Climate change and the future of freshwater resources of the island: a case study on the Rishiri Island,Japan

A comparison of the d-excess values of precipitation and of spring water, streams, groundwater wells and submarine groundwater discharge indicated that the precipitation that occurred during winter season was an important source of groundwater recharge. Due to the steep slope of the island, most of the short duration and high intensity precipitation is lost through direct surface runoff. The comparison indicated that snowmelt is an important resource of groundwater recharge on Rishiri Island. Future climate change will continue to diminish the snowpack, and therefore, reduce groundwater recharge. It may cause the decline of the groundwater level in the coastal area and possibly shift the saline–freshwater boundary on the island. Chloride data indicated that saltwater intrusion is beginning to occur on the western flank of the island. A Piper diagram shows that the water samples are characterized by the dominance of the Ca–HCO₃ and Na–Cl type. Their chemistry probably results from sea salt spray and the dissolution of minerals. These results support the need for the effective management of groundwater resources.     

Trends in the long-term variability of groundwater discharge

Groundwater recharge is irregular both seasonally and during long-term periods. An analysis of long-term observations of the groundwater level regime and groundwater discharge (baseflow) made it possible to establish tendencies to grouping of dry and wet year series, ie to the so-called cyclicity, with frequent periods of 2–3 years, 5–6 years, and 21–22 years. A longer duration is possible of series (60–80 and even 100 years and longer), found only in the longest observation series as trends. The statistical significance of trends is not high. However, the average directed variability in groundwater recharge (increase or decrease) may be as large as 0.02–0.1 litre per second per square kilometre that may be considered in practical computations and predictions. The different direction of trends depends both on the direct human impact on groundwater (water withdrawal, irrigation and drainage, etc.) and on the indirect effect (the effect of man-induced climatic transformations). The predictions showed that normal groundwater recharge in the USSR area may increase under the effect of climatic changes by 10–40% at the beginning of the next century. This will result in improvement of water supply conditions, on the one hand, and in some negative ecological after-effects related to waterlogging and flooding, particularly in cities and towns.     

Changes of δ<Superscript>18</Superscript>O and δD along the Dousitu River,Inner Mongolia,China, and their evidence of river water evaporation

On the basis of the hydrogeology of the Dousitu River drainage basin, the changes of water flow rate, δ¹⁸O and δD along the Dousitu River are discussed according to measured and analytical results. Changes of flow rate along the Dousitu River agree well with groundwater level contours and the recharge and discharge of groundwater to the river. When compared with other types of water in the area, it is obvious that the ¹⁸O and D of river waters have experienced evaporation. The changes of δ¹⁸O and δD along the Dousitu River are mainly caused by combined effects of groundwater recharge and river water evaporation. The recharge of groundwater makes δ¹⁸O and δD of the river water decrease. Evaporation makes δ¹⁸O and δD of the river water increase. The evaporation fractions of the river water are calculated using the kinetic fractionation theory. Results showed as much as 10–30% of water was evaporated in different segments of Dousitu River.     

