Ground displacement data around the city of Ravenna do not support uplifting Venice by water injection

The proposed injection of seawater in a brackish, sandy aquifer lying 600–800 m under the lagoon of Venice to lift Venice itself uniformly up to 30 cm in 10 years raises many problems. We discuss here whether a smooth uplift can be obtained as claimed by the proponents. We first underline the similarities between the Ravenna and Venice case. We then examine the subsidence around Ravenna because of fluid extraction and the measured surface displacements for the period when there is pressure recovery both in the depleted gas reservoir close to Ravenna and in the upper aquifer system. Uniform surface settlements are nowhere observed and strong influence of local heterogeneities cannot be ruled out. The whole picture suggests great caution and the need for much more investigation before undertaking such an injection.     

Combined climatic and geological forcings on the spatio-temporal variability of piezometric levels in the chalk aquifer of Upper Normandy (France) at pluridecennal scale

The temporal variability of water-level fluctuations in the chalk aquifer of Upper Normandy, France is constrained by natural climate fluctuations and is closely linked to the regional geological patterns. The chalk plateaus are covered with 5–50 m thick semi-permeable surficial formations; the thickness of the underlying chalk aquifer varies from 50 to 300 m. The relationship among climate oscillations, piezometric levels, and geologic structure were investigated by correlation, Fourier spectral, and continuous wavelet analyses of selected piezometric time-series data. Analysis focused on two piezometers located on the uplifted side of a major fault and two piezometers on the downthrown side. After generalization to other piezometers in the region, it was deduced that, in the downthrown compartments, a substantial aquifer and surficial formations thickness would imply a strong attenuation of annual variability, while multi-year variability is clearly expressed. Conversely, in the uplifted compartments, a thin layer of surficial formations and small thickness of the chalk authorizes strong variations on the annual mode with respect to the contribution of long-term climatic oscillations (multi-year variability). The results then demonstrated—and proposed a spatial determination of—the differential influence of geological patterns on the filtering of climate-induced oscillations in piezometric variability.     

Climatic and geologic controls on the piezometry of the Querença-Silves karst aquifer,Algarve (Portugal)

Karst aquifers in semi-arid regions, like Querença-Silves (Portugal), are particularly vulnerable to climate variability. For the first time in this region, the temporal structure of a groundwater-level time series (1985–2010) was explored using the continuous wavelet transform. The investigation focused on a set of four piezometers, two at each side of the S. Marcos-Quarteira fault, to demonstrate how each of the two sectors of the aquifer respond to climate-induced patterns. Singular spectral analysis applied to an extended set of piezometers enabled identification of several quasi-periodic modes of variability, with periods of 6.5, 4.3, 3.2 and 2.6 years, which can be explained by low-frequency climate patterns. The geologic forcing accounts for ~15 % of the differential variability between the eastern and western sectors of the aquifer. The western sector displays spatially homogenous piezometric variations, large memory effects and low-pass filtering characteristics, which are consistent with relatively large and uniform values of water storage capacity and transmissivity properties. In this sector, the 6.5-year mode of variability accounts for ~70 % of the total variance of the groundwater levels. The eastern sector shows larger spatial and temporal heterogeneity, is more reactive to short-term variations, and is less influenced by the low-frequency components related to climate patterns.     

Ambient well-bore mixing, aquifer cross-contamination, pumping stress, and water quality from long-screened wells: What is sampled and what is not?

Water quality tests were performed on two long-screened alluvial aquifer wells (15–30 m of screen) that had been completed in a heterogeneous aquifer that exhibits extreme temporal water quality variability. When stressed, the total dissolved solids (TDS) in one well decreased from 10,600 to 3,500 mg/L and in another well the TDS increased from 136 to 2,255 mg/L. Nested short-screened monitoring wells were constructed in chemically distinct horizons affecting each well. Water level measurements and solute and isotopic samples were obtained from the production wells and the monitoring wells during a water quality test. Results of a time drawdown tests demonstrate transmissivity differences between horizons. Ambient water quality in the production wells and aquifer cross-contamination are controlled by well-bore mixing due to head differences of as little as 0.01 m between chemically distinct horizons which are linked by the production well screen. During non-stress periods, the ambient well-bore chemistry is controlled by the horizon with the greatest hydraulic head, whereas during stressed conditions, horizon transmissivity controls the well-bore chemistry. In one well, aquifer cross-contamination, driven by an ambient head differential of 1.2 m, persisted until about 1,600 well-bore volumes were purged.     

