scholarly journals Nested-scale discharge and groundwater level monitoring to improve predictions of flow route discharges and nitrate loads

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 8427-8477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. van der Velde ◽  
J. C. Rozemeijer ◽  
G. H. de Rooij ◽  
F. C. van Geer ◽  
P. J. J. F. Torfs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Groundwater Depth ◽  
Nutrient Loads ◽  
Field Site ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Single Field ◽  
Parsimonious Model ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Identifying effective measures to reduce nutrient loads of headwaters in lowland catchments requires a thorough understanding of flow routes of water and nutrients. In this paper we assess the value of nested-scale discharge and groundwater level measurements for predictions of catchment-scale discharge and nitrate loads. In order to relate field-site measurements to the catchment-scale an upscaling approach is introduced that assumes that scale differences in flow route fluxes originate from differences in the relationship between groundwater storage and the spatial structure of the groundwater table. This relationship is characterized by the Groundwater Depth Distribution (GDD) curve that relates spatial variation in groundwater depths to the average groundwater depth. The GDD-curve was measured for a single field site (0.009 km2) and simple process descriptions were applied to relate the groundwater levels to flow route discharges. This parsimonious model could accurately describe observed storage, tube drain discharge, overland flow and groundwater flow simultaneously with Nash-Sutcliff coefficients exceeding 0.8. A probabilistic Monte Carlo approach was applied to upscale field-site measurements to catchment scales by inferring scale-specific GDD-curves from hydrographs of two nested catchments (0.4 and 6.5 km2). The estimated contribution of tube drain effluent (a dominant source for nitrates) decreased with increasing scale from 76–79% at the field-site to 34–61% and 25–50% for both catchment scales. These results were validated by demonstrating that a model conditioned on nested-scale measurements simulates better nitrate loads and better predictions of extreme discharges during validation periods compared to a model that was conditioned on catchment discharge only.

scholarly journals Improving catchment discharge predictions by inferring flow route contributions from a nested-scale monitoring and model setup

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 913-930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. van der Velde ◽  
J. C. Rozemeijer ◽  
G. H. de Rooij ◽  
F. C. van Geer ◽  
P. J. J. F. Torfs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overland Flow ◽  
Groundwater Depth ◽  
Nutrient Loads ◽  
Field Site ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Single Field ◽  
Parsimonious Model ◽  
Model Setup ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Identifying effective measures to reduce nutrient loads of headwaters in lowland catchments requires a thorough understanding of flow routes of water and nutrients. In this paper we assess the value of nested-scale discharge and groundwater level measurements for the estimation of flow route volumes and for predictions of catchment discharge. In order to relate field-site measurements to the catchment-scale an upscaling approach is introduced that assumes that scale differences in flow route fluxes originate from differences in the relationship between groundwater storage and the spatial structure of the groundwater table. This relationship is characterized by the Groundwater Depth Distribution (GDD) curve that relates spatial variation in groundwater depths to the average groundwater depth. The GDD-curve was measured for a single field site (0.009 km2) and simple process descriptions were applied to relate groundwater levels to flow route discharges. This parsimonious model could accurately describe observed storage, tube drain discharge, overland flow and groundwater flow simultaneously with Nash-Sutcliff coefficients exceeding 0.8. A probabilistic Monte Carlo approach was applied to upscale field-site measurements to catchment scales by inferring scale-specific GDD-curves from the hydrographs of two nested catchments (0.4 and 6.5 km2). The estimated contribution of tube drain effluent (a dominant source for nitrates) decreased with increasing scale from 76–79% at the field-site to 34–61% and 25–50% for both catchment scales. These results were validated by demonstrating that a model conditioned on nested-scale measurements improves simulations of nitrate loads and predictions of extreme discharges during validation periods compared to a model that was conditioned on catchment discharge only.

scholarly journals Characterizing hillslope-stream connectivity with a joint event analysis of stream and groundwater levels

