A numerical model for estimating groundwater flux from subsurface temperature profiles

A simple numerical model is presented for estimating vertical groundwater flux from transient subsurface temperature profiles obtained from field measurements. The model developed utilizes the MacCormack scheme, which is based on the Finite Difference Method (FDM), for solving the governing partial differential equation of convection–diffusion heat transport with appropriate initial and boundary conditions within the subsurface. In order to validate the model, numerical solutions obtained for the study area located in the Nagoka plain, Japan are compared with the published measured data and results obtained by others. Results obtained show good agreement and fit the observed data with a correlation coefficient, R², of 0·88. The estimated groundwater flux is 1·85 × 10⁻⁷ m s⁻¹. Sensitivity analyses were also carried out to investigate the effect of variations in groundwater fluxes, thermal properties and the annual thermal variability due to climatic changes on the transient subsurface temperature profiles and to have a better understanding of the subsurface thermal dynamics. A substantial effect of annual climatic variability is observed on the temporal distributions of temperature depth profiles, and a better estimate of thermal parameters is required to estimate vertical groundwater flux. The largest change in subsurface temperature depth profiles due to groundwater flux over a year is within ± 4 °C. The influence of groundwater flux on subsurface temperature distributions in space and time may be more pronounced in areas where the top of the saturated layer fluctuates considerably. Variation in thermal diffusivity results in temperature change up to ± 1·5% and may cause change in groundwater flux estimate by ± 18%. The model presented has merits over analytical solutions (type curve matching techniques) in terms of suitability and applicability to real field problems, and can be a good asset to hydrological models as quantifying groundwater recharge or deducing it from other quantities, such as rainfall, evapotranspiration and runoff, is often complicated. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new analytical solution for assessing climate change impacts on subsurface temperature

Groundwater temperature is an important water quality parameter that affects species distributions in subsurface and surface environments. To investigate the response of subsurface temperature to atmospheric climate change, an analytical solution is derived for a one‐dimensional, transient conduction–advection equation and verified with numerical methods using the finite element code SUTRA. The solution can be directly applied to forward model the impact of future climate change on subsurface temperature profiles or inversely applied to produce a surface temperature history from measured borehole profiles. The initial conditions are represented using superimposed linear and exponential functions, and the boundary condition is expressed as an exponential function. This solution expands on a classic solution in which the initial and boundary conditions were restricted to linear functions. The exponential functions allow more flexibility in matching climate model projections (boundary conditions) and measured temperature–depth profiles (initial conditions). For example, measured borehole temperature data from the Sendai Plain and Tokyo, Japan, were used to demonstrate the improved accuracy of the exponential function for replicating temperature–depth profiles. Also, the improved accuracy of the exponential boundary condition was demonstrated using air temperature anomaly data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. These air temperature anomalies were then used to forward model the effect of surficial thermal perturbations in subsurface environments with significant groundwater flow. The simulation results indicate that recharge can accelerate shallow subsurface warming, whereas upward groundwater discharge can enhance deeper subsurface warming. Additionally, the simulation results demonstrate that future groundwater temperatures obtained from the proposed analytical solution can deviate significantly from those produced with the classic solution. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Heat as a groundwater tracer in shallow and deep heterogeneous media: Analytical solution,spreadsheet tool,and field applications

Groundwater flow advects heat, and thus, the deviation of subsurface temperatures from an expected conduction‐dominated regime can be analysed to estimate vertical water fluxes. A number of analytical approaches have been proposed for using heat as a groundwater tracer, and these have typically assumed a homogeneous medium. However, heterogeneous thermal properties are ubiquitous in subsurface environments, both at the scale of geologic strata and at finer scales in streambeds. Herein, we apply the analytical solution of Shan and Bodvarsson ( 2004 ), developed for estimating vertical water fluxes in layered systems, in 2 new environments distinct from previous vadose zone applications. The utility of the solution for studying groundwater‐surface water exchange is demonstrated using temperature data collected from an upwelling streambed with sediment layers, and a simple sensitivity analysis using these data indicates the solution is relatively robust. Also, a deeper temperature profile recorded in a borehole in South Australia is analysed to estimate deeper water fluxes. The analytical solution is able to match observed thermal gradients, including the change in slope at sediment interfaces. Results indicate that not accounting for layering can yield errors in the magnitude and even direction of the inferred Darcy fluxes. A simple automated spreadsheet tool (Flux‐LM) is presented to allow users to input temperature and layer data and solve the inverse problem to estimate groundwater flux rates from shallow (e.g., <1 m) or deep (e.g., up to 100 m) profiles. The solution is not transient, and thus, it should be cautiously applied where diel signals propagate or in deeper zones where multi‐decadal surface signals have disturbed subsurface thermal regimes.     

