scholarly journals Quantitative Evaluation of Groundwater–Surface Water Interactions: Application of Cumulative Exchange Fluxes Method

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 259
Author(s):  
Mingqian Li ◽  
Xiujuan Liang ◽  
Changlai Xiao ◽  
Yuqing Cao

Interactions between groundwater and surface water (GW-SW interactions) play a crucial role in the hydrological cycle; thus, the quantification of GW-SW interactions is essential. In this study, a cumulative exchange fluxes method based on mass balance theory is proposed for a stream-aquifer system. This method determines the curve of cumulative fluxes through the water balance term, which can characterize GW-SW interactions, determine the amount of exchange fluxes, and reveal the dynamic process of interactions. This method is used in a reach of the Taizi River Basin, and the GW-SW interactions observed in 2016 are categorized into seven stages and four types (natural controlled, reservoir and irrigation controlled, irrigation controlled, and irrigation hysteresis type). The natural recharge in the study reach is approximately 3.03 × 105 m3·day−1, and the increase caused by irrigation is 7.8–13.87 × 105 m3·day−1. After the irrigation stops, the impact can be sustained for 48 d with an increase of 3.03 × 105 m3·day−1. The most influential factor of the results is the runoff coefficient. The method is applicable to the stream in the plains with upstream and downstream flow monitoring data and can be used to analyze complex GW-SW interactions under the conditions of reservoir storage and agricultural irrigation. The analysis results will provide guidance for the other study of GW-SW interactions in this reach.

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 15-24
Author(s):  
Tran Thanh Long ◽  
Sucharit Koontanakulvong

Since the 1990s, under the pressure of socio-economic growth in the Ho Chi Minh City and nearby provinces, the heavy-extraction of groundwater of this area has dramatically increased to meet high water demand for domestic and industrial purposes. Although the groundwater – Saigon River interaction significantly contributes to groundwater reserves, researchers have been less attentive to fully describe and understand the river recharge. This study attempts to explore the impact of groundwater-river interaction to aquifer system due to pumping increase via field seepage and (O18, H2) isotopic measurements in the Saigon River Basin, South East of Vietnam. The analysis showed that river bed conductance at 0 km, 30 km, 60 km, 80 km, and 120 km were 4.5 m2/day/m, 4.2 m2/day/m, 2.5 m2/day/m, 1.7 m2/day/m, and 0.25 m2/day/m respectively. The riverbed conductance relies on the sand percentage of sediment. The composition δO18 in groundwater, river, and precipitation indicates that river recharge to groundwater exists mainly in the lower part of the basin. In contrast to downstream, the composition of δO18 was signified that the river primarily gains water from groundwater upstream. Under pressure of developing economies, the groundwater pumping in the Saigon river basin increased from 175,000 m3/day in 1995 to 880,000 m3/day in 2017. As a consequence of the increased pumping rate, the groundwater discharge to the river decreases from 1.6 to 0.7 times of groundwater pumping in upstream, while the amount of Saigon river recharge increases by 33% to 50% of the total groundwater pumping downstream. Under the exceedance pumping rate, the aquifers in the Saigon River Basin release less water to the Saigon river and it tends to gain more water through the river - groundwater interaction process. Therefore, groundwater management in downstream aquifers needs better joint planning with surface water development plans, particularly for surface water supply utilities which still struggle to satisfy the water demand of the development plan.


2019 ◽  
Vol 131 ◽  
pp. 01074
Author(s):  
Yushan Wang ◽  
Yonghui An ◽  
Xiaofan Qi ◽  
Dechao Yin

Surface water and groundwater interactions play an important role in hydrological cycle in a wetland ecosystem. Understanding its mechanism and interaction magnitude imposes significant effects in wetland protection and management. In this study, a heat tracer method was taken in the Baiyangdian wetland as a case and temperature time-series data were collected for surface water and wetland sediment of 0.2 m, 0.6 m and 1 m respectively in 3 monitor sites. Then, a one-dimensional vertical steady heat transport model was applied to estimate surface water inflows to groundwater. The results showed that the leakage rates were 0.04-0.29 mm/d and had a spatial and temporal variation. In the same monitor site, the leakage rate was higher in winter than it in summer. A total leakage amount for the Baiyangdian wetland was evaluated as 8.61 million m3/d. The surface water leakage resulting from the model was subject to several uncertainties including sediments inhomogeneity and the impact of non-ideal conditions. Despite the uncertainties of the model, when correctly applied, heat tracer method is able to provide detailed information on the spatial and temporal distribution of surface water leakage.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris E Wendt ◽  
John P Bloomfield ◽  
Anne F Van Loon ◽  
Joshua R Larsen ◽  
David M Hannah

<p>Managing water-human systems in times of water shortage and droughts is key to avoid overexploitation and reduce drought impacts. Drought policies are designed to structure water management response and avoid crisis management, aiming to sustain both environmental and anthropogenic water demand. However, the impact of drought policies on the hydrological cycle is rarely assessed. We developed a socio-hydrological model, simulating feedbacks between water availability and managed water use for 3 decades. Thereby, we aim to assess the impact of drought policies on both surface water and groundwater droughts. We tested this model in an idealised catchment driven by English climate data, representing English water resource management practices and drought policies. The model environment includes a surface water storage (reservoir), a range of hydrogeological conditions for the groundwater module, and an option to import surface water or groundwater that could all be used to satisfy anthropogenic and environmental water demand. Modelled scenarios represent four aspects of drought policies: 1) increased water supply, 2) restricted water use, 3) conjunctive water use, and 4) maintained environmental flow requirements that were evaluated in separate and combined scenarios. Results show that hydrological droughts are mitigated in scenarios applying conjunctive use, particularly in low groundwater storage systems. In high groundwater storage systems, maintaining environmental flows reduces hydrological droughts most, particularly for surface water droughts. Scenarios that gradually increase water supply or restrict water use have opposite impacts on droughts and these scenarios are in balance when combined according to the policies in the resources management plans. Most combined scenarios reduce the severity and occurrence of hydrological droughts, although the dependency on importing water increases, satisfying a third of the total anthropogenic water demand. The increased dependency on imported water shows the considerable pressure on water resources and the delicate balance of water-human systems during droughts that calls for short-term and long-term sustainability targets within drought policies.</p>


