The effect of typical geological heterogeneities on the performance of managed aquifer recharge: physical experiments and numerical simulations

Understanding the role of geological heterogeneity on the performance of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) in terms of effective groundwater storage is crucial to design MAR systems. Natural aquifers are affected by a variety of geologic strata and structures at different scales, which are responsible for wide ranging hydraulic properties. This study combines physical experiments and numerical modeling to investigate the effect of geologic structures commonly encountered in sedimentary environments, on MAR-induced groundwater flow patterns using injection wells. Models were conceptualized and parametrized based on the hydrogeological conditions of Tailan River basin in arid NW China, which hosts a typical, structurally complex, alluvial-fan aquifer system affected by sediment layering, clay lenses and anticline barriers, and is extensively studied for the strategic potential of MAR in addressing water shortages in the region. Results showed that, compared to a homogeneous scenario, high-permeability aquifer layers shortened groundwater ages, decreased the thickness of the artificially recharged water lenses (ARWLs), and shifted the stagnation points downstream. Clay lenses increased groundwater residence times but had little effect on spatial flow patterns due to their elongation parallel-to-flow direction. Overall groundwater ages, as well as the thickness of ARWLs created through injection on the upstream side of an anticline, increased, and this to a larger extent than through injection on the downstream side, which did not increase significantly compared to the homogeneous scenario. Results provide insights for MAR optimization in naturally heterogeneous aquifer systems, along with a benchmark tool for application to a wide range of typical geological conditions.

     

Learning from environmental justice in Viet Village Versai in New Orleans

This paper explores the attempt to plan and to implement pollution remediation projects in Viet Village Versai, New Orleans. The process was marred by gaps in collaboration behaviours between the stakeholders, which ultimately impeded the progress of the remediation projects and as a result, failed to transform the Viet Village Versai into a sustainable community. In drawing the link between the behavioural gaps and implementation failures, I bring attention to the crucial role that collaboration plays in helping to build sustainable communities.     

Alleviating drought and water scarcity in the Mediterranean region through managed aquifer recharge

Drought and water scarcity can significantly impair the sustainable development of groundwater resources, a scenario commonly found in aquifers in the Mediterranean region. Water management measures to address these drivers of groundwater depletion are highly relevant, especially considering the increasing severity of droughts under climate change. This study evaluates the potential of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) to offset the adverse effects of drought and water scarcity on groundwater storage. Los Arenales aquifer (central Spain), which was unsustainably exploited for irrigation in the second half of the twentieth century, is employed as a case study. Two neighbouring zones within this aquifer are contrasted, namely, Los Arenales (LA) and Medina del Campo (MC). The primary difference between them in terms of water resources management is the wide-scale implementation of MAR systems in LA since the early 2000s. Several groundwater statistical methods are used. Groundwater-level trend analysis and average piezometric levels show in LA a faster recovery of aquifer storage and less susceptibility to drought compared to MC. On the other hand, standardised precipitation indexes and standardised groundwater level indexes of detrended groundwater-level time series, which do not include the effects of MAR, show that LA can be more negatively affected by drought and groundwater abstraction. The sharper recovery of piezometric levels in LA when considering MAR, and bigger drought impacts observed when the effects of this measure are removed, demonstrate that MAR can effectively alleviate the impacts of water scarcity and drought, providing an adaptation solution to climate change worldwide.

     

Maada’oonidiwag gete-dibaajimowen (“sharing old stories”): reflections on a place-based reparatory research partnership in Nbisiing Anishinaabeg Territory

In this paper, we reflect on an emerging community-based partnership rooted in place-based reparative research. Braiding knowledges (Atalay, 2012) from Nbisiing Anishinaabeg communities, northern Ontario universities, and multi-scalar museums, the partnership focuses on repatriation, reparative environmental histories, and action-based research in the context of settler colonialism and climate change. We reflect on ongoing projects that attempt to put Anishinaabe gikendaasowin (knowledge) into action alongside historical geographical research. We discuss how the partnership resonates with community geography values of relationship, collaboration, equity, and reciprocity, and urge non-Indigenous geographers to acknowledge how Indigenous knowledges and approaches have shaped these ideas long before geography became a discipline. We contend that historical geographers have a deeper role to play in community geography scholarship, citing examples of two projects related to (1) repatriation of Anishinaabeg cultural heritage and (2) storymapping through historical Geographic Information Systems (HGIS). However, we argue, geographers must continue to acknowledge their own positionality in a discipline that was built through settler colonial violence and knowledge production. Finally, we reflect on the role of academic institutions in facilitating First Nation-university-museum partnerships through access to funding, space, and databases, while addressing the challenges of relying on institutional support for reparatory and decolonizing projects.