Theis不稳定潜水井流模型的改进——具入渗补给

地下水的补排主要包括垂向的地面入渗补给、蒸发排泄（蒸发可视为入渗的负值）及侧向的地表水补给、排泄。水文地质学最基本的问题之一——地下水可持续开釆量的评价准则,涉及补给的增量与排泄的减量,因此地下水开采的预测模型必须包含上述两类的补给、排泄因素,否则不能满足要求。然而,经典的Theis不稳定井流模型,即使在傍河抽水,也只有侧边界的补给、排泄作用,而不涉及上边界的地面入渗补给。这样一来,这个解析模型基本上不能够用于预测,而只能在旱季用于井流试验求取含水系统的参数。为此,文章的目标是发展具地面入渗补给的Theis不稳定潜水井流模型。对于潜水流问题,不能再用承压水流的以水头为应变量的方程来建立,应采用第二类线性化方法的势函数来建立潜水流问题。对于既有降雨入渗补给,又有抽水井作用的复杂的水文地质问题所概化数学模型的求解,采取的方法是把它分解成若干个简单的子模型问题求解,然后将其合成为原来复杂数学模型的解。基于质量守恒原理,假定渗流服从Darcy定律并满足Dupuit徦定建立了水流基本微分方程。然后对于两平行河流及一河流平行一隔水边界形成的两类条形区域,具地面均匀稳定入渗补给的井流问题,获得通用水位方程和几类常见的特定条件水位方程及其流量方程。此外,提出并采用“边界对边界的反映法”用以求解一河流平行一隔水边界条形区域的同一问题,减少了许多推导过程。最后,作为上述理论成果的初步应用,也是一个重要的应用,即在河水水质不能满足要求的河流附近,设有一口抽水井,计算该抽水井在不汲取河水的前提下的临界流量方程,获得具重要意义的结构简洁的关系式。该方程也可以用于滨海区的抽水井,在不发生海水入侵前提下的临界抽水流量计算。给出了上述条件不稳定井流过程某时刻的地下水流网图,其流网与文献中常见的傍河井流的流网相比,具显明的特征。     

Impact of climate change on groundwater recharge in a small catchment in the Black Forest, Germany

Temporal and spatial changes of the hydrological cycle are the consequences of climate variations. In addition to changes in surface runoff with possible floods and droughts, climate variations may affect groundwater through alteration of groundwater recharge with consequences for future water management. This study investigates the impact of climate change, according to the Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) A1B, A2 and B1, on groundwater recharge in the catchment area of a fissured aquifer in the Black Forest, Germany, which has sparse groundwater data. The study uses a water-balance model considering a conceptual approach for groundwater-surface water exchange. River discharge data are used for model calibration and validation. The results show temporal and spatial changes in groundwater recharge. Groundwater recharge is progressively reduced for summer during the twenty-first century. The annual sum of groundwater recharge is affected negatively for scenarios A1B and A2. On average, groundwater recharge during the twenty-first century is reduced mainly for the lower parts of the valley and increased for the upper parts of the valley and the crests. The reduced storage of water as snow during winter due to projected higher air temperatures causes an important relative increase in rainfall and, therefore, higher groundwater recharge and river discharge.     

Assessment of aquifer recharge and groundwater availability in a semiarid region of Brazil in the context of an interbasin water transfer scheme

Particularly in arid and semiarid areas, more and more populations rely almost entirely on imported water. However, the extent to which intentional discharge into transiting river systems and unintentional leakage may be augmenting water resources for communities along and down gradient of the water transfer scheme has not previously been subject to research. The objective of this study was to assess both the potential of a large-scale water transfer (WT) scheme to increase groundwater availability by channel transmission losses in a large dryland aquifer system (2,166 km²) in Brazil, and the capability of the receiving streams to transport water downstream under a prolonged drought. An integrated surface-water/groundwater model was developed to improve the estimation of the groundwater resources, considering the spatio-temporal variability of infiltrated rainfall for aquifer recharge. Aquifer recharge from the WT scheme was simulated under prolonged drought conditions, applying an uncertainty analysis of the most influential fluxes and parameters. The annual recharge (66 mm/year) was approximately twice the amount of water abstracted (1990–2016); however, the annual recharge dropped to 13.9 mm/year from 2012 to 2016, a drought period. Under similar drought conditions, the additional recharge (6.89 × 106 m³/year) from the WT scheme did not compensate for the decrease in groundwater head in areas that do not surround the receiving streams. Actually, the additional recharge is counteracted by a decrease of 25% of natural groundwater recharge or an increase of 50% in pumping rate; therefore, WT transmission losses alone would not solve the issue of the unsustainable management of groundwater resources.

