Comparison of groundwater age models for assessing nitrate loading,transport pathways,and management options in a complex aquifer system

In an aquifer system with complex hydrogeology, mixing of groundwater with different ages could occur associated with various flow pathways. In this study, we applied different groundwater age‐estimation techniques (lumped parameter model and numerical model) to characterize groundwater age distributions and the major pathways of nitrate contamination in the Gosan agricultural field, Jeju Island. According to the lumped parameter model, groundwater age in the study area could be explained by the binary mixing of the young groundwater (4–33 years) and the old water component (>60 years). The complex hydrogeologic regimes and local heterogeneity observed in the study area (multilayered aquifer, well leakage hydraulics) were particularly well reflected in the numerical model. The numerical model predicted that the regional aquifer of Gosan responded to the fertilizer applications more rapidly (mean age: 9.7–22.3 years) than as estimated by other models. Our study results demonstrated that application and comparison of multiple age‐estimation methods can be useful to understand better the flow regimes and the mixing characteristics of groundwater with different ages (pathways), and accordingly, to reduce the risk of improper groundwater management plans arising from the aquifer heterogeneity.     

Numerical modelling of stream–aquifer interaction: Quantifying the impact of transient streambed permeability and aquifer heterogeneity

Stream–aquifer interaction plays a vital role in the water cycle, and a proper study of this interaction is needed for understanding groundwater recharge, contaminants migration, and for managing surface water and groundwater resources. A model‐based investigation of a field experiment in a riparian zone of the Schwarzbach river, a tributary of the Rhine River in Germany, was conducted to understand stream–aquifer interaction under alternative gaining and losing streamflow conditions. An equivalent streambed permeability, estimated by inverting aquifer responses to flood waves, shows that streambed permeability increased during infiltration of stream water to aquifer and decreased during exfiltration. Aquifer permeability realizations generated by multiple‐point geostatistics exhibit a high degree of heterogeneity and anisotropy. A coupled surface water groundwater flow model was developed incorporating the time‐varying streambed permeability and heterogeneous aquifer permeability realizations. The model was able to reproduce varying pressure heads at two observation wells near the stream over a period of 55 days. A Monte Carlo analysis was also carried out to simulate groundwater flow, its age distribution, and the release of a hypothetical wastewater plume into the aquifer from the stream. Results of this uncertainty analysis suggest (a) stream–aquifer exchange flux during the infiltration periods was constrained by aquifer permeability; (b) during exfiltration, this flux was constrained by the reduced streambed permeability; (c) the effect of temporally variable streambed permeability and aquifer heterogeneity were found important to improve the accurate capture of the uncertainty; and (d) probabilistic infiltration paths in the aquifer reveal that such pathways and the associated prediction of the extent of the contaminant plume are highly dependent on aquifer heterogeneity.     

Impact of water withdrawals from groundwater and surface water on continental water storage variations

Humans have strongly impacted the global water cycle, not only water flows but also water storage. We have performed a first global-scale analysis of the impact of water withdrawals on water storage variations, using the global water resources and use model WaterGAP. This required estimation of fractions of total water withdrawals from groundwater, considering five water use sectors. According to our assessment, the source of 35% of the water withdrawn worldwide (4300 km³/year during 1998–2002) is groundwater. Groundwater contributes 42%, 36% and 27% of water used for irrigation, households and manufacturing, respectively, while we assume that only surface water is used for livestock and for cooling of thermal power plants. Consumptive water use was 1400 km³/year during 1998–2002. It is the sum of the net abstraction of 250 km³/year of groundwater (taking into account evapotranspiration and return flows of withdrawn surface water and groundwater) and the net abstraction of 1150 km³/year of surface water. Computed net abstractions indicate, for the first time at the global scale, where and when human water withdrawals decrease or increase groundwater or surface water storage. In regions with extensive surface water irrigation, such as Southern China, net abstractions from groundwater are negative, i.e. groundwater is recharged by irrigation. The opposite is true for areas dominated by groundwater irrigation, such as in the High Plains aquifer of the central USA, where net abstraction of surface water is negative because return flow of withdrawn groundwater recharges the surface water compartments. In intensively irrigated areas, the amplitude of seasonal total water storage variations is generally increased due to human water use; however, in some areas, it is decreased. For the High Plains aquifer and the whole Mississippi basin, modeled groundwater and total water storage variations were compared with estimates of groundwater storage variations based on groundwater table observations, and with estimates of total water storage variations from the GRACE satellites mission. Due to the difficulty in estimating area-averaged seasonal groundwater storage variations from point observations of groundwater levels, it is uncertain whether WaterGAP underestimates actual variations or not. We conclude that WaterGAP possibly overestimates water withdrawals in the High Plains aquifer where impact of human water use on water storage is readily discernible based on WaterGAP calculations and groundwater observations. No final conclusion can be drawn regarding the possibility of monitoring water withdrawals in the High Plains aquifer using GRACE. For the less intensively irrigated Mississippi basin, observed and modeled seasonal groundwater storage reveals a discernible impact of water withdrawals in the basin, but this is not the case for total water storage such that water withdrawals at the scale of the whole Mississippi basin cannot be monitored by GRACE.     