     

Geochemical and flow modelling as tools in monitoring managed aquifer recharge

Due to a growing world population and the effects of anthropogenic climate change, access to clean water is a growing global concern. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is a method that can help society's response to this increasing demand for pure water. In MAR, the groundwater resources are replenished and the quality of the recharged surface water is improved through effects such as the removal of organic matter. This removal occurs through mechanisms such as microbial decomposition, which can be monitored by studying the isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). Nevertheless, the monitoring can be difficult when there are other factors, like dissolving calcite, affecting the isotopic composition of DIC.The aims of this study were to establish a method for monitoring the decomposition of organic matter (dissolved organic carbon – DOC) in cases where calcite dissolution adds another component to the DIC pool, and to use this method to monitor the beginning and amount of DOC decomposition on a MAR site at Virttaankangas, southwestern Finland. To achieve this, we calculated the mean residence times of infiltrated water in the aquifer and the fractions of this water reaching observation wells. We conducted geochemical modelling, using PHREEQC, to estimate the amount of DOC decomposition and the mineral reactions affecting the quality of the water.     

Implementing industrial ecology? Planning for eco-industrial parks in the USA

Despite the widespread incorporation of sustainable development into policy discourses, actually achieving the ‘win-win-win’ scenario of economic, environmental and social development continues to be problematic. Advocates of industrial ecology suggest that by shifting the basis of industrial production from a linear to a closed loop system, these gains can be achieved. In recent years, concepts drawn from industrial ecology have been used to plan and develop eco-industrial parks (EIPs) that seek to increase business competitiveness, reduce waste and pollution, create jobs and improve working conditions. Despite a growing interest in EIPs, there have been few empirically informed studies that seek to explore the potential contribution such EIPs may make to sustainable development. This paper contributes to a developing sympathetic critique of industrial ecology by focusing on the key problems and dilemmas that arise in the course of developing eco-industrial parks, drawing upon empirical work conducted in the USA. The paper draws upon both an extensive survey of EIPs and in-depth interviews conducted with a range of stakeholders at ten US sites. As the paper reveals, EIPs in the USA are in their early stages and likewise their contribution to both economic development and environmental policy, let alone social policies, is complicated and inchoate. The empirical material reveals that key features of industrial ecology such as inter-firm networking and collaboration in the form of materials interchange and energy cascading are either absent or in the early planning stages. In each of the ten cases what is emerging is a form of EIP partly determined by the geographic setting and broader economic realities of the locality. While collaborative behaviour between firms is central to EIP development if the potential benefits of industrial ecology are to be realised, it is important to realise that such behaviour is difficult to develop from scratch through policy intervention. In conclusion, the paper suggests that expectations must be realistic for the community and location in question. As part of that realism, EIP projects must be designed to allow for a gradual approach, and each phase needs to be financially viable.     

Groundwater status and associated issues in the Mekong-Lancang River Basin: International collaborations to achieve sustainable groundwater resources

Groundwater is an important and readily available source of fresh water in the Mekong-Lancang River Basin. With a rapid population growth and increasing human activities, an increasing number of countries in the Mekong-Lancang River Basin are experiencing depleted and degraded groundwater supplies. In transboundary river basins, such as the Mekong-Lancang River, prioritizing the use of the shared aquifer by one riparian government may affect the opportunities of other riparian governments and lead to potential water conflicts between neighboring countries. To promote the sharing of strategies and information for the sustainable and equitable use of water resources of the shared basin, international collaborative workshops on groundwater resources have been organized for all Mekong-Lancang River countries. These workshops provide an opportunity to communicate and discuss nationally sensitive issues on groundwater by the associated countries, with topics covering multiple aspects of groundwater, such as the groundwater status in the basin, quality issues, water use conflicts, hydrological information gaps, management policies and capacity building for successful water resource management. Consensus has been reached by all countries on the importance of catchment-based groundwater management and the need for close communication among the countries. Strategies for managing transboundary aquifer issues must foster international collaboration based on the regional network, influence national networks and enhance the capacity to building maps and monitoring systems based on associated databases. The sustainability of water resources cannot be achieved without the integrated involvement and contributions by multiple countries and various stakeholders. Therefore, collaborative workshops provide a great opportunity to further our understanding of the hydrologic processes of the Mekong River Basin, share the benefits of the aquifer and provide a strategy and vision for sustainable water resource management in the Mekong-Lancang River countries.     