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Beiter ◽  
Markus Weiler ◽  
Theresa Blume
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Joint Analysis ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract. Hillslope-stream connectivity controls runoff generation, both during events and baseflow conditions. However, assessing subsurface connectivity is a challenging task, as it occurs in the hidden subsurface domain where water flow cannot be easily observed. We therefore investigated if the results of a joint analysis of rainfall event responses of near-stream groundwater levels and stream water levels could serve as a viable proxy for hillslope-stream connectivity. The analysis focuses on the extent of response, correlations, lag times and synchronicity. A newly developed data analysis scheme of separating the aspects of (a) response timing and (b) extent of water level change provides new perspectives on the relationship between groundwater and stream responses. In a second step we investigated if this analysis can give an indication of hillslope-stream connectivity at the catchment scale. Stream- and groundwater levels were measured at five different hillslopes over 5 to 6 years. Using a new detection algorithm we extracted 706 rainfall response events for subsequent analysis. Carrying out this analysis in two different geological regions (schist and marls) allowed us to test the usefulness of the proxy under different hydrological settings while also providing insight into the geologically-driven differences in response behaviour. For rainfall events with low initial groundwater level, groundwater level responses often lag behind the stream with respect to the start of rise and the time of peak. This lag disappears at high antecedent groundwater levels. At low groundwater levels the relationship between groundwater and stream water level responses to rainfall are highly variable, while at high groundwater levels, above a certain threshold, this relationship tends to become more uniform. The same threshold was able to predict increased likelihood for high runoff coefficients, indicating a strong increase in connectivity once the groundwater level threshold was surpassed. The joint analysis of shallow near-stream groundwater and stream water levels provided information on the presence or absence and to a certain extent also on the degree of subsurface hillslope-stream connectivity. The underlying threshold processes were interpreted as transmissivity feedback in the marls and fill-and-spill in the schist. The value of these measurements is high, however, time series of several years and a large number of events are necessary to produce representative results. We also find that locally measured thresholds in groundwater levels can provide insight into catchment-scale connectivity and event response. If the location of the well is chosen wisely, a single time series of shallow groundwater can indicate if the catchment is in a state of high or low connectivity.

A new deterministic method for groundwater mapping using a digital elevation model

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1146-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamás Ács ◽  
Zoltán Simonffy
Keyword(s):  
Digital Elevation Model ◽  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Groundwater Depth ◽  
Deterministic Method ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Geostatistical Methods ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Elevation Model

Accurate knowledge of groundwater levels and flow conditions in the vicinity of groundwater-dependent terrestrial ecosystems (GWDTE-s) is required for identifying groundwater dependency and comparing the present situation with the optimal one, as part of the status assessment of groundwaters according to the EU Water Framework Directive. Geostatistical methods (like kriging or cokriging) may result in an unrealistic groundwater level map if only a few measured data are available. In this paper a new, grid-based, deterministic method (GSGW-model) is introduced. The aim of the model is to calculate groundwater depth within the required accuracy from sparse data of monitoring wells. The basic principle of the GSGW-model is that the groundwater table is a smoothed replica of the ground surface. Hence, changes in the groundwater level between two grid points are calculated as a function of the digital elevation model (DEM) and soil properties. The GSGW-model was tested in the Nyírség region (Hungary). Results were compared with those gained by ordinary kriging and cokriging. It has been concluded that kriging overestimates the groundwater level in the low part of the test area, where wetlands are located, while the maps produced by the GSGW-model are a better fit of the real variability, providing more reliable estimates of groundwater depth in GWDTE-s as well.

scholarly journals Characterising hillslope–stream connectivity with a joint event analysis of stream and groundwater levels