Understanding and modelling spatial drain–aquifer interactions in a low‐lying coastal aquifer—the Thurne catchment,Norfolk, UK

Seawater intrusion into fresh groundwater formations generally results inadvertently from human activities, such as over‐abstraction from coastal aquifers. This article describes the data analysis to quantify drain–aquifer interactions in a low‐lying pump‐drained coastal aquifer, which is subject to saline intrusion due to widespread land drainage, and the resulting development and application of a numerical groundwater model to understand the spatial groundwater system behaviour (including groundwater salinity fluxes). Without measured flow data in this pump‐drained catchment, a novel groundwater head‐dependent approach to hydrograph separation is described. Time‐variant and time‐invariant MODFLOW analyses are utilised to examine the flow processes. A new approach to calculate drain coefficients, which represent the extensive network of drainage ditches in the regional model, using field information, is described; the sum of the drainage coefficients are close to the values independently estimated from the head‐dependent hydrograph separation. Results show that (1) the groundwater flows into the drainage systems are well reproduced using the new drain coefficients, (2) particle tracking of fresh and saline water can explain observed spatial salinity distribution within drainage networks and (3) the modelled flow of seawater across the coast is approximately 25% greater than that discharged by the pumps, demonstrating the need for drainage management to be aware of the slow response of groundwater systems to past drainage system changes. The article demonstrates that numerical groundwater modelling can produce the improved understanding needed to inform management decisions in such complex environments. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of Sea‐Level Rise on Salt Water Intrusion near a Coastal Well Field in Southeastern Florida

A variable‐density groundwater flow and dispersive solute transport model was developed for the shallow coastal aquifer system near a municipal supply well field in southeastern Florida. The model was calibrated for a 105‐year period (1900 to 2005). An analysis with the model suggests that well‐field withdrawals were the dominant cause of salt water intrusion near the well field, and that historical sea‐level rise, which is similar to lower‐bound projections of future sea‐level rise, exacerbated the extent of salt water intrusion. Average 2005 hydrologic conditions were used for 100‐year sensitivity simulations aimed at quantifying the effect of projected rises in sea level on fresh coastal groundwater resources near the well field. Use of average 2005 hydrologic conditions and a constant sea level result in total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration of the well field exceeding drinking water standards after 70 years. When sea‐level rise is included in the simulations, drinking water standards are exceeded 10 to 21 years earlier, depending on the specified rate of sea‐level rise.     

Automated calibration applied to watershed‐scale flow simulations

Complexity in simulating the hydrological response in large watersheds over long times has prompted a significant need for procedures for automatic calibration. Such a procedure is implemented in the basin‐scale hydrological model (BSHM), a physically based distributed parameter watershed model. BSHM simulates the most important basin‐scale hydrological processes, such as overland flow, groundwater flow and stream–aquifer interaction in watersheds. Here, the emphasis is on estimating the groundwater parameters with water levels in wells and groundwater baseflows selected as the calibration targets. The best set of parameters is selected from within plausible ranges of parameters by adjusting the values of hydraulic conductivity, storativity, groundwater recharge and stream bed permeability. The baseflow is determined from stream flow hydrographs by using an empirical scheme validated using a chemical approach to hydrograph separation. Field studies determined that the specific conductance for components of the composite hydrograph were sufficiently unique to make the chemical approach feasible. The method was applied to the Big Darby Creek Watershed, Ohio. The parameter set selected for the groundwater system provides a good fit with the estimated baseflow and observed water well data. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Multiscale Assessment of Shallow Groundwater Salinization in Michigan