     

Groundwater recharge and discharge processes in the Jakarta groundwater basin, Indonesia

Proper management of groundwater resources requires knowledge of the processes of recharge and discharge associated with a groundwater basin. Such processes have been identified in the Jakarta groundwater basin, Indonesia using a theory that describes the simultaneous transfer of heat and fluid in a porous medium. Temperature-depth profiles in monitoring wells are used to determine the geothermal gradient. To examine the rules of groundwater flow in the distortion of the isotherms in this area, several methods are compared. Subsurface temperature distribution is strongly affected by heat advection due to groundwater flow. Under natural flow conditions, the recharge area is assumed to occur in the hills and uplands, which are located on the periphery of the Jakarta basin, and the discharge area is located in the central and northern part of the Jakarta groundwater basin. A transition area, which could act as local recharge and discharge areas, occupies the middle of the lowland. Subsurface temperatures show good correlation with the groundwater flow conditions, and the data yield important information on the location of recharge and discharge areas.     

Surface and subsurface conceptual model of an arid environment with respect to mid- and late Holocene climate changes

The water demand in arid regions is commonly covered by groundwater resources that date back to more humid periods of the Pleistocene and Holocene. Within the investigated arid part of SE Saudi-Arabia information about climate, groundwater levels, and pumping rates are only available for regions where groundwater extractions occur at present-day. For the prediction of the impact of long-term climate changes on groundwater resources an understanding of the hydrogeological and hydrological past and the development of the aquifers is necessary. Therefore, all available information about hydrology and hydrogeology for the past 10,000 years BP were collected and compiled to a conceptual model of the aquifer development on the Arabian Peninsula since the last Ice-Age. The climatic history was displayed by changes in precipitation, temperature and recharge during the mid-S and late Holocene. The hydrogeological development is described by groundwater ages, sea level fluctuations, movement of the coastline, and the development of sabkhas. The most sensitive parameter to describe the development of aquifer system is recharge. Present-day recharge was calculated with the hydrological model system HEC-HMS accounting for current precipitation, temperature, wind, soil types, and geomorphology. With respect to changes in precipitation and temperature over the past 10,000 years the temporal and spatial variability of groundwater recharge was calculated using empirical equations valid for semi-arid and arid settings. Further inflow into the groundwater system results from surface water infiltration in wadi beds, while natural outflow from the groundwater system occurs by discharge to the Gulf, evaporation from sabkhas, and spring discharge. Backward predictions can be verified by sedimentological observations of palaeo-river systems and lakes indicating that groundwater levels reached temporarily the surface under wetter climate conditions and ¹⁴C groundwater ages displaying groundwater residence times.     

Numerical modelling assessment of climate-change impacts and mitigation measures on the Querença-Silves coastal aquifer (Algarve,Portugal)

Predicted changes in climate will lead to seawater intrusion in the Querença-Silves (QS) coastal aquifer (south Portugal) during the coming century if the current water-resource-management strategy is maintained. As for much of the Mediterranean, average rainfall is predicted to decrease along with increasing seasonal and inter-annual variability and there is a need to understand how these changes will affect the sustainable use of groundwater resources. A density-coupled flow and transport model of the QS was used to simulate an ensemble of climate, water-use and adaptation scenarios from 2010 to 2099 taking into account intra- and inter-annual variability in recharge and groundwater use. By considering several climate models, bias correction and recharge calculation methods, a degree of uncertainty was included. Changes in rainfall regimes will have an immediate effect on groundwater discharge; however, the effect on saltwater intrusion is attenuated by the freshwater–saltwater interfaces’ comparatively slow rate of movement. Comparing the effects of adaptation measures demonstrates that the extent of intrusion in the QS is controlled by the long-term water budget, as the effectiveness of both demand and supply oriented measures is proportional to the change in water budget, and that to maintain the current position, average groundwater discharge should be in the order of 50 × 10⁶ m³ yr^?1.     