Groundwater–surface water interactions in a river estuary and the importance of geomorphology: Insights from hydraulic,thermal and geophysical observations

This study presents the groundwater flow and salinity dynamics along a river estuary, the Werribee River in Victoria, Australia, at local and regional scales. Along a single reach, salinity across a transverse section of the channel (~80 m long) with a point bar was monitored using time-lapse electrical resistivity (ER) through a tidal cycle. Groundwater fluxes were concurrently estimated by monitoring groundwater levels and temperature profiles. Regional porewater salinity distribution was mapped using 6-km long longitudinal ER surveys during summer and winter. The time-lapse ER across the channel revealed a static electrically resistive zone on the side of the channel with a pronounced cut bank. Upward groundwater flux and steep vertical temperature gradients with colder temperatures deeper within the sediment suggested a stable zone of fresh groundwater discharge along this cut bank area. Generally, less resistive zones were observed at the shallow portion of the inner meander bank and at the channel center. Subsurface temperatures close to surface water values, vertical head gradients indicating both upward and downward groundwater flux, and higher porewater salinity closer to that of estuary water suggest strong hyporheic circulation in these zones. The longitudinal surveys revealed higher ER values along deep and sinuous segments and low ER values in shallow and straighter reaches in both summer and winter; these patterns are consistent with the local channel-scale observations. This study highlights the interacting effects of channel morphology, broad groundwater–surface water interaction, and hyporheic exchange on porewater salinity dynamics underneath and adjacent to a river estuary.     

Quantitative guidance for efficient vertical flow measurements at the sediment–water interface using temperature–depth profiles

Upward discharge to surface water bodies can be quantified using analytical models based on temperature–depth (T-z) profiles. The use of sediment T-z profiles is attractive as discharge estimates can be obtained using point-in-time data that are collected inexpensively and rapidly. Previous studies have identified that T-z methods can only be applied at times of the year when there is significant difference between the streambed–water interface and deeper sediment temperatures (e.g., winter and summer). However, surface water temperatures also vary diurnally, and the influence of these variations on discharge estimates from T-z methods is poorly understood. For this study, synthetic T-z profiles were generated numerically using measured streambed interface temperature data to assess the influence of diurnal temperature variations on discharge estimation and provide insight into the suitable application of T-z methods. Results show that the time of day of data collection can have a substantial influence on vertical flux estimates using T-z methods. For low groundwater discharge fluxes (e.g., 0.1 m d⁻¹), daily transience in streambed temperatures led to relatively large errors in estimated flow magnitude and direction. For higher discharge fluxes (1.5 m d⁻¹), the influence of transient streambed temperatures on discharge estimates was strongly reduced. Discharge estimates from point-in-time T-z profiles were most accurate when the uppermost point in the T-z profile was near the bed interface daily mean (two time periods daily). Where temperature time series data are available, daily averaged T-z profiles can produce accurate discharge estimates across a wide range of discharge rates. Seasonality in shallow groundwater temperature generally had a negligible influence on vertical flow estimates. These findings can be used to plan field campaigns and provide guidance on the optimal application of T-z methods to quantify vertical groundwater discharge to surface water bodies.     