Managing nonpoint-source (NPS) pollution of groundwater systems is a significant challenge because of the heterogeneous nature of the subsurface, high costs of data collection, and the multitude of scales involved. In this study, we assessed a particularly complex NPS groundwater pollution problem in Michigan, namely, the salinization of shallow aquifer systems due to natural upwelling of deep brines. We applied a system-based approach to characterize, across multiple scales, the integrated groundwater quantity–quality dynamics associated with the brine upwelling process, assimilating a variety of modeling tools and data—including statewide water well datasets scarcely used for larger scientific analysis. Specifically, we combined (1) data-driven modeling of massive amounts of groundwater/geologic information across multiple spatial scales with (2) detailed analysis of groundwater salinity dynamics and process-based flow modeling at local scales. Statewide “hotspots” were delineated and county-level severity rankings were developed based on dissolved chloride (Cl⁻) concentration percentiles. Within local hotspots, the relative impact of upwelling was determined to be controlled by: (1) streams—which act as “natural pumps” that bring deeper (more mineralized) groundwater to the surface; (2) the occurrence of nearly impervious geologic material at the surface—which restricts fresh water dilution of deeper, saline groundwater; and (3) the space–time evolution of water well withdrawals—which induces slow migration of saline groundwater from its natural course. This multiscale, data-intensive approach significantly improved our understanding of the brine upwelling processes in Michigan, and has applicability elsewhere given the growing availability of statewide water well databases.     

Interpreting Variations in Groundwater Flows from Repeated Distributed Thermal Perturbation Tests

To better understand the groundwater resources of southern Nye County, Nevada, a multipart distributed thermal perturbation sensing (DTPS) test was performed on a complex of three wells. These wells penetrate an alluvial aquifer that drains the Nevada National Security Site, and characterizing the hydraulic properties and flow paths of the regional groundwater flow system has proven very difficult. The well complex comprised one pumping well and two observation wells, both located 18 m from the pumping well. Using fiber‐optic cables and line heaters, DTPS tests were performed under both stressed and unstressed conditions. Each test injects heat into the water column over a period of one to two days, and observes the rising temperature during heat injection and falling temperatures after heating ceases. Aquifer thermal properties are inferred from temperature patterns in the cased section of the wells, and fluxes through the 30‐m screened section are estimated based on a model that incorporates conductive and advective heat fluxes. Vertical variations in flux are examined on a scale of tens of cm. The actively flowing zones of the aquifer change between the stressed and unstressed test, and anisotropy in the aquifer permeability is apparent from the changing fluxes between tests. The fluxes inferred from the DTPS tests are compared to solute tracer tests previously performed on the same site. The DTPS‐based fluxes are consistent with the fastest solute transport observed in the tracer test, but appear to overestimate the mean flux through the system.     

Coupled flow and salinity transport modelling in semi-arid environments: The Shashe River Valley,Botswana

Numerical groundwater modelling is used as the base for sound aquifer system analysis and water resources assessment. In many cases, particularly in semi-arid and arid regions, groundwater flow is intricately linked to salinity transport. A case in point is the Shashe River Valley in Botswana. A freshwater aquifer located around an ephemeral stream is depleted by the combined effect of transpiration and pumping. Quantitative system analysis reveals that the amount of water taken by transpiration is far more than the quantities pumped for water supply. Furthermore, the salinity distribution in and around Shashe River Valley as well as its temporal dynamics can be satisfactorily reproduced if the transpiration is modelled as a function of groundwater salinity. The location and dynamics of the saltwater–freshwater interface are highly sensitive to the parameterization of evaporative and transpirative salt enrichment. An existing numerical code for coupled flow/transport simulations (SEAWAT) was adapted to this situation. Model results were checked against a large set of field data including water levels, water chemistry, isotope data and ground and airborne geophysical data. The resulting groundwater model was able to reproduce the long-term development of the freshwater lens located in Shashe River Valley as well as the decline in piezometric heads observed over the last decade. Furthermore, the old age of the saline water surrounding the central freshwater lens could be explained.     

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.     