Artificial groundwater recharge to a semi-arid basin: case study of Mujib aquifer,Jordan

Mujib watershed is an important groundwater basin which is considered a major source for drinking and irrigation water in Jordan. Increased dependence on groundwater needs improved aquifer management with respect to understanding deeply recharge and discharge issues, planning rates withdrawal, and facing water quality problems arising from industrial and agricultural contamination. The efficient management of this source depends on reliable estimates of the recharge to groundwater and is needed in order to protect Mujib basin from depletion. Artificial groundwater recharge was investigated in this study as one of the important options to face water scarcity and to improve groundwater storage in the aquifer. A groundwater model based on the MODFLOW program, calibrated under both steady- and unsteady-state conditions, was used to investigate different groundwater management scenarios that aim at protecting the Mujib basin. The scenarios include variations of abstraction levels combined with different artificial groundwater recharge quantities. The possibilities of artificial groundwater recharge from existing and proposed dams as well as reclaimed municipal wastewater were investigated. Artificial recharge options considered in this study are mainly through injecting water directly to the aquifer and through infiltration from reservoir. Three scenarios were performed to predict the aquifer system response under different artificial recharge options (low, moderate, and high) which then compared with no action (recharge) scenario. The best scenario that provides a good recovery for the groundwater table and that can be feasible is founded to be by reducing current abstraction rates by 20% and implementing the moderate artificial recharge rates of 26 million(M)m³/year. The model constructed in this study helps decision makers and planners in selecting optimum management schemes suitable for such arid and semi-arid regions.     

Hydrochemical evolution and water quality along the groundwater flow path in the Sandıklı plain, Afyon, Turkey

 An unconfined aquifer system suggests an open system in the study area. Hydrochemical evolution is related to the flow path of groundwater. The groundwaters are divided into two hydrochemical facies in the study area, 1) Ca–Mg–HCO₃ and 2) Ca–Mg–SO₄HCO₃. Facies 1 has shallow (young) waters which dominate in recharge areas during rapid flow conditions, whereas facies 2 may show shallow and mixed waters which dominate intermediate or discharge areas during low flow conditions. Ionic concentrations, TDS, EC and water quality are related to groundwater residence time and groundwater types. The groundwaters in the plain are chemically potable and suitable for both domestic and agricultural purposes. Received: 20 May 1996 · Accepted: 30 July 1996     

Association of hydrogeological factors in temporal variations of fluoride concentration in a crystalline aquifer in India

The major part of groundwater in India is found in granitic aquifers. Fluoride in groundwater from a crystalline aquifer in a semi-arid region of granitic rocks in India, known as Maheshwaram watershed, was analyzed for spatial and temporal variability during 1999–2002 to assess the effect of hydrogeological factors on fluoride concentration. Samples were collected from 32 representative wells in the area for the pre- and post-monsoon seasons and analyzed for F content. The CHESS computer program was used to calculate ionic activities of aqueous species and the mineral saturation index (SI) for calcite and fluorite. The GARDENIA computer program was used to calculate the recharge values in the study area. The influences of dissolution kinetics of fluoride minerals and recharge from rainfall on fluoride concentration were of interest and results clearly indicate that fluoride content in groundwater depends on the interaction period of groundwater with host rock. Results could also be utilized for designing remedial measures particularly with dilution method in an optimal way.     

地下水与地表水水量交换识别及交换量计算——以新汴河宿州段为例

为提高地下水与地表水交换量计算结果的准确性,本文利用水力联系、水头差、水温、氡-222、氢氧稳定同位素构建综合识别方法(HHTRO),对新汴河宿州段地下水与地表水水量交换进行识别,并计算交换量。计算结果表明：研究河段单位河长地表水补给地下水的水量变化范围为8.69～366.82 m³/(d·m),地下水补给地表水的水量变化范围为0.72～120.90 m³/(d·m);研究河段左岸为地下水补给地表水,单位河长净补给量为45.26 m³/(d·m);河段右岸为地表水补给地下水,单位河长净补给量为214.33 m³/(d·m);研究河段地下水与地表水水量交换以地表水补给地下水为主,地表水补给地下水的比例为55.14%。本研究可推动地下水与地表水交换量计算方法的发展,为流域或区域水资源评价提供必要的理论方法。     

Quantifying groundwater recharge and discharge for the middle reach of Heihe River of China using isotope mass balance method