Groundwater recharge in an arid grassland as indicated by soil chloride profile and multiple tracers

Previous studies have shown that shallow groundwater in arid regions is often not in equilibrium with near‐surface boundary conditions due to human activities and climate change. This is especially the case where the unsaturated zone is thick and recharge rate is limited. Under this nonequilibrium condition, the unsaturated zone solute profile plays an important role in estimating recent diffuse recharge in arid environments. This paper combines evaluation of the thick unsaturated zone with the saturated zone to investigate the groundwater recharge of a grassland in the arid western Ordos Basin, NW China, using the soil chloride profiles and multiple tracers (²H, ¹⁸O, ¹³C, ¹⁴C, and water chemistry) of groundwater. Whereas conventional water balance and Darcy flux measurements usually involve large errors in recharge estimations for arid areas, chloride mass balance has been widely and generally successfully used. The results show that the present diffuse recharge beneath the grassland is 0.11–0.32 mm/year, based on the chloride mass balance of seven soil profiles. The chloride accumulation age is approximately 2,500 years at a depth of 13 m in the unsaturated zone. The average Cl content in soil moisture in the upper 13 m of the unsaturated zone ranges from 2,842 to 7,856 mg/L, whereas the shallow groundwater Cl content ranges from 95 to 351 mg/L. The corrected ¹⁴C age of shallow groundwater ranges from 4,327 to 29,708 years. Stable isotopes show that the shallow groundwater is unrelated to modern precipitation. The shallow groundwater was recharged during the cold and wet phases of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene humid phase based on palaeoclimate, and consequently, the groundwater resources are nonrenewable. Due to the limited recharge rate and thick unsaturated zone, the present shallow groundwater has not been in hydraulic equilibrium with near‐surface boundary conditions in the past 2,500 years.     

Groundwater age rejuvenation caused by excessive urban pumping in Jakarta area,Indonesia

Rapid urbanization in the Jakarta area has become a severe subsurface environmental issue as it entails groundwater level decline and land subsidence caused by excessive groundwater pumping. In this study, apparent groundwater age rejuvenation in the deep aquifer under DKI Jakarta was found by comparing ¹⁴C activities between 1985 and 2008. We discussed the use of a numerical groundwater flow model to evaluate the rejuvenation process in this urbanized area. When considering the deep aquifer in the DKI Jakarta area, we can assume six direction fluxes toward the aquifer: two vertical fluxes (downward and upward flux) and four horizontal fluxes (northern, southern, western, and eastern flux). Results of model calculations show that the greatest groundwater flux among six flux directions became ‘vertical downward flux’, which means that shallower groundwater intrudes into the deep one because of excessive groundwater pumping from the mid‐1980s. This flux grows about 50% during the 2000s. This result is consistent with the detection of CFC‐12 and SF₆, which functions as an indicator of young groundwater even in the deep groundwater. The rejuvenation ratio ‘R’ was determined using ¹⁴C activity in the groundwater; R increases with the CFC‐12 concentration and both show good correlation. Furthermore, we estimated the ‘vertical downward flux’ at each well's screen depth using model estimation. Results show that this flux is greater in the urban groundwater depression area and especially at shallower parts of the deep aquifer, and that it affects the magnitude of the shallow groundwater intrusion. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of urbanization and groundwater flow on the subsurface temperature in Osaka, Japan

Subsurface temperatures were analyzed to evaluate the effects of urbanization and groundwater flow in Osaka, the second largest metropolitan in Japan. The temperature-depth profiles were classified into three (recharge, intermediate and discharge) types based on the thermal gradient, shape of the profiles, and temperature itself. The locations of the three types of profiles represent the places of regional and local groundwater flow systems in Osaka plain. The analyses of subsurface temperature using heat conduction-convection theory under the condition of surface warming showed that the depth of minimum temperature in the profile increased with the groundwater recharge rate and time lapse from the beginning of surface warming due to urbanization. Comparisons between observed and estimated temperature profiles showed that the surface warming due to urbanization is larger and occurred earlier in the middle of the city than those in surrounding area, which agreed with the air temperature records.     