Modification of the SWAT model to simulate regional groundwater flow using a multicell aquifer

The soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) has been widely used and thoroughly tested in many places in the world. The application of the SWAT model has pointed out that 2 of the major weaknesses of SWAT are related to the nonspatial reference of the hydrologic response unit concept and to the simplified groundwater concept, which contribute to its low performance in baseflow simulation and its inability to simulate regional groundwater flow. This study modified the groundwater module of SWAT to overcome the above limitations. The modified groundwater module has 2 aquifers. The local aquifer, which is the shallow aquifer in the original SWAT, represents a local groundwater flow system. The regional aquifer, which replaces the deep aquifer of the original SWAT, represents intermediate and regional groundwater flow systems. Groundwater recharge is partitioned into local and regional aquifer recharges. The regional aquifer is represented by a multicell aquifer (MCA) model. The regional aquifer is discretized into cells using the Thiessen polygon method, where centres of the cells are locations of groundwater observation wells. Groundwater flow between cells is modelled using Darcy's law. Return flow from cell to stream is conceptualized using a non‐linear storage–discharge relationship. The SWAT model with the modified aquifer module, the so‐called SWAT‐MCA, was tested in 2 basins (Wipperau and Neetze) with porous aquifers in a lowland area in Lower Saxony, Germany. Results from the Wipperau basin show that the SWAT‐MCA model is able (a) to simulate baseflow in a lowland area (where baseflow is a dominant source of streamflow) better than the original model and (b) to simulate regional groundwater flow, shown by the simulated groundwater levels in cells, quite well.     

FEUWAnet: a multi-box water level and lateral exchange model for riparian wetlands

Riparian wetlands as typical aquatic-terrestrial interfaces control, in a very specific way, nonpoint water and related chemical fluxes exchanging between catchment areas to their respective water systems (streams, lakes). The existing groundwater and soilwater flow models reveal gaps in dealing with the complex behaviour of processes and the considerable spatial and temporal heterogeneity of riparian wetlands. Based on long-term experience gained through field observations and the interpretation of model produced data, a multi-box aggregation of processes which determines lateral as well as vertical flows and, as a whole, water balance, is used to discretise a generic riparian wetland transect situated between an upland aquifer and a receiving water body.

The resulting mathematical model, FEUWAnet, endowed also with an original methodology to adapt parameters, has been applied to a riparian alder wetland adjacent to Lake Belau (northern Germany). Results of simulations illustrate a good fit between calculated water levels and observed values and an accordance of calculated water balance to previous independent evaluations. This confirms that the sound simplifications of real situations performed by the FEUWAnet mathematical model are a promising way to deal with hydrological complexity of riparian zones. Moreover, FEUWAnet permits, to a certain extent, one to unravel the spatial heterogeneity and temporal variation of lateral (from catchment area to water systems) and vertical (from canopy to groundwater zone) water fluxes typical of riparian ecosystems: this is the necessary step to undertake when developing integrated models capable of assessing the effectiveness of riparian systems in controlling the fluxes of nonpoint pollution discharging in the open water bodies.     

A geomorphology‐based integrated stream–aquifer interaction model for semi‐gauged catchments

Many of the existing stream–aquifer interaction models available in the literature are very complex with limited applicability in semi‐gauged and ungauged catchments. In this study, to estimate the influent and effluent subsurface water fluxes under limited geo‐hydrometeorological data availability conditions, a simple stream–aquifer interaction model, namely, the variable parameter McCarthy–Muskingum (VPMM) hillslope‐storage Boussinesq (hsB) model, has been developed. This novel model couples the VPMM streamflow transport with the hsB groundwater flow transport modules in online mode. In this integrated model, the surface water–groundwater flux exchange process is modelled by the Darcian approach with the variable hydraulic heads between the river stage and groundwater table accounting for the rainfall forcing. Considering the exchange fluxes in the hyporheic zone and lateral overland flow contribution, this approach is field tested in a typical 48‐km stretch of the Brahmani River in eastern India to simulate the streamflow and its depth with the minimum Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency of 94% and 88%; the maximum root mean square error of 134 m³/s and 0.35 m; and the minimum index of agreement of 98% and 97%, respectively. This modelling approach could be very well utilized in data‐scarce world‐river basins to estimate the stream–aquifer exchange flux due to rainfall forcings.     

