Managed aquifer recharge with reverse-osmosis desalinated seawater: modeling the spreading in groundwater using stable water isotopes

Abstract. The spreading of reverse-osmosis desalinated seawater (DSW) in the Israeli Coastal Aquifer was studied using groundwater modeling and stable water isotopes as tracers. The DSW produced at the Hadera seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant is recharged into the aquifer through infiltration pond at the managed aquifer recharge (MAR) site of Menashe, Israel. The distinct difference in isotope composition between DSW (δ18O = +1.41; δ2H = +11.34 ‰) and the natural groundwater (δ18O = −4.48 to −5.43 ‰; δ2H = −18.41 to −22.68 ‰) makes the water isotopes a preferable tracer compared to widely-used chemical tracers, such as chloride. Moreover, this distinct difference can be used to simplify the system to a binary mixture of two end members: desalinated seawater and groundwater. This approach is especially robust when spatial data of stable water isotopes in the aquifer is scarce. A calibrated groundwater flow and transport model was used to predict the DSW plume distribution in the aquifer after 50 years of MAR with DSW. The results show that after 50 years 94 % of the recharged DSW was recovered by the production wells at the Menashe MAR site. The presented methodology is useful for predicting the distribution of reverse-osmosis desalinated seawater in various downstream groundwater systems.

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Managed aquifer recharge with reverse-osmosis desalinated seawater: modeling the spreading in groundwater using stable water isotopes

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-22-6323-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (12) ◽

pp. 6323-6333 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Yonatan Ganot ◽

Ran Holtzman ◽

Noam Weisbrod ◽

Anat Bernstein ◽

Hagar Siebner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reverse Osmosis ◽

Spatial Data ◽

Groundwater Modeling ◽

Transport Model ◽

Isotope Composition ◽

Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽

Distinct Difference ◽

Water Isotopes ◽

Aquifer Recharge ◽

Stable Water Isotopes

Abstract. The spreading of reverse-osmosis desalinated seawater (DSW) in the Israeli coastal aquifer was studied using groundwater modeling and stable water isotopes as tracers. The DSW produced at the Hadera seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant is recharged into the aquifer through an infiltration pond at the managed aquifer recharge (MAR) site of Menashe, Israel. The distinct difference in isotope composition between DSW (δ18O = 1.41 ‰; δ2H = 11.34 ‰) and the natural groundwater (δ18O = −4.48 ‰ to −5.43 ‰; δ2H = −18.41 ‰ to −22.68 ‰) makes the water isotopes preferable for use as a tracer compared to widely used chemical tracers, such as chloride. Moreover, this distinct difference can be used to simplify the system to a binary mixture of two end-members: desalinated seawater and groundwater. This approach is validated through a sensitivity analysis, and it is especially robust when spatial data of stable water isotopes in the aquifer are scarce. A calibrated groundwater flow and transport model was used to predict the DSW plume distribution in the aquifer after 50 years of MAR with DSW. The results suggest that after 50 years, 94 % of the recharged DSW was recovered by the production wells at the Menashe MAR site. The presented methodology is useful for predicting the distribution of reverse-osmosis desalinated seawater in various downstream groundwater systems.

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Participatory groundwater modeling for managed aquifer recharge as a tool for water resources management of a coastal aquifer in Greece

Hydrogeology Journal ◽

10.1007/s10040-021-02427-8 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

M. Perdikaki ◽

C. Makropoulos ◽

A. Kallioras

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Water Resources Management ◽

Coastal Aquifer ◽

Groundwater Modeling ◽

Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽

Aquifer Recharge ◽

Resources Management

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The stable isotope composition of water vapour above Corsica during the HyMeX SOP1: insight into vertical mixing processes from lower-tropospheric survey flights

10.5194/acp-2016-728 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Harald Sodemann ◽

Franziska Aemisegger ◽

Stephan Pfahl ◽

Mark Bitter ◽

Ulrich Corsmeier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Boundary Layer ◽