Toward cyberinfrastructure to facilitate collaboration and reproducibility for marine integrated ecosystem assessments

There is a growing need for cyberinfrastructure to support science-based decision making in management of natural resources. In particular, our motivation was to aid the development of cyberinfrastructure for Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs) for marine ecosystems. The IEA process involves analysis of natural and socio-economic information based on diverse and disparate sources of data, requiring collaboration among scientists of many disciplines and communication with other stakeholders. Here we describe our bottom-up approach to developing cyberinfrastructure through a collaborative process engaging a small group of domain and computer scientists and software engineers. We report on a use case evaluated for an Ecosystem Status Report, a multi-disciplinary report inclusive of Earth, life, and social sciences, for the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem. Ultimately, we focused on sharing workflows as a component of the cyberinfrastructure to facilitate collaboration and reproducibility. We developed and deployed a software environment to generate a portion of the Report, retaining traceability of derived datasets including indicators of climate forcing, physical pressures, and ecosystem states. Our solution for sharing workflows and delivering reproducible documents includes IPython (now Jupyter) Notebooks. We describe technical and social challenges that we encountered in the use case and the importance of training to aid the adoption of best practices and new technologies by domain scientists. We consider the larger challenges for developing end-to-end cyberinfrastructure that engages other participants and stakeholders in the IEA process.     

Numerical simulation of a managed aquifer recharge system designed to supply drinking water to the city of Amsterdam,The Netherlands

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is increasingly used to secure drinking water supply worldwide. The city of Amsterdam (The Netherlands) depends largely on the MAR in coastal dunes for water supply. A new MAR scheme is proposed for the production of 10 × 10⁶ m³/year, as required in the next decade. The designed MAR system consists of 10 infiltration ponds in an artificially created sandbank, and 25 recovery wells placed beneath the ponds in a productive aquifer. Several criteria were met for the design, such as a minimum residence time of 60 days and maximum drawdown of 5 cm. Steady-state and transient flow models were calibrated. The flow model computed the infiltration capacity of the ponds and drawdowns caused by the MAR. A hypothetical tracer transport model was used to compute the travel times from the ponds to the wells and recovery efficiency of the wells. The results demonstrated that 98% of the infiltrated water was captured by the recovery wells which accounted for 65.3% of the total abstraction. Other sources include recharge from precipitation (6.7%), leakages from surface water (13.1%), and natural groundwater reserve (14.9%). Sensitivity analysis indicated that the pond conductance and hydraulic conductivity of the sand aquifer in between the ponds and wells are important for the infiltration capacity. The temperature simulation showed that the recovered water in the wells has a stable temperature of 9.8–12.5 °C which is beneficial for post-treatment processes. The numerical modelling approach is useful and helps to gain insights for implementation of the MAR.

     

Interdisciplinary and participatory approaches: the key to effective groundwater management

The challenges of a changing world, which are progressively threatening sustainable use of groundwater resources, can only be rationally and effectively addressed through close collaboration between experts and practitioners from different disciplines. Furthermore, science and management need to build on stakeholder opinions and processes in order to generate useful knowledge and positive outcomes in terms of sustainable and equitable groundwater management. This essay provides a discussion of the status of and vision for participatory and inter-disciplinary approaches to groundwater evaluation and management as well as a conceptual framework and relevant research questions that will facilitate such approaches.     

Anthropization of groundwater resources in the Mediterranean region: processes and challenges

A comprehensive overview is provided of processes and challenges related to Mediterranean groundwater resources and associated changes in recent decades. While most studies are focused thematically and/or geographically, this paper addresses different stages of groundwater exploitation in the region and their consequences. Examples emphasize the complex interactions between the physical and social dimensions of uses and evolution of groundwater. In natural conditions, Mediterranean groundwater resources represent a wide range of hydrogeological contexts, recharge conditions and rates of exploitation. They have been actively exploited for millennia but their pseudo-natural regimes have been considerably modified in the last 50 years, especially to satisfy agricultural demand (80% of total water consumption in North Africa), as well as for tourism and coastal cities. Climate variability affects groundwater dynamics but the various forms of anthropization are more important drivers of hydrological change, including changes in land use and vegetation, hydraulic works, and intense pumpings. These changes affect both the quantity and quality of groundwater at different scales, and modify the nature of hydrogeological processes, their location, timing, and intensity. The frequent cases of drastic overexploitation illustrate the fragility of Mediterranean groundwater resources and the limits of present forms of management. There is no easy way to maintain or recover sustainability, which is often threatened by short-term interests. To achieve this goal, a significant improvement in hydrogeological knowledge and closer collaboration between the various disciplines of water sciences are indispensable.     