Water–gas dynamics and coastal land subsidence over Chioggia Mare field, northern Adriatic Sea

A major development programme comprising 15 gas fields of the northern Adriatic Sea has recently been submitted to the Ministry of the Environment, VIA Committee for the assessment of the environmental impact, by ENI-Agip, the Italian national oil company. One of the largest reservoirs is Chioggia Mare, located about 10 km offshore of the Venetian littoral, with a burial depth of 1000–1400 m. The planned gas production from this field is expected to impact the shoreline stability with a potential threat to the city of Venice, 25 km northwest of the center of Chioggia Mare. To evaluate the risk of anthropogenic land subsidence due to gas withdrawal, a numerical model was developed that predicts the compaction of both the gas-bearing formations and the lateral/bottom aquifer (water drive) during a 13-year producing and a 12-year post-production period, and the transference of the deep compaction to the ground surface. To address the uncertainty of a few important hydromechanical parameters, several scenarios are simulated and the most pessimistic predictions obtained. The modeling results show that at most 1 cm of land subsidence over 25 years may be expected at the city of Chioggia, whereas Venice is not subject to settlement. If aquifer drawdown is mediated by water injection, land subsidence is arrested 5 km offshore, with the Chioggia littoral zone experiencing a rebound of 0.6–0.7 cm. Electronic Publication     

含水层压密引起其特征参数变化的实验

水文地质参数在含水层压密过程中不断变化,这是诸多地面沉降模型实际应用中的难点之一。就含水层压密对水文地质参数的影响开展了初步的实验,结果表明,压密前后含水层的渗透系数和给水度发生了较大的变化。其中：渗透系数随模拟含水层介质压密过程的变化几乎呈线性的减小趋势,线性拟合决定系数为0.959 2~0.997 1;给水度随着含水层的压实而表现出下降的趋势较为复杂,随介质类型的不同而有差异。渗透系数和给水度的下降速度在不同介质中也有一定的差异。在本研究的实验模型尺度下,给水度和渗透系数呈现一定的线性正相关关系,一次线性相关函数斜率为0.001 3~0.005 1,截距为0.011 6~0.038 1,基本相近且在相同数量级。     

Considering the effect of body force for regional land displacements

In this study, a general mathematical model was developed for land displacements that occur as a result of the pressure decline in confined and/or phreatic aquifers. Two equations were developed by employing the equilibrium (force balance) equation and the flow equation in a deforming aquifer system. Both of these equations were integrated over the thickness of the aquifer system once a regional model had been formulated. The change of the body force in saturated and unsaturated zones of aquifers was considered in the derivation of the equilibrium equation. It was assumed that no external loading or force acting on the aquifer system was present. Two coupled equations expressed in terms of the averaged dilation and pressure were then obtained. The pumping data sets given in the papers of Bear and Corapcioglu^1,2 in 1981 and 1983 were analysed. Drawdown and displacements in a confined aquifer were demonstrated to be identical to those estimated by Bear and Corapcioglu.¹ In the case of a phreatic aquifer, however, the results estimated by the present approach were slightly different from those obtained by Corapcioglu and Bear.² The discrepancies in the results are possibly due to errors in the equations presented by Corapcioglu and Bear.² The present approach was able to avoid several assumptions and complex procedures used by Bear and Corapcioglu,^1,2 especially in the case of a phreatic aquifer, by taking into account the change in the body force.     