Hydrologic functioning of the deep critical zone and contributions to streamflow in a high‐elevation catchment: Testing of multiple conceptual models

High‐elevation mountain catchments are often subject to large climatic and topographic gradients. Therefore, high‐density hydrogeochemical observations are needed to understand water sources to streamflow and the temporal and spatial behaviour of flow paths. These sources and flow paths vary seasonally, which dictates short‐term storage and the flux of water in the critical zone (CZ) and affect long‐term CZ evolution. This study utilizes multiyear observations of chemical compositions and water residence times from the Santa Catalina Mountains Critical Zone Observatory, Tucson, Arizona to develop and evaluate competing conceptual models of seasonal streamflow generation. These models were tested using endmember mixing analysis, baseflow recession analysis, and tritium model “ages” of various catchment water sources. A conceptual model involving four endmembers (precipitation, soil water, shallow, and deep groundwater) provided the best match to observations. On average, precipitation contributes 39–69% (55 ± 16%), soil water contributes 25–56% (41 ± 16%), shallow groundwater contributes 1–5% (3 ± 2%), and deep groundwater contributes ~0–3% (1 ± 1%) towards annual streamflow. The mixing space comprised two principal planes formed by (a) precipitation‐soil water‐deep groundwater (dry and summer monsoon season samples) and (b) precipitation‐soil water‐shallow groundwater (winter season samples). Groundwater contribution was most important during the wet winter season. During periods of high dynamic groundwater storage and increased hydrologic connectivity (i.e., spring snowmelt), stream water was more geochemically heterogeneous, that is, geochemical heterogeneity of stream water is storage‐dependent. Endmember mixing analysis and ³H model age results indicate that only 1.4 ± 0.3% of the long‐term annual precipitation becomes deep CZ groundwater flux that influences long‐term deep CZ development through both intercatchment and intracatchment deep groundwater flows.     

Simulating the effects of geologic heterogeneity and transient boundary conditions on streambed temperatures — Implications for temperature-based water flux calculations

Analytical solutions to the one-dimensional heat transport equation for steady-state conditions can provide simple means to quantify groundwater surface water exchange. The errors in exchange flux calculations that are introduced when the underlying assumptions of homogeneous sediments and constant temperature boundary conditions are violated were systematically evaluated in a simulation study. Temperatures in heterogeneous sediments were simulated using a numerical model. Heterogeneity in the sediments was represented by discrete, binary geologic units. High contrasts between the hydraulic conductivities (K) of the geologic units were found to lead to large errors, while the influence of the structural arrangement of the units was smaller. The effects of transient temperature boundary conditions were investigated using an analytical equation. Errors introduced by transient boundary conditions were small for Darcy-velocities > 0.1 m d^− 1 in the period near maximum and minimum annual surface water temperatures. For smaller fluxes, however, errors can be large. Assuming steady-state conditions and vertical flow in homogeneous sediments is acceptable at certain times of the year and for medium to high exchange fluxes, but pronounced geologic heterogeneity can lead to large errors.     

Evaluating the dual‐boundary forcing concept in subsurface–land surface interactions of the hydrological cycle

Subsurface and land surface processes (e.g. groundwater flow, evapotranspiration) of the hydrological cycle are connected via complex feedback mechanisms, which are difficult to analyze and quantify. In this study, the dual‐boundary forcing concept that reveals space–time coherence between groundwater dynamics and land surface processes is evaluated. The underlying hypothesis is that a simplified representation of groundwater dynamics may alter the variability of land surface processes, which may eventually affect the prognostic capability of a numerical model. A coupled subsurface–land surface model ParFlow.CLM is applied over the Rur catchment, Germany, and the mass and energy fluxes of the coupled water and energy cycles are simulated over three consecutive years considering three different lower boundary conditions (dynamic, constant, and free‐drainage) based on groundwater dynamics to substantiate the aforementioned hypothesis. Continuous wavelet transform technique is applied to analyze scale‐dependent variability of the simulated mass and energy fluxes. The results show clear differences in temporal variability of latent heat flux simulated by the model configurations with different lower boundary conditions at monthly to multi‐month time scales (~32–91 days) especially under soil moisture limited conditions. The results also suggest that temporal variability of latent heat flux is affected at even smaller time scales (~1–3 days) if a simple gravity drainage lower boundary condition is considered in the coupled model. This study demonstrates the importance of a physically consistent representation of groundwater dynamics in a numerical model, which may be important to consider in local weather prediction models and water resources assessments, e.g. drought prediction. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimating River Conductance from Prior Information to Improve Surface‐Subsurface Model Calibration