Impact of peatland drainage and restoration on esker groundwater resources: modeling future scenarios for management

Esker aquifers are common groundwater bodies in Europe. Management of these aquifers should take account of the sustainability of groundwater-dependent ecosystems and land use in an integrated way. An unconfined esker aquifer in northern Finland was modelled with MODFLOW to determine how groundwater resources are impacted by the surrounding peatland drainage scheme and to simulate scenarios for possible drainage restoration. The impacts of groundwater abstraction and climate change were also simulated. A calibration-constrained Monte Carlo method was used to provide information on the uncertainties associated with model predictions. The results suggest that peatland drainage in the vicinity of eskers can have a significant role in lowering the water table, even though climate variability may mask these impacts. Drainage restoration by filling the ditches might have positive impacts on the aquifer water levels. Comparison of water-table changes caused by peatland drainage with the changes brought by water abstraction and climate variability helped to quantify impacts of different land-use scenarios and facilitated discussion with the local stakeholders. Based on this study, more attention should be devoted to peatland drainage schemes in integrated groundwater management of esker aquifers.     

Interlobate esker architecture and related hydrogeological features derived from a combination of high-resolution reflection seismics and refraction tomography,Virttaankangas, southwest Finland

A novel high-resolution (2–4 m source and receiver spacing) reflection and refraction seismic survey was carried out for aquifer characterization and to confirm the existing depositional model of the interlobate esker of Virttaankangas, which is part of the Säkylänharju-Virttaankangas glaciofluvial esker-chain complex in southwest Finland. The interlobate esker complex hosting the managed aquifer recharge (MAR) plant is the source of the entire water supply for the city of Turku and its surrounding municipalities. An accurate delineation of the aquifer is therefore critical for long-term MAR planning and sustainable use of the esker resources. Moreover, an additional target was to resolve the poorly known stratigraphy of the 70–100-m-thick glacial deposits overlying a zone of fractured bedrock. Bedrock surface as well as fracture zones were confirmed through combined reflection seismic and refraction tomography results and further validated against existing borehole information. The high-resolution seismic data proved successful in accurately delineating the esker cores and revealing complex stratigraphy from fan lobes to kettle holes, providing valuable information for potential new pumping wells. This study illustrates the potential of geophysical methods for fast and cost-effective esker studies, in particular the digital-based landstreamer and its combination with geophone-based wireless recorders, where the cover sediments are reasonably thick.

     

Adaptive governance: Livelihood innovation for climate resilience in Uganda

Adaptive governance is the use of novel approaches within policy to support experimentation and learning. Social learning reflects the engagement of interdependent stakeholders within this learning. Much attention has focused on these concepts as a solution for resilience in governing institutions in an uncertain climate; resilience representing the ability of a system to absorb shock and to retain its function and form through reorganisation. However, there are still many questions to how these concepts enable resilience, particularly in vulnerable, developing contexts. A case study from Uganda presents how these concepts promote resilient livelihood outcomes among rural subsistence farmers within a decentralised governing framework. This approach has the potential to highlight the dynamics and characteristics of a governance system which may manage change. The paper draws from the enabling characteristics of adaptive governance, including lower scale dynamics of bonding and bridging ties and strong leadership. Central to these processes were learning platforms promoting knowledge transfer leading to improved self-efficacy, innovation and livelihood skills. However even though aspects of adaptive governance were identified as contributing to resilience in livelihoods, some barriers were identified. Reflexivity and multi-stakeholder collaboration were evident in governing institutions; however, limited self-organisation and vertical communication demonstrated few opportunities for shifts in governance, which was severely challenged by inequity, politicisation and elite capture. The paper concludes by outlining implications for climate adaptation policy through promoting the importance of mainstreaming adaptation alongside existing policy trajectories; highlighting the significance of collaborative spaces for stakeholders and the tackling of inequality and corruption.     