Influence of hydrostratigraphy and structural setting on the arsenic occurrence in groundwater of the Cimino-Vico volcanic area (central Italy)

Arsenic occurrence in groundwater near the Cimino-Vico volcanoes (central Italy) was analysed considering the hydrostratigraphy and structural setting and the shallow and deep flows interacting within the Quaternary volcanics. Groundwater is the local source of drinking water. As documented in the past, arsenic in the groundwater has become a problem, and the European maximum allowable contaminant level was recently lowered to 10 μg/L. Chemical analyses of groundwater were conducted, sampled over an area of about 900 km², from 65 wells and springs representative of the volcanic aquifer and thermal waters. Considering the type of aquifer, the nature of the aquifer formation and its substratum, the hydrochemical data highlight that the arsenic content of the groundwater is mainly connected with the hydrothermal processes in the volcanic area. Thermal waters (54–60°C) fed from deep-rising fluids show higher arsenic concentrations (176–371 μg/L). Cold waters sampled from the volcanic aquifer are characterized by a wide variability in their arsenic concentration (1.6–195 μg/L), and about 62% exceed the limit of 10 μg/L. Where the shallow volcanic aquifer is open to deep-rising thermal fluids, relatively high arsenic concentrations (20–100 μg/L) are found. This occurs close to areas of the more recent volcano-tectonic structures.     

Estimation of transmissivity from specific capacity data in fractured carbonate rock aquifer,central Jordan

Transmissivity of an aquifer is determined from pumping test analysis, but due to the difficulty of performing such tests as well as the relatively high cost of these test, it is often estimated from specific capacity data. In this study an empirical relation is derived using 237 pairs of transmissivity and specific capacity values that are obtained from groundwater wells penetrating a fractured and karstified carbonate aquifer. Linear and logarithmic regression functions have been performed and it is found that the logarithmic relationship predicting transmissivity from specific capacity data has a better correlation (r=0.95) than linear one (r=0.84). This is logically true because both transmissivity and specific capacity are lognormally distributed. The spatial distribution of transmissivity is also affected by the presence of fracturing and karstification phenomena within the aquifer matrix.     

Functioning and precipitation-displacement modelling of rainfall-induced deep-seated landslides subject to creep deformation

We propose an approach to study the hydro-mechanical behaviour and evolution of rainfall-induced deep-seated landslides subjected to creep deformation by combining signal processing and modelling. The method is applied to the Séchilienne landslide in the French Alps, where precipitation and displacement have been monitored for 20 years. Wavelet analysis is first applied on precipitation and recharge as inputs and then on displacement time-series decomposed into trend and detrended signals as outputs. Results show that the detrended displacement is better linked to the recharge signal than to the total precipitation signal. The infra-annual detrended displacement is generated by high precipitation events, whereas annual and multi-annual variations are rather linked to recharge variations and thus to groundwater processes. This leads to conceptualise the system into a two-layer aquifer constituted of a perched aquifer (reactive aquifer responsible of high-frequency displacements) and a deep aquifer (inertial aquifer responsible of low-frequency displacements). In a second step, a new lumped model (GLIDE) coupling groundwater and a creep deformation model is applied to simulate displacement on three extensometer stations. The application of the GLIDE model gives good performance, validating most of the preliminary functioning hypotheses. Our results show that groundwater fluctuations can explain the displacement periodic variations as well as the long-term creep exponential trend. In the case of deep-seated landslides, this displacement trend is interpreted as the consequence of the weakening of the rock mechanical properties due to repeated actions of the groundwater pressure.     