Quantifying the inflow and outflow of groundwater is essential to understand the interaction between surface water and groundwater. It is difficult to determine these elements in relation to groundwater recharge and discharge to the river, because they cannot be directly measured through site specific study. The methods of isotope mass balance combining with water budget were used to quantify the groundwater recharge from and discharge to the Heihe River, northwest China. The mean isotope ratios of monthly monitoring data for one hydrological year were selected to be the isotope rations of end members in isotope mass balance. The results from the isotope mass balance analysis, incorporating with the 35-year hydrological data, suggest that about 0.464×10~9 m~3/a of runoff flowing out Qilian Mountains is contributed to groundwater recharge(about 28% inflow of the Heihe River), while about 1.163×10~9 m~3/a of runoff is discharged from groundwater in the middle reach of the river, which accounts for about 46% of river runoff in the basin. The analysis offers a unique, broad scale studies and provides valuable insight into surface water-groundwater interaction in arid area.     

Water resources assessment in the Minqin Basin: an arid inland river basin under intensive irrigation in northwest China

The Minqin Basin is at the lower reach of the Shiyang River of Gansu province in northwest China. Dramatic decline in groundwater level has resulted from over-abstraction of groundwater since the late 1950s to satisfy increasing irrigation and other demands. Severe water shortage led to environmental degradation. To better understand the spatial–temporal variation of groundwater levels and to evaluate the groundwater resources in the region, a three-dimensional regional groundwater flow model was built and calibrated under transient condition. The MODFLOW program was used and the research area was discretized as a square network with cell size of 400 × 400 m. The model showed that the aquifer was under destructive stress, with a groundwater resource deficit of 260 million cubic meters per year (Mm³/year) on average. Since the inflow of surface water from the upstream basin has declined to about 100–150 Mm³/year in recent decades, the irrigation return flow had become the main recharge and accounted for 60.6% of total recharge; meanwhile, abstraction by pumping wells took 99.2% from the total groundwater discharge.     

Long-term spatio-temporal hydrochemical and 222Rn tracing to investigate groundwater flow and water–rock interaction in the Gran Sasso (central Italy) carbonate aquifer

In the Gran Sasso fissured carbonate aquifer (central Italy), a long-term (2001–2007) spatio-temporal hydrochemical and ²²²Rn tracing survey was performed with the goal to investigate groundwater flow and water–rock interaction. Analyses of the physico-chemical parameters, and comparisons of multichemical and characteristic ratios in space and time, and subsequent statistical analyses, permitted a characterisation of the hydrogeology. At the regional scale, groundwater flows from recharge areas to the springs located at the aquifer boundaries, with a gradual increase of mineralisation and temperature along its flowpaths. However, the parameters of each group of springs may significantly deviate from the regional trend owing to fast flows and to the geological setting of the discharge spring areas, as corroborated by statistical data. Along regional flowpaths, the effects of seasonal recharge and lowering of the water table clearly cause changes in ion concentrations over time. This conceptual model was validated by an analysis of the ²²²Rn content in groundwater. ²²²Rn content, for which temporal variability depends on seasonal fluctuations of the water table, local lithology and the fracture network at the spring discharge areas, was considered as a tracer of the final stages of groundwater flowpaths.     

Determining the seasonality of groundwater recharge using water isotopes: a case study from the upper North Han River basin,Korea

The stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen were used to determine the seasonal contributions of precipitation to groundwater recharge at a forested catchment area in the upper North Han River basin, Korea. A comparison of the stable isotopic signatures of groundwater and precipitation indicates that the precipitations which occurred during both the dry and rainy seasons are the important source of groundwater recharge in this region. A stable isotopic signature shown in the stream waters at the upstream reaches is similar to that of groundwaters, indicating that stream waters are mostly fed by groundwater discharge. Reservoir waters in the downstream flood control dams have lower deuterium excess values or d-values compared with those of the upstream waters, indicating a secondary evaporative enrichment. These results can provide a basis for the effective management of groundwater and stream water resources in the North Han River basin.     