地下水水质评价与水资源管理：水文地球化学与同位素方法的应用研究进展

地下水系统是包含地质环境、地下水动力、地下水化学等子集的综合系统,早在2000年前的古罗马时代,人们就已应用水文地球化学方法开展地下水的水化学特征、地下水补给、径流与排泄等研究。近现代同位素技术的发展,为开展地下水补给和可更新性、追踪地下水污染等方面的研究,提供了极大帮助。研究者通过分析地下水样品的水文地球化学指标,如K~+、Ca~(2+)、Na~+、Mg~(2+)等离子,结合δ18 O、δD、δ37 Cl、δ81 Br等稳定同位素指标,在地下水径流特征分析、水岩相互作用过程、地下水咸化、地下水资源管理以及地下水水质问题等研究方面取得了大量成果。本文概述了国内外近年来应用水文地球化学与同位素结合的手段进行地下水系统研究取得的成果及进展,着重回顾了在地下水咸化、地下水硝酸盐及微量有机污染以及地下水资源管理研究中的应用成果。文末讨论了应用水文地球化学与同位素结合的手段研究地下水系统的基本方法,探讨了开展地下水质质量评价与地下水资源管理的科学方法,展望了水文地球化学与同位素方法在地下水有机污染调查研究中的应用前景,认为该方法可以为地下水中新型及持久性有机污染物的来源及污染特征研究提供重要支撑。     

鲁北平原区井灌回归系数分析

利用井灌回归系数计算回归补给水量,是地下水资源评价计算井灌回归水量的基本方法。井灌回归系数确定的合理与否,直接影响到地下水资源评价成果的合理性。以试验站的观测资料为基础,结合引水灌溉调查成果,对影响井灌回归系数大小的因素和区域分布规律进行了系统分析,依地下水埋深和灌溉方式划分引黄灌区、井河结合灌区、井灌区三种类型,分析确定鲁北平原区适用的井灌回归系数。     

基于GIS的苏锡常地区浅层地下水系统防污染性能评价

在全面认识苏锡常浅层地下水水文地质条件的基础上,对区内的各种与浅层地下水防污染有关的地质环境因素进行判别,选择含水层厚度、包气带岩性、水位埋深、含水层顶板厚度做为评价的4个因素,以G IS软件ArcInfo为主要工具,通过信息量的空间叠加分析,进行浅层地下水系统防污染性能评价。通过实际水质分析数据,验证了方法的合理性,旨在为加强浅层地下水资源管理提供指导。     

Fluoride occurrence and mobilization in geo-environment of semi-arid Granite watershed in southern peninsular India

Plausible forms of fluoride (F) responsible for the persistence of fluoride toxicity in ground water of a granitic terrain of semi-arid region, which is the main source of drinking water, have been studied. The study area in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh, India, is one of the chronic regions with excess fluoride in groundwater and the region is under transformation into aridity due to poor rainfall and over-exploitation of groundwater. Geochemical analysis of soil, groundwater, and rock samples of the study area revealed the presence of other toxic elements also in addition to fluoride which need to be addressed in drinking water sector in near future. Soil fluoride leaching experiments demonstrated the probable mode of mobilization of F into the groundwater through natural recharge process during monsoon. Analysis of saturation indices indicates that the fluorite solubility alone is not attributable to the high fluoride content in groundwater. The groundwater flow controls fluoride mobilization in the study area as it is evidenced through fluoride concentration and electrical conductivity increase from catchment to downstream region. Creation of lesser fluoride groundwater sources through rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge of groundwater in catchment areas is suggested as a long-term sustainable safe drinking water strategy.     

Collaborative geomatics and the Mushkegowuk Cree First Nations: Fostering adaptive capacity for community-based sub-arctic natural resource management

The remote First Nation (FN) communities of the Mushkegowuk Territory on the west coast of James Bay, Ontario, Canada are currently facing increased development pressures and the imposition of a government land use planning process. The land use planning process is mandated in the Far North Act (received Royal Assent on September 23, 2010). There is a need for capacity enhancement for community-based natural resource planning and management in the Territory. A number of frameworks are emerging for addressing change brought on by resource development and building resilience to such change at the community level. Among these include the concept of adaptive capacity. In collaboration with FN community leaders, we explored the use of “collaborative geomatics” tools to foster adaptive capacity. Our action research suggests that collaborative geomatics technologies should enhance the Mushkegowuk First Nations’ adaptive capacity to address environmental and policy change by allowing them to collect and manage data collaboratively (e.g., traditional environmental knowledge, western science) to create opportunities for innovative community development, including natural resource development and management.     

聚类分析在地下水水质分类评价中的应用

为更好的探究聚类分析在地下水环境评价中的应用,结合重庆市藻渡水库工程,采用系统聚类法分析了水库枢纽和库区位置的地下水监测点与周围煤矿污染源之间的相互关系,运用灰色聚类法和改进的灰色聚类法对地下水监测点进行综合评价,并分析了两种方法的优缺点。最终将17个地下水监测点划分为未超标天然地下水和受煤矿开采污染的地下水两大类,分析了污染物来源并评价了污染程度,为藻渡水库工程的地下水污染防治提供了科学依据。