Most groundwater models simulate stream‐aquifer interactions with a head‐dependent flux boundary condition based on a river conductance (CRIV). CRIV is usually calibrated with other parameters by history matching. However, the inverse problem of groundwater models is often ill‐posed and individual model parameters are likely to be poorly constrained. Ill‐posedness can be addressed by Tikhonov regularization with prior knowledge on parameter values. The difficulty with a lumped parameter like CRIV, which cannot be measured in the field, is to find suitable initial and regularization values. Several formulations have been proposed for the estimation of CRIV from physical parameters. However, these methods are either too simple to provide a reliable estimate of CRIV, or too complex to be easily implemented by groundwater modelers. This paper addresses the issue with a flexible and operational tool based on a 2D numerical model in a local vertical cross section, where the river conductance is computed from selected geometric and hydrodynamic parameters. Contrary to other approaches, the grid size of the regional model and the anisotropy of the aquifer hydraulic conductivity are also taken into account. A global sensitivity analysis indicates the strong sensitivity of CRIV to these parameters. This enhancement for the prior estimation of CRIV is a step forward for the calibration and uncertainty analysis of surface‐subsurface models. It is especially useful for modeling objectives that require CRIV to be well known such as conjunctive surface water‐groundwater use.     

The global distribution of gravity wave energy in the lower stratosphere derived from GPS data and gravity wave modelling: Attempt and challenges

Five years of global temperatures retrieved from radio occultations measured by Champ (Challenging Minisatellite Payload) and SAC-C (Satelite de Aplicaciones Cientificas-C) are analyzed for gravity waves (GWs). In order to separate GWs from other atmospheric variations, a high-pass filter was applied on the vertical profile. Resulting temperature fluctuations correspond to vertical wavelengths between 400 m (instrumental resolution) and 10 km (limit of the high-pass filter). The temperature fluctuations can be converted into GW potential energy, but for comparison with parameterization schemes GW momentum flux is required. We therefore used representative values for the vertical and horizontal wavelength to infer GW momentum flux from the GPS measurements. The vertical wavelength value is determined by high-pass filtering, the horizontal wavelength is adopted from a latitude-dependent climatology. The obtained momentum flux distributions agree well, both in global distribution and in absolute values, with simulations using the Warner and McIntyre parameterization (WM) scheme. However, discrepancies are found in the annual cycle. Online simulations, implementing the WM scheme in the mechanistic COMMA-LIM (Cologne Model of the Middle Atmosphere—Leipzig Institute for Meteorology) general circulation model (GCM), do not converge, demonstrating that a good representation of GWs in a GCM requires both a realistic launch distribution and an adequate representation of GW breaking and momentum transfer.     

Ground Surface Temperature History in Poland in the 16th–20th Centuries Derived from the Inversion of Geothermal Profiles

Ground Surface Temperature (GST) history in Poland was derived from the inversion of temperature-depth profiles in over 20 wells. Temperature histories for the period 1500 A.D. through 1977 A.D. agree well with the instrumental record of the surface-air temperature available for the last two centuries. A statistical correlation of the reconstructed histories (from the well temperature data) with the instrumental record (air temperature) from the homogeneous Warsaw series is high (>0.8). Functional space inversion (FSI) of the temperature data with depth shows that beginning in the early 19th century, temperatures warmed by 0.9 ± 0.1°C following a long period of colder climate before. The last number could be a minimal as higher warming was calculated using a simple model based on surface temperature for the observational period (homogenized Warsaw surface temperature series, Lorenc, 2000) and POM (pre-observational mean; Harris and Chapman, 1998) of –1.53^oC below the 1951–1980 mean temperature level.     