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 5713-5744
Author(s):  
Daniel Beiter ◽  
Markus Weiler ◽  
Theresa Blume
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Joint Analysis ◽  
Strong Increase ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract. Hillslope–stream connectivity controls runoff generation, during events and during baseflow conditions. However, assessing subsurface connectivity is a challenging task, as it occurs in the hidden subsurface domain where water flow can not be easily observed. We therefore investigated if the results of a joint analysis of rainfall event responses of near-stream groundwater levels and stream water levels could serve as a viable proxy for hillslope–stream connectivity. The analysis focuses on the extent of response, correlations, lag times and synchronicity. As a first step, a new data analysis scheme was developed, separating the aspects of (a) response timing and (b) extent of water level change. This provides new perspectives on the relationship between groundwater and stream responses. In a second step we investigated if this analysis can give an indication of hillslope–stream connectivity at the catchment scale. Stream water levels and groundwater levels were measured at five different hillslopes over 5 to 6 years. Using a new detection algorithm, we extracted 706 rainfall response events for subsequent analysis. Carrying out this analysis in two different geological regions (schist and marls) allowed us to test the usefulness of the proxy under different hydrological settings while also providing insight into the geologically driven differences in response behaviour. For rainfall events with low initial groundwater level, groundwater level responses often lag behind the stream with respect to the start of rise and the time of peak. This lag disappears at high antecedent groundwater levels. At low groundwater levels the relationship between groundwater and stream water level responses to rainfall are highly variable, while at high groundwater levels, above a certain threshold, this relationship tends to become more uniform. The same threshold was able to predict increased likelihood for high runoff coefficients, indicating a strong increase in connectivity once the groundwater level threshold was surpassed. The joint analysis of shallow near-stream groundwater and stream water levels provided information on the presence or absence and to a certain extent also on the degree of subsurface hillslope–stream connectivity. The underlying threshold processes were interpreted as transmissivity feedback in the marls and fill-and-spill in the schist. The value of these measurements is high; however, time series of several years and a large number of events are necessary to produce representative results. We also find that locally measured thresholds in groundwater levels can provide insight into the connectivity and event response of the corresponding headwater catchments. If the location of the well is chosen wisely, a single time series of shallow groundwater can indicate if the catchment is in a state of high or low connectivity.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF GROUNDWATER LEVELS AT LADNÁ HYDROPEDOLOGICAL PROFILE

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hana Hornová ◽  
◽  
Ivana Černá ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waters ◽  
Groundwater Level ◽  
General Idea ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Drought Period ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Groundwater Regime ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Level Monitoring

The planned construction of Oder-Danube canal was one of the largest activities, which led to the realization of research projects, which also included construction of boreholes for monitoring groundwater levels. Hydropedological profiles (HP) consist of boreholes, which are situated usually across the route of the canal and across longitudinal axis of valleys or flat Moravian hollows. They belong to basins of Oder, Bečva, Dyje (Thaya) and Morava rivers. First observations started back in 1933, subsequent followed after 1940. Nowadays these objects serve for obtaining general idea about the groundwater regime in valley profiles of these rivers. From geological perspective, these HP profiles are in an area of Quaternary sediments. Groundwater level monitoring at HP is important especially because of relating the profile to a particular watercourse and duration of the continuous monitoring. It can be used for determination of hydraulic link between surface water and groundwater. These values can be very useful especially in the determination of spread of potential groundwater pollutants via surface waters. Aim of the work is to assess course of groundwater levels at the Ladná profile of interest and to evaluate the effect of river engineering of the Dyje River on the groundwater regime, taking into account the drought period. Next aim of the work was to show the relationship with surface waters and evaluate the relationship between individual boreholes and the watercourse in the entire profile. In addition, long-term data series of groundwater level monitoring were used to perform evaluation of course of groundwater levels during various time periods, in particular during the individual reference periods, as specified by the CHMI, i.e. 1931-1960, 1931-1980 and the current reference period 1981-2010. Subsequently, the period 1991-2018 was also analyzed as a period associated with the current situation and finally also the entire period of monitoring, i.e. 1948-2018, a total of 70 years.