Assessment of alluvial aquifer heterogeneity and development of stochastic hydrofacies models for the Hat Yai Basin in Southern Thailand

In previous studies, the groundwater flow models formulated for the Hat Yai Basin were conventional and deterministic because the geologic heterogeneity of the alluvial aquifer system in the basin had not yet been assessed. This paper describes an effort to develop hydrofacies models, such that the spatial variability of the aquifer system can be represented in a systematic way. Variogram parameters that characterize the alluvial aquifer heterogeneity were determined. Based on these variogram parameters, an indicator-based geostatistical approach was used to develop hydrofacies models using sequential indicator simulation. The hydrofacies models indicate three distinct aquifer units, namely Hat Yai, Khu Tao, and Kho Hong aquifers, which is in good agreement with a conceptual model, and incorporates spatial variability as observed in field data from borehole logs. The hydrofacies models can be used in groundwater modeling and simulations.     

A new hydrostratigraphic model of Venice area (Italy)

Two environmental problems affect the Venice area: subsidence, which has been increasing due to the intensive water abstraction after the Second World War, and contamination of the soil and shallow aquifers. In order to address these problems, which are decisive factors in the entire Venetian ecosystem, the aquifer structure must be known in detail. The lithologic data are abundant and of good quality up to a depth of 50 m, whereas boreholes beyond this depth are much rarer and more dispersed, making their associated lithological data unreliable. This work, which uses the available data together with fast and low cost passive seismic measurements, provides an improved understanding of the deeper hydrogeologic domain. For this purpose, a MATLAB package (Modalstrata) has been developed to improve the correlation of the stratigraphic succession for each selected homogeneous sub-area and applied to obtain a new, upgraded hydrostratigraphic model. The horizontal to vertical spectral ratio passive seismic surveys have confirmed the lateral correlations among the sample areas at least for the two main aquifer horizons. Analysis and comparisons of several previous studies performed on the data related to the only drilling continuous coring 951 m deep in the Tronchetto Island (Venice), have allowed a satisfactory validation of the proposed hydrogeological model.     

FINITE ELEMENT MODELLING FOR LAND DISPLACEMENTS DUE TO PUMPING

Equations of equilibrium (force balance) and flow in multidimensions were coupled in this paper to describe land displacements due to pressure decline in aquifers. A Galerkin finite element model based on these equations was developed. The saturated/unsaturated behaviour and the isotropic/anisotropic properties of permeability and elasticity were considered when the model was formulated. This model was verified by comparing its simulation results with those of known analytical solutions for simplified cases. The simulation of displacements due to pressure decline in unsaturated media was also performed. Those results demonstrated that the choice of boundary ranges for an aquifer with infinite domain may significantly affect the estimated horizontal and vertical displacements. To obtain a good estimation of land displacements, the boundary ranges should be carefully chosen. The displacements occurring in unconfined aquifers are caused by the drop of the water table and the change in body force in the dewatering zone. Simulation results also indicated that the change in body force should be considered once an unconfined aquifer has been pumped. Otherwise, the horizontal and vertical displacements in unconfined aquifers would be overestimated and underestimated, respectively. The behaviour of land displacements due to pumping was shown to be affected by changes in the total stresses in aquifers.     

Consolidation in spatially random unsaturated soils based on coupled flow‐deformation simulation

This paper integrates random field simulation of soil spatial variability with numerical modeling of coupled flow and deformation to investigate consolidation in spatially random unsaturated soil. The spatial variability of soil properties is simulated using the covariance matrix decomposition method. The random soil properties are imported into an interactive multiphysics software COMSOL to solve the governing partial differential equations. The effects of the spatial variability of Young's modulus and saturated permeability together with unsaturated hydraulic parameters on the dissipation of excess pore water pressure and settlement are investigated using an example of consolidation in a saturated‐unsaturated soil column because of loading. It is found that the surface settlement and the pore water pressure profile during the process of consolidation are significantly affected by the spatially varying Young's modulus. The mean value of the settlement of the spatially random soil is more than 100% greater than that of the deterministic case, and the surface settlement is subject to large uncertainty, which implies that consolidation settlement is difficult to predict accurately based on the conventional deterministic approach. The uncertainty of the settlement increases with the scale of fluctuation because of the averaging effect of spatial variability. The effects of spatial variability of saturated permeability k_sat and air entry parameters are much less significant than that of elastic modulus. The spatial variability of air entry value parameters affects the uncertainties of settlement and excess pore pressure mostly in the unsaturated zone. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Climate controls on nitrate concentration variability in the Abbotsford-Sumas aquifer,British Columbia,Canada