Long term AVHRR observations of surface radiative flux from El Chichón crater lake (1996–2006)

It has been shown that due to the small surface of crater lakes, temperature surveillance is a problem using meteorological satellites. This is particularly true for El Chichón surface lake because it's about one tenth of an AVHRR pixel at nadir. In order to guarantee at least one unmixed pixel in AVHRR data, it is necessary to use only AVHRR data from NOAA satellite passes as close as possible to the nadir for the period 1996–2006, therefore AVHRR data of El Chichón's crater lake were only used it they were cloudless and had scan angles close to nadir. The analysis of the time series data shows that lake surface temperature had annual maximum values (> 35 °C) during 1996 and 1997 then surface temperature decay with a negative exponential trend reaching a steady state of about 30 °C in the last years (2004–2006). A seasonal temperature variation between the dry (December to May) and the wet (June to November) seasons is also observed. Differences between nocturnal and midday temperatures indicate the influence of lake energy emission (including reflectance) at midday under a strong short-wave solar radiation. Water surface radiative flux under these conditions reaches an average of 77.8 W m^− 2 and a maximum of 187.1 W m^− 2. Whereas nocturnal heat output from El Chichón crater lake has an average surface radiative flux of 20.4 W m^− 2 and a maximum of 74.3 W m^− 2.     

Ground surface temperature history in southern Canada: Temperatures at the base of the Laurentide ice sheet and during the Holocene

We use temperature profiles from 7 deep (≈ 2000 m) boreholes located in southern Canada to infer ground surface temperature histories (GSTH) during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the Holocene. Visual inspection of the heat flow and of the reduced temperature depth profiles reveals significant regional differences with some sites showing conspicuous signs of post glacial warming, and other indicating only very small changes in ground surface temperature. These differences are confirmed by the inversions of the temperature profiles. The most prominent variations in GST are found at the Sudbury, Ontario, sites where the present ground surface temperature is high. With the exception of Sept-Iles, Quebec, the other sites only show moderate or no variation in GST. For all the sites, except possibly Sept-Iles, temperatures at the base of the ice sheet during the LGM were at or slightly below the melting point of ice. Temperatures might have been lower, a few degrees below 0 °C, at Sept-Iles. These results are consistent with field observations and model predictions suggesting high velocity basal flows in the ice sheet above the studied regions. These new data on basal temperatures will provide better quantitative constraints on glacier flow dynamics. The inversions give a chronology for the retreat of the ice sheet comparable to other proxies. Inversion and direct modeling show that, following the ice retreat, there was a warm period between 2 and 5 ka with temperatures 1–2 K higher than present. The inversion yields a time for this episode 1–2 kyr more recent than that inferred by other proxies for the Holocene climate optimum (HCO).     

Assessing regional‐scale spatio‐temporal patterns of groundwater–surface water interactions using a coupled SWAT‐MODFLOW model

Interaction between groundwater and surface water in watersheds has significant impacts on water management and water rights, nutrient loading from aquifers to streams, and in‐stream flow requirements for aquatic species. Of particular importance are the spatial patterns of these interactions. This study explores the spatio‐temporal patterns of groundwater discharge to a river system in a semi‐arid region, with methods applied to the Sprague River Watershed (4100 km²) within the Upper Klamath Basin in Oregon, USA. Patterns of groundwater–surface water interaction are explored throughout the watershed during the 1970–2003 time period using a coupled SWAT‐MODFLOW model tested against streamflow, groundwater level and field‐estimated reach‐specific groundwater discharge rates. Daily time steps and coupling are used, with groundwater discharge rates calculated for each model computational point along the stream. Model results also are averaged by month and by year to determine seasonal and decadal trends in groundwater discharge rates. Results show high spatial variability in groundwater discharge, with several locations showing no groundwater/surface water interaction. Average annual groundwater discharge is 20.5 m³/s, with maximum and minimum rates occurring in September–October and March–April, respectively. Annual average rates increase by approximately 0.02 m³/s per year over the 34‐year period, negligible compared with the average annual rate, although 70% of the stream network experiences an increase in groundwater discharge rate between 1970 and 2003. Results can assist with water management, identifying potential locations of heavy nutrient mass loading from the aquifer to streams and ecological assessment and planning focused on locations of high groundwater discharge. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Groundwater temperature evolution in the subsurface urban heat island of Cologne,Germany