Effects of climate change on the groundwater system in the Grote-Nete catchment,Belgium

The effects of climate change on the groundwater systems in the Grote-Nete catchment, Belgium, covering an area of 525 km², is modeled using wet (greenhouse), cold or NATCC (North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation Change) and dry climate scenarios. Low, central and high estimates of temperature changes are adopted for wet scenarios. Seasonal and annual water balance components including groundwater recharge are simulated using the WetSpass model, while mean annual groundwater elevations and discharge are simulated with a steady-state MODFLOW groundwater model. WetSpass results for the wet scenarios show that wet winters and drier summers are expected relative to the present situation. MODFLOW results for wet high scenario show groundwater levels increase by as much as 79 cm, which could affect the distribution and species richness of meadows. Results obtained for cold scenarios depict drier winters and wetter summers relative to the present. The dry scenarios predict dry conditions for the whole year. There is no recharge during the summer, which is mainly attributed to high evapotranspiration rates by forests and low precipitation. Average annual groundwater levels drop by 0.5 m, with maximum of 3.1 m on the eastern part of the Campine Plateau. This could endanger aquatic ecosystem, shrubs, and crop production.     

Recharge and discharge controls on groundwater travel times and flow paths to production wells for the Ammer catchment in southwestern Germany

Travel times and flow paths of groundwater from its recharge area to drinking-water production wells will govern how the quality of pumped groundwater responds to contaminations. Here, we studied the 180 km² Ammer catchment in southwestern Germany, which is extensively used for groundwater production from a carbonate aquifer. Using a 3-D steady-state groundwater model, four alternative representations of discharge and recharge were systematically explored to understand their impact on groundwater travel times and flow paths. More specifically, two recharge maps obtained from different German hydrologic atlases and two plausible alternative discharge scenarios were tested: (1) groundwater flow across the entire streambed of the Ammer River and its main tributaries and (2) groundwater discharge via a few major springs feeding the Ammer River. For each of these scenarios, the groundwater model was first calibrated against water levels, and subsequently travel times and flow paths were calculated for production wells using particle tracking methods. These computed travel times and flow paths were indirectly evaluated using additional data from the wells including measured concentrations of major ions and environmental tracers indicating groundwater age. Different recharge scenarios resulted in a comparable fit to observed water levels, and similar estimates of hydraulic conductivities, flow paths and travel times of groundwater to production wells. Travel times calculated for all scenarios had a plausible order of magnitude which were comparable to apparent groundwater ages modelled using environmental tracers. Scenario with groundwater discharge across the entire streambed of the Ammer River and its tributaries resulted in a better fit to water levels than scenario with discharge at a few springs only. In spite of the poorer fit to water levels, flow paths of groundwater from the latter scenario were more plausible, and these were supported by the observed major ion chemistry at the production wells. We concluded that data commonly used in groundwater modelling such as water levels and apparent groundwater ages may be insufficient to reliably delineate capture zones of wells. Hydrogeochemical information relating only indirectly to groundwater flow such as the major ion chemistry of water sampled at the wells can substantially improve our understanding of the source areas of recharge for production wells.     

Hydrological modeling in the karst area,Rižana spring catchment,Slovenia

Karst aquifers are known for their heterogeneity and irregular complex flow patterns which make them more difficult to model and demand specific modeling approaches. This paper presents one such approach which is based on a conceptual model. The model was applied in a karst area of the catchment of Rižana spring (200 km2). It is based on the MIKE SHE code and incorporates the main hydrological processes and geological features of the karst aquifer (diffuse and concentrated infiltration, allogenic recharge, quick and slow groundwater flow, shifting groundwater divides and groundwater outflow from the catchment area). Modeling of evapotranspiration and flow in the upper part of the unsaturated zone is more detailed. For the modeling of groundwater flow in the karst aquifer, a conceptual model was applied which uses drainage function for the simulation of groundwater flow through large conduits (karst channels and large fissures). The model was calibrated and validated against the observed Rižana spring discharge which represents a measured response of the aquifer. The results of validation show that the model is able to adequately simulate temporal evolution of the spring discharge, measured by Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient (0.82) as well as overall water balance.