Understanding the linkage between temporal climate variability and groundwater nitrate concentration variability in monitoring well records is key to interpreting the impacts of changes in land-use practices and assessing groundwater quality trends. This study explores the coupling of climate variability and groundwater nitrate concentration variability in the Abbotsford-Sumas aquifer. Over the period of 1992–2009, the average groundwater nitrate concentration in the aquifer remained fairly steady at approximately 15 mg/L nitrate-N. Normalized nitrate data for 19 individual monitoring wells were assessed for a range of intrinsic factors including precipitation, depth to water table, depth below water table, and apparent groundwater age. At a broad scale, there is a negative correlation between nitrate concentration and apparent groundwater age. Each dedicated monitoring well shows unique, non-uniform cyclical variability in nitrate concentrations that appears to correspond with seasonal (1 year) cycles in precipitation as well as longer-period cycles (~5 years), possibly due to ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) or the Pacific North American (PNA) pattern. These precipitation cycles appear to influence nitrate concentrations by approximately ±30 % of the critical concentration (10 mg/L NO₃–N). Not all wells show direct correlation due to many complex local-scale factors that influence nitrate leaching including spatially and temporally variable nutrient management practices and soil/crop nitrogen dynamics (anthropogenic and agronomic factors).     

含水层和土壤的随机特征对水分运动的影响

将土壤或含水层的介质参数视为随机分布,建立了饱和非饱和水流运动的随机微分方程,利用随机数值求解方法,得到各种随机参数对水头分布和含水量空间变异性的影响。分析结果表明,随着渗透系数空间变异性和相关尺度的增大,含水层水头分布的变异性增大;对于区域内有抽水井分布的问题,在井点附近区域,z向水流速度空间变异性大,而在井点处变异性较小。当采用Gardner-Russo模型描述非饱和水分特征时,其非饱和土壤介质参数α的变异性对土壤负压和含水量变异性的影响大于饱和渗透系数,土壤含水量越小,含水量的空间变异性越大。初步讨论了根据随机数值方法研究地下水运动问题的可靠性分析方法。     

Using high resolution data to reveal depth-dependent mechanisms that drive land subsidence: The Venice coast, Italy

Recent research has provided a high-resolution map that depicts the effect of land subsidence on the Venice coastal plain of Italy. The map, which covers the decade of 1992 to 2002, was obtained by an innovative “Subsidence Integrated Monitoring System” (SIMS), which efficiently merges the different displacement measurements obtained by high precision-leveling, differential and continuous Global Positing System data (GPS), and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)-based interferometry. The displacement rates exhibit significant spatial variability, ranging from a slight 1 to 2 mm/yr uplift, to a serious subsidence of more than 10 mm/yr. This paper aims to describe the many natural and anthropogenic mechanisms that drive the pattern of the ground displacement. The movement sources are presented based on their depth of occurrence. Deep causes act at depths generally greater than 400 m below m.s.l. (mean sea level), and are recognizable in the movement of the pre-Quaternary basement. Medium causes act at depths between 400 and 50 m below m.s.l., and include geological features, such as a major presence of compressible clay layers in the southern and northern portions of the study area and groundwater withdrawals, mainly in the north-eastern coastland and western mainland. Shallow causes, i.e. those occurring from a depth of 50 m up to the ground surface, are related to the architecture and geomechanical properties of the Pleistocene and Holocene deposits, which are more thick and compressible approaching the littoral belt; geochemical compaction, due to the increasing salt concentration in the clayey sediments; and oxidation of the outcropping organic soils drained by land reclamation. These two latter factors primarily involve the southern portion of the Venice coast. The building loads in newly developed areas also cause local compaction of shallow deposits. We conclude that the consolidation of Holocene deposits and anthropogenic activities (groundwater withdrawal, land reclamation, and urban land use) are the major factors that contribute to the present land subsidence in the Venice coastland.     