Analysis and integrated modelling of groundwater infiltration to sewer networks

Infiltration of groundwater to sewer systems is a problem for the capacity of the system as well as for treatment processes at waste water treatment plants. This paper quantifies the infiltration of groundwater to a sewer system in Frederikshavn Municipality, Denmark, by measurements of sewer flow and novel model set‐up, which simulates the interaction between groundwater and sewer flow. The study area has a separate waste water sewer system, but the discharged volumes from the system are approximately twice the volumes from a tight system without infiltration. The model set‐up makes use of two commercial models: mike she for simulation of groundwater transport and mike urban (mouse ) [DHI, Hørsholm, Denmark] for simulation of sewer flow. By simulating the groundwater level and calibrating infiltration coefficients against sewer flow measurements, it has been possible to estimate the average infiltration to the sewer system with satisfying results. The infiltration processes are indeed complicated and to a large degree heterogeneous throughout the sewer system. The paper shows contribution from both saturated and unsaturated groundwater zones, which makes the modelling process complex. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical groundwater modelling as an effective tool for management of water resources in arid areas

Abstract

Groundwater, possibly of fossil origin, is used for water supply in some arid regions where the replenishment of groundwater by precipitation is low. Numerical modelling is a helpful tool in the assessment of groundwater resources and analysis of future exploitation scenarios. To quantify the groundwater resources of the East Owienat area in the southwest of the Western Desert, Egypt, the present study assesses the groundwater resources management of the Nubian aquifer. Groundwater withdrawals have increased in this area, resulting in a disturbance of the aquifer’s natural equilibrium, and the large-scale and ongoing depletion of this critical water reserve. Negative impacts, such as a decline in water levels and increase in salinity, have been experienced. The methodology includes application of numerical groundwater modelling in steady and transient states under different measured and abstraction scenarios. The numerical simulation model developed was applied to assess the responses of the Nubian aquifer water level under different pumping scenarios during the next 30 years. Groundwater management scenarios are evaluated to find an optimal management solution to satisfy future needs. Based on analysis of three different development schemes that were formulated to predict the future response of the aquifer under long-term water stress, a gradual increase in groundwater pumping to 150% of present levels should be adopted for protection and better management of the aquifer. Similar techniques could be used to improve groundwater management in other parts of the country, as well as other similar arid regions.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor X. Chen     

Hydraulic diffusivity in a coastal aquifer: spectral analysis of groundwater level in responses to marine system

The hydraulic diffusivity gives a measure of diffusion speed of pressure disturbances in groundwater system; large values of hydraulic diffusivity lead to fast propagation of signals in aquifer. This research provides a novel design and derives spectral representation to determine hydraulic diffusivity using spectral analysis of groundwater levels coupled with time-dependent boundary adjacent to marine system and no flow boundary in aquifer system. To validate the proposed method, water levels of fluctuated boundary and groundwater well in a sandy confined aquifer were collected. The hydraulic diffusivity is then obtained by an inverse process in the non-linear complex form of spectral relationship. The method essentially is constructed on the conceptual design of natural forcing transmitted in large aquifer. It is unlike the conventional field pumping test which is only used to determine hydraulic properties of groundwater in small range around the well. Hydraulic diffusivity of the confined aquifer is determined using real observation and then checked by comparing to the published range. It suggests that without local aquifer test to estimate hydraulic diffusivity in a coastal aquifer using spectral representation with its relevant flow system and boundary has become feasible.     

Coupled groundwater flow and heat transport simulation for estimating transient aquifer–stream exchange at the lowland River Spree (Germany)

Subsurface flow and heat transport near Freienbrink, NE Germany, was simulated in order to study groundwater–surface water exchange between a floodplains aquifer and a section of the lowland River Spree and an adjacent oxbow. Groundwater exfiltration was the dominant process, and only fast surface water level rises resulted in temporary infiltration into the aquifer. The main groundwater flow paths are identified based on a 3D groundwater flow model. To estimate mass fluxes across the aquifer–surface water interfaces, a 2D flow and heat transport modelling approach along a transect of 12 piezometers was performed. Results of steady‐state and transient water level simulations show an overall high accuracy with a Spearman coefficient ρ = 0.9996 and root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.008 m. Based on small groundwater flow velocities of about 10^?7 to 10^?6 ms^?1, mean groundwater exfiltration rates of 233 l m^?2 d^?1 are calculated. Short periods of surface water infiltration into the aquifer do not exceed 10 days, and the infiltration rates are in the same range. The heat transport was modelled with slightly less accuracy (ρ = 0.8359 and RMSE = 0.34 °C). In contrast to the predominant groundwater exfiltration, surface water temperatures determine the calculated temperatures in the upper aquifer below both surface water bodies down to 10 m during the whole simulation period. These findings emphasize prevailing of heat conduction over advection in the upper aquifer zones, which seems to be typical for lowland streams with sandy aquifer materials and low hydraulic gradients. Moreover, this study shows the potential of coupled numerical flow and heat transport modelling to understand groundwater–surface water exchange processes in detail. Copyright © 2013 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.