The location of deep salinity sources in the Israeli Coastal aquifer

The salinization process of the Israeli Coastal aquifer has led to an average concentration of about 200 mgCl/l with a significant number of discrete salinity plumes in the middle and southern regions. The salinity of these plumes is high (500–1000 mgCl/l) and is increasing rapidly. Geochemical evidence has suggested that the salinity source in the Be'er Tuvia plume (in the south part of the aquifer) is at the bottom of