Large strain similarity solution for a spherical or circular opening excavated in elastic‐perfectly plastic media

This paper deals with the unloading problem of a spherical or circular opening excavated in elastic‐perfectly plastic media with a nonassociated Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion. A large strain similarity solution, using incremental velocity approach, is presented by replacing partial differential equations from stress equilibrium, constitutive law, consistency condition, and displacement equation with first‐order ordinary differential equations. The classical Runge–Kutta method is used to solve the first‐order ordinary differential equations. Comparisons among small and large strain solutions are made using some data sets of soil and rock. The results show that the displacements by large strain similarity solution are smaller than those by exact small strain solution and somewhat larger than those by large strain solution using total strain approach. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrogeochemical Characteristics and Groundwater Inrush Source Identification for a Multi‐aquifer System in a Coal Mine

Correct identification of water inrush sources is particularly important to prevent and control mine water disasters. Hydrochemical analysis, Fisher discriminant analysis, and geothermal verification analysis were used to identify and verify the water sources of the multi‐aquifer groundwater system in Gubei coal mine, Anhui Province, North China. Results show that hydrochemical water types of the Cenozoic top aquifer included HCO₃–Na+K–Ca, HCO₃–Na+K–Mg and HCO₃–Na+K, and this aquifer was easily distinguishable from other aquifers because of its low concentration of Na⁺+K⁺ and Cl^–. The Cenozoic middle and bottom aquifers, the Permian fissure aquifer, and the Taiyuan and Ordovician limestone aquifers were mainly characterized by the Cl–Na+K and SO₄–Cl‐Na+K or HCO₃–Cl–Na+K water types, and their hydrogeochemistries were similar. Therefore, water sources could not be identified via hydrochemical analysis. Fisher model was established based on the hydrogeochemical characteristics, and its discrimination rate was 89.19%. Fisher discrimination results were improved by combining them with the geothermal analysis results, and this combination increased the identification rate to 97.3 % and reasonably explained the reasons behind two water samples misjudgments. The methods described herein are also applicable to other mines with similar geological and hydrogeological conditions in North China.     

Leaking behavior of shield tunnels under the Huangpu River of Shanghai with induced hazards

The Quaternary deposits in Shanghai primarily consists of a phreatic aquifer group (Aq0) and five artesian aquifers (AqI–AqV) that are separated by six aquitards (AdI–AdVI). In the basin of the Huangpu River, the first artesian aquifer (AqI) is connected to the second artesian aquifer (AqII), forming a 50-m-thick artesian aquifer with a very high groundwater level. The highway tunnels under the Huangpu River of Shanghai are constructed at a maximum depth up to 45 m, within the artesian aquifer. These tunnels are lined with precast reinforced concrete segments without a second lining. Under high water pressure, it is difficult for the single shell linings to achieve water tightness. Different degrees of groundwater leakage have been observed in road tunnels under the Huangpu River. The tunnels constructed before the 1990s have had very serious groundwater leakage (e.g., >1 L/m²/day), and the recently constructed tunnels have leaked less than 0.1 L/m²/day. The factors influencing groundwater leakage include depth below groundwater level, differential settlement of the tunnel, and applied waterproof technologies. The increase in depth leads to a significant increase in groundwater leakage. The differential settlement causes gaps to open and offset between segments, as well as cracking of segments, which can also induce groundwater leakage. According to the analysis of recorded data, the number of leaking points tends to increase with the curvature of the settlement curve. In addition, inappropriate waterproofing materials and poor waterproofing design will also lead to groundwater leakage. Groundwater leakage causes deterioration of the structure, aging of the installations in the tunnels (e.g., facilities and pavements), as well as discomfort for users of the tunnels and adverse environmental impacts. Furthermore, groundwater leakage also causes structural deformation of the tunnel itself, leading to further leakage and hazards.