use changes. Three land use change scenarios are examined, namely (A) expansion of agricultural land, (B) complete deforestation of the Trikala sub-basin and (C) expansion of urban areas in the Trikala sub-basin. All three scenarios resulted in an increase in discharge during wet months and a decrease during dry periods. The deforestation scenario was the one that resulted in the greatest modification of total monthly runoff.

scholarly journals Potential of Shallow Groundwater for Household Level Irrigation Practices in Tahtay Koraro Woreda, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-66
Author(s):  
Ermias Hagos ◽  
Amare Girmay ◽  
Tesfamichael Gebreyohannes
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Potential Evapotranspiration ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Northern Ethiopia ◽  
Groundwater Abstraction ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Dug Wells

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.

scholarly journals Problems and prospects of the reclaimed floodplain' of the Irpin’ River usage under the modern socio-economic and climatic transformations.

2020 ◽  
pp. 144-157
Author(s):  
M. I. Romashchenko ◽  
M. V. Yatsyuk ◽  
A. M. Shevchenko ◽  
S. A. Shevchuk ◽  
O. M. Kozytsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Town Planning ◽  
Water Control ◽  
River Floodplain ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Mechanical Removal

Relevance of research. As a result of row of reasons of socio-economic character, there has been a decrease in volumes and a decrease in the efficiency of the use of drained land over the last two decades, primarily within river floodplains. The purpose of the study is to determine the prospects and problems of the development of reclaimed areas of the Irpin river floodplain under transformed climatic conditions and the nature of land use. Research methods - field surveys, monitoring observations of water levels in canals and groundwater levels, systematic and cartographic data analysis and hydrological calculations. Research results and main conclusions. Based on the research findings in the typical pilot territories of Irpin’s drainage-irrigation system (DIS), the current state and main problems of the use of drained lands within the Irpen’s river floodplain are characterized, as well as the prospects for the further development of reclaimed floodplain areas during the transformation of climatic conditions and land use are determined.  It has been established that significant factors influencing the decrease in the level of use of drained agricultural land of the floodplain for its intended purpose are the fragmentation of land shares, the limited financial capabilities of their owners, the nationwide tolerance for long-term non-use of reclaimed lands, as well as the tendency to increase the number of peat fires and floodplain buildings development. It was determined that the unsatisfactory technical condition of a significant part of the on-farm drainage canals of the Irpin’s DIS, the majority of hydrotechnical water control structures on them, siltation of the estuarine parts of closed drainage collectors and a decrease in the depth of its occurrence in areas with peat deposits due to their runoff, precipitation, mechanical removal and burning out ensuring a favorable water regime of soils and protection of the agricultural lands from flooding on the floodplain of the Irpin’s River without redesign or modernization of the DIS. It is noted that the perspective direction of the use of drained floodplain lands is the cultivation of berry crops with an application of drip irrigation. I It is determined that, taking into account the potential negative water and environmental consequences of housing, especially multi-story, floodplain development, its use as a town-planning resource should be geographically limited and aimed primarily at creating of recreational areas and to be carried out in compliance with the requirements of water and land legislation.

scholarly journals Assessing the extent of land-use change around important bat-inhabited caves

BMC Zoology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariëtte Pretorius ◽  
Wanda Markotter ◽  
Mark Keith
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Threat Status ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Urban Settlements

Abstract Background Modification and destruction of natural habitats are bringing previously unencountered animal populations into contact with humans, with bats considered important zoonotic transmission vectors. Caves and cave-dwelling bats are under-represented in conservation plans. In South Africa, at least two cavernicolous species are of interest as potential zoonotic hosts: the Natal long-fingered bat Miniopterus natalensis and the Egyptian fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus. Little information is available about the anthropogenic pressures these species face around important roost sites. Both bats are numerous and widespread throughout the country; land-use changes and urban expansions are a rising concern for both conservation and increased bat-human contact. Results Our study addressed this shortfall by determining the extent of land-cover change around 47 roosts between 2014 and 2018 using existing land cover datasets. We determined the land-cover composition around important roost sites (including maternity, hibernacula and co-roosts), distances to urban settlements and assessed the current protection levels of roost localities. We detected an overall 4% decrease in natural woody vegetation (trees) within 5 km buffer zones of all roost sites, with a 10% decrease detected at co-roost sites alone. Agricultural land cover increased the most near roost sites, followed by plantations and urban land-cover. Overall, roosts were located 4.15 ± 0.91 km from urban settlements in 2018, the distances decreasing as urban areas expand. According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute Ecosystem Threat Status assessment, 72% of roosts fall outside of well-protected ecosystems. Conclusions The current lack of regulatory protection of cavernicolous bats and their roosts, increasing anthropogenic expansions and proximity to human settlements raises concerns about increased human-bat contact. Furthermore, uncontrolled roost visitation and vandalism are increasing, contributing to bat health risks and population declines, though the extent of roosts affected is yet to be quantified. In an era where pandemics are predicted to become more frequent and severe due to land-use change, our research is an urgent call for the formal protection of bat-inhabited caves to safeguard both bats and humans.

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