scholarly journals High-frequency monitoring of water fluxes and nutrient loads to assess the effects of controlled drainage on water storage and nutrient transport

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 347-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Rozemeijer ◽  
A. Visser ◽  
W. Borren ◽  
M. Winegram ◽  
Y. van der Velde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overland Flow ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Passive Samplers ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Nutrient Loads ◽  
Controlled Drainage ◽  
Groundwater Storage ◽  
Groundwater Levels

Abstract. High nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fluxes from upstream agriculture threaten aquatic ecosystems in surface waters and estuaries, especially in areas characterized by high agricultural N and P inputs and densely drained catchments like the Netherlands. Controlled drainage has been recognized as an effective option to optimize soil moisture conditions for agriculture and to reduce unnecessary losses of fresh water and nutrients. This is achieved by introducing control structures with adjustable overflow levels into subsurface tube drain systems. A small-scale (1 ha) field experiment was designed to investigate the hydrological and chemical changes after introducing controlled drainage. Precipitation rates and the response of water tables and drain fluxes were measured in the periods before the introduction of controlled drainage (2007–2008) and after (2009–2011). For the N and P concentration measurements, auto-analyzers for continuous records were combined with passive samplers for time-averaged concentrations at individual drain outlets. The experimental setup enabled the quantification of changes in the water and solute balance after introducing controlled drainage. The results showed that introducing controlled drainage reduced the drain discharge and increased the groundwater storage in the field. To achieve this, the overflow levels have to be elevated in early spring, before the drain discharge stops due to dryer conditions and falling groundwater levels. The groundwater storage in the field would have been larger if the water levels in the adjacent ditch were controlled as well by an adjustable weir. The N concentrations and loads increased, which was largely related to elevated concentrations in one of the three monitored tube drains. The P loads via the tube drains reduced due to the reduction in discharge after introducing controlled drainage. However, this may be counteracted by the higher groundwater levels and the larger contribution of N- and P-rich shallow groundwater and overland flow to the surface water.

scholarly journals Precipitation and Air Temperature Impact on Seasonal Variations of Groundwater Levels

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilva Vitola ◽  
Valdis Vircavs ◽  
Kaspars Abramenko ◽  
Didzis Lauva ◽  
Arturs Veinbergs
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Seasonal Effects ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Groundwater Level Fluctuations ◽  
Temperature Impact ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract The aim of this study is to clarify seasonal effects of precipitation and temperature on groundwater level changes in monitoring stations of the Latvia University of Agriculture - Mellupīte, Bērze and Auce. Groundwater regime and level fluctuations depend on climatic conditions such as precipitation intensity, evapotranspiration, surface runoff and drainage, as well as other hydrological factors. The relationship between precipitation, air temperature and groundwater level fluctuations could also lead and give different perspective of possible changes in groundwater quality. Using mathematical statistics and graphic-analytic methods it is concluded that autumn and winter precipitation has the dominant impact on groundwater level fluctuations, whereas spring and summer season fluctuations are more dependent on the air temperature.

scholarly journals Assessing the Market for Poultry Litter in Georgia: Are Subsidies Needed to Protect Water Quality?

2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Mullen ◽  
Ulugbek Bekchanov ◽  
Berna Karali ◽  
David Kissel ◽  
Mark Risse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Poultry Litter ◽  
Focused Attention ◽  
Water Protection ◽  
Nutrient Loads ◽  
Transportation Model ◽  
Synthetic Fertilizer ◽  
Protection Goals ◽  
Subsidy Program ◽  
The Relationship

Concerns about nutrient loads into our waters have focused attention on poultry litter applications. Like many states with a large poultry industry, Georgia recently designed a subsidy program to facilitate the transportation of poultry litter out of vulnerable watersheds. This paper uses a transportation model to examine the necessity of a poultry litter subsidy to achieve water protection goals in Georgia. We also demonstrate the relationship between diesel and synthetic fertilizer prices and the value of poultry litter. Results suggest that a well-functioning market would be able to remove excess litter from vulnerable watersheds in the absence of a subsidy.