Long‐term heating of shallow urban aquifers is observed worldwide. Our measurements in the city of Cologne, Germany revealed that the groundwater temperatures found in the city centre are more than 5 K higher than the undisturbed background. To explore the role of groundwater flow for the development of subsurface urban heat islands, a numerical flow and heat transport model is set up, which describes the hydraulic conditions of Cologne and simulates the transient evolution of thermal anomalies in the urban ground. A main focus is on the influence of horizontal groundwater flow, groundwater recharge and trends in local ground warming. To examine heat transport in groundwater, a scenario consisting of a local hot spot with a length of 1 km of long‐term ground heating was set up in the centre of the city. Groundwater temperature‐depth profiles at upstream, central and downstream locations of this hot spot are inspected. The simulation results indicate that the main thermal transport mechanisms are long‐term vertical conductive heat input, horizontal advection and transverse dispersion. Groundwater recharge rates in the city are low (<100 mm a^?1) and thus do not significantly contribute to heat transport into the urban aquifer. With groundwater flow, local vertical temperature profiles become very complex and are hard to interpret, if local flow conditions and heat sources are not thoroughly known. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of two modeling approaches for groundwater–surface water interactions

An assessment of interactions between groundwater and surface water was carried out by applying two different modeling approaches to a small‐scale study area in the municipality of Havelock, Quebec. The first approach involved a commonly used sequential procedure that consists in determining the daily recharge rate using a quasi 2D infiltration model (HELP), applied in the next step as an imposed flux to a 3D finite‐element groundwater flow model. The flow model was calibrated under steady‐state and transient conditions against measured water levels. The second approach was based on a recently developed physically based, 3D fully coupled groundwater–surface water flow model (CATHY) applied to the entire flow domain in an integrated manner. Implementation, calibration, and results of the simulations for both approaches are presented and discussed. For equal annual precipitation (1038 mm/y) and evapotranspiration (556 mm/y), the second approach computed a recharge rate of 233 mm/y (8.9% higher than the first approach) and a net upward flow from the fractured aquifer (the first approach predicted a net downward flow to the rock). The simulated annual discharge was similar for the two approaches (9.6% difference). Both approaches were found to be useful in understanding the interactions between groundwater and surface water, although limitations are apparent in the sequential procedure's inability to account for surface–subsurface feedbacks, for instance near stream reaches where groundwater discharge is prevalent. The decoupled, two‐model approach provides disaggregated surface, vadose, and aquifer flows, and a simple aperçu at the different components of total discharge. The fully coupled model accounts for continuous water exchanges between the land surface, subsurface, and stream channel in a more complex manner, and produces a better match against observed data. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment Based on Sequence Stratigraphic and 39Ar Transport Modeling

A large‐scale groundwater flow and transport model is developed for a deep‐seated (100 to 300 m below ground surface) sedimentary aquifer system. The model is based on a three‐dimensional (3D) hydrostratigraphic model, building on a sequence stratigraphic approach. The flow model is calibrated against observations of hydraulic head and stream discharge while the credibility of the transport model is evaluated against measurements of ³⁹Ar from deep wells using alternative parameterizations of dispersivity and effective porosity. The directly simulated 3D mean age distributions and vertical fluxes are used to visualize the two‐dimensional (2D)/3D age and flux distribution along transects and at the top plane of individual aquifers. The simulation results are used to assess the vulnerability of the aquifer system that generally has been assumed to be protected by thick overlaying clayey units and therefore proposed as future reservoirs for drinking water supply. The results indicate that on a regional scale these deep‐seated aquifers are not as protected from modern surface water contamination as expected because significant leakage to the deeper aquifers occurs. The complex distribution of local and intermediate groundwater flow systems controlled by the distribution of the river network as well as the topographical variation (Tóth 1963) provides the possibility for modern water to be found in even the deepest aquifers.