Stable Isotope ◽

Water Vapour ◽

Isotope Composition ◽

Water Isotopes ◽

High Temporal Resolution ◽

Stable Isotope Composition ◽

Stable Water Isotopes ◽

Mixing Processes ◽

Strong Inversion

Abstract. Stable water isotopes are powerful indicators of meteorological processes on a broad range of scales, reflecting evaporation, condensation, and airmass mixing processes. With the recent advent of fast laser-based spectroscopic methods it has become possible to measure the stable isotopic composition of atmospheric water vapour in situ at high temporal resolution, enabling to tremendously extend the measurement data base in space and time. Here we present the first set of airborne spectroscopic stable water isotopes measurements over the western Mediterranean. Measurements have been acquired by a customised Picarro L2130-i cavity-ring down spectrometer deployed onboard of the Dornier 128 D-IBUF aircraft together with a meteorological flux measurement package during the HyMeX SOP1 field campaign in Corsica, France during September and October 2012. Taking into account memory effects of the air inlet pipe, the typical time resolution of the measurements was about 15–30 s, resulting in an average horizontal resolution of about 1–2 km. Cross-calibration of the water vapour measurements from all humidity sensors showed good agreement in most flight conditions but the most turbulent ones. In total 21 successful stable isotope flights with 59 flight hours have been performed. Our data provide quasi-climatological autumn average conditions of the stable isotope parameters δD, δ18O and d-excess during the study period. A time-averaged perspective of the vertical stable isotope composition reveals for the first time the mean vertical structure of stable water isotopes over the Mediterranean at high resolution. A d-excess minimum in the overall average profile is reached in the region of the boundary layer top due to precipitation evaporation, bracketed by higher d-excess values near the surface due to non-equilibrium fractionation and above the boundary layer due to the non-linearity of the d-excess definition. Repeated flights along the same pattern reveals pronounced day-to-day variability due to changes in the large-scale circulation. During a period marked by a strong inversion at the top of the marine boundary layer, vertical gradients in stable isotopes reached up to 25.4 ‰ 100 m−1 for δD.

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Spatial distribution of stable water isotopes in alpine snow cover

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-17-2657-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 17 (7) ◽

pp. 2657-2668 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

N. Dietermann ◽

M. Weiler

Keyword(s):

Isotopic Composition ◽

Snow Cover ◽

Isotope Composition ◽

Model Performance ◽

Water Isotopes ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

High Mountains ◽

Stable Water Isotopes ◽

Altitude Effect ◽

The Mean

Abstract. The aim of this study was to analyse and predict the mean stable water isotopic composition of the snow cover at specific geographic locations and altitudes. In addition, the dependence of the isotopic composition of the entire snow cover on altitude was analysed. Snow in four Swiss catchments was sampled at the end of the accumulation period in April 2010 and a second time during snowmelt in May 2010 and analysed for stable isotope composition of 2H and 18O. The sampling was conducted at both south-facing and north-facing slopes at elevation differences of 100 m, for a total altitude difference of approximately 1000 m. The observed variability of isotopic composition of the snow cover was analysed with stepwise multiple linear regression models. The analysis indicated that there is only a limited altitude effect on the isotopic composition when considering all samples. This is due to the high variability of the isotopic composition of the precipitation during the winter months and, in particular in the case of south-facing slopes, an enrichment of heavy isotopes due to intermittent melting processes. This enrichment effect could clearly be observed in the samples which were taken later in the year. A small altitudinal gradient of the isotopic composition could only be observed at some north-facing slopes. However, the dependence of snow depth and the day of the year were significant predictor variables in all models. This study indicates the necessity to further study the variability of water isotopes in the snow cover to increase prediction for isotopic composition of snowmelt and hence increase model performance of residence time models for alpine areas in order to better understand the accumulation processes and the sources of water in the snow cover of high mountains.

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