scholarly journals Investigating Groundwater Condition and Seawater Intrusion Status in Coastal Aquifer Systems of Eastern India

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 1952
Author(s):  
Subrata Halder ◽  
Lingaraj Dhal ◽  
Madan K. Jha
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Seawater Intrusion ◽  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Coastal Aquifer ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Confined Aquifer ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Post Monsoon ◽  
Aquifer Systems ◽  
Sustainable Water Supply

Providing sustainable water supply for domestic needs and irrigated agriculture is one of the most significant challenges for the current century. This challenge is more daunting in coastal regions. Groundwater plays a pivotal role in addressing this challenge and hence, it is under growing stress in several parts of the world. To address this challenge, a proper understanding of groundwater characteristics in an area is essential. In this study, spatio-temporal analyses of pre-monsoon and post-monsoon groundwater-levels of two coastal aquifer systems (upper leaky confined and underlying confined) were carried out in Purba Medinipur District, West Bengal, India. Trend analysis of seasonal groundwater-levels of the two aquifers systems was also performed using Mann-Kendall test, Linear Regression test, and Innovative Trend test. Finally, the status of seawater intrusion in the two aquifers was evaluated using available groundwater-quality data of Chloride (Cl−) and Total Dissolve Solids (TDS). Considerable spatial and temporal variability was found in the seasonal groundwater-levels of the two aquifers. Further, decreasing trends were spotted in the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon groundwater-level time series of the leaky confined and confined aquifers, except pre-monsoon groundwater-levels in Contai-I and Deshpran blocks, and the post-monsoon groundwater-level in Ramnagar-I block for the leaky confined aquifer. The leaky confined aquifer in Contai-I, Contai-III, and Deshpran blocks and the confined aquifer in Nandigram-I and Nandigram-II blocks are vulnerable to seawater intrusion. There is an urgent need for the real-time monitoring of groundwater-levels and groundwater quality in both the aquifer systems, which can ensure efficient management of coastal groundwater reserves.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Seasonal Groundwater Quality Changes Associated with Groundwater Pumping and Level Fluctuations in an Agricultural Area, Korea

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Kyoochul Ha ◽  
Eunhee Lee ◽  
Hyowon An ◽  
Sunghyun Kim ◽  
Changhui Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Agricultural Area ◽  
Water Type ◽  
Quality Changes ◽  
Groundwater Pumping ◽  
Rice Paddies ◽  
Groundwater Levels

This study was conducted to evaluate seasonal groundwater quality due to groundwater pumping and hydrochemical characteristics with groundwater level fluctuations in an agricultural area in Korea. Groundwater levels were observed for about one year using automatic monitoring sensors, and groundwater uses were estimated based on the monitoring data. Groundwater use in the area is closely related to irrigation for rice farming, and rising groundwater levels occur during the pumping, which may be caused by the irrigation water of rice paddies. Hydrochemical analysis results for two separate times (17 July and 1 October 2019) show that the dissolved components in groundwater decreased overall due to dilution, especially at wells in the alluvial aquifer and shallow depth. More than 50% of the samples were classified as CaHCO3 water type, and changes in water type occurred depending on the well location. Water quality changes were small at most wells, but changes at some wells were evident. In addition, the groundwater quality was confirmed to have the effect of saltwater supplied during the 2018 drought by comparison with seawater. According to principal component analysis (PCA), the water quality from July to October was confirmed to have changed due to dilution, and the effect was strong at shallow wells. In the study areas where rice paddy farming is active in summer, irrigation water may be one of the important factors changing the groundwater quality. These results provide a qualitative and quantitative basis for groundwater quality change in agricultural areas, particularly rice paddies areas, along with groundwater level and usage.

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