2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 1141 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. F. J. Kelly ◽  
W. A. Timms ◽  
M. S. Andersen ◽  
A. M. McCallum ◽  
R. S. Blakers ◽  
...  

Groundwater is an important contributor to irrigation water supplies. The time lag between withdrawal and the subsequent impacts on the river corridor presents a challenge for water management. We highlight aspects of this challenge by examining trends in the groundwater levels and changes in groundwater management goals for the Namoi Catchment, which is within the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia. The first high-volume irrigation bore was installed in the cotton-growing districts in the Namoi Catchment in 1966. The development of high-yielding bores made accessible a vast new water supply, enabling cotton growers to buffer the droughts. Prior to the development of a groundwater resource it is difficult to accurately predict how the water at the point of withdrawal is hydraulically connected to recharge zones and nearby surface-water features. This is due to the heterogeneity of the sediments from which the water is withdrawn. It can take years or decades for the impact of groundwater withdrawal to be transmitted kilometres through the aquifer system. We present the analysis of both historical and new groundwater level and streamflow data to quantify the impacts of extensive groundwater withdrawals on the watertable, hydraulic gradients within the semi-confined aquifers, and the movement of water between rivers and aquifers. The results highlight the need to monitor the impacts of irrigated agriculture at both the regional and local scales, and the need for additional research on how to optimise the conjunctive use of both surface-water and groundwater to sustain irrigated agriculture while minimising the impact on groundwater-dependent ecosystems.


Author(s):  
Leanize Teixeira Oliveira ◽  
Harald Klammler ◽  
Luiz Rogério Bastos Leal ◽  
Eduardo Moussale Grissolia

In agricultural regions where there is insufficient rainwater for cultivation, understanding the dynamics of surface water and groundwater is critical to assess the impact of increased well pumping on the water balance. The western region of the state of Bahia-Brazil, the largest area of agribusiness in the state, has experienced progressive occupation since the 1980s, resulting in pressure on water resources - mainly after the introduction of irrigation - and conflicts among water users. This study analyzed the effects of groundwater extraction by wells in a portion of the Urucuia Aquifer System. The methodology used was the simulation of groundwater flow in steady-state for three scenarios: i) without withdrawal of water by pumping wells; (ii) with current withdrawal rates; and (iii) with 60% additional extraction. After defining well production rates from field surveys (4.6 m3 s-1) and modeling of the aquifer base geometry (maximum thickness of 535 m), the steady-state models with and without pumping show that, in the long term, groundwater storage decreases by 2 km3 (0.8 m on average in the aquifer) without interference in the regional flow direction. The mass balance shows that the base flow of the main rivers is reduced by approximately 6% after current groundwater extraction and an additional 2.5% after additional extraction. The results point to a greater impact on surface water caused by a reduction in groundwater storage and related river base flow. This indicates the importance of maintaining and expanding the groundwater-level monitoring network.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4658
Author(s):  
Artur Guzy ◽  
Wojciech T. Witkowski

Land subsidence caused by groundwater withdrawal induced by mining is a relatively unknown phenomenon. This is primarily due to the small scale of such movements compared to the land subsidence caused by deposit extraction. Nonetheless, the environmental impact of drainage-related land subsidence remains underestimated. The research was carried out in the “Bogdanka” coal mine in Poland. First, the historical impact of mining on land subsidence and groundwater head changes was investigated. The outcomes of these studies were used to construct the influence method model. With field data, our model was successfully calibrated and validated. Finally, it was used for land subsidence estimation for 2030. As per the findings, the field of mining exploitation has the greatest land subsidence. In 2014, the maximum value of the phenomenon was 0.313 cm. However, this value will reach 0.364 m by 2030. The spatial extent of land subsidence caused by mining-induced drainage extends up to 20 km beyond the mining area’s boundaries. The presented model provided land subsidence patterns without the need for a complex numerical subsidence model. As a result, the method presented can be effectively used for land subsidence regulation plans considering the impact of mining on the aquifer system.


AJIL Unbound ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 178-182
Author(s):  
Francesco Sindico

Could Turkey dam the Tigris and Euphrates and deprive its downstream neighbors of vital water resources? Could Brazil over-pump the Guarani Aquifer System to the detriment of the other aquifer states? Could Egypt put pressure on upstream Nile states and prevent them from developing river related infrastructure that might limit downstream flow? International law in the field of transboundary water cooperation has evolved and would appear to condemn unilateral practices such as the ones suggested above. However, hydro politics and the lack of reception of international water law instruments by many countries sometimes make it difficult to see international law properly reflected in the management of major rivers, lakes and aquifers around the world. In this essay, I first highlight what international law dictates when it comes to the tension between national sovereignty and transboundary water cooperation. I then explore how this tension plays out in the three examples noted above. Due to limited acceptance of the existing international, bilateral, or regional legal instruments, the resolution of the tension between national sovereignty and transboundary water cooperation will often be left to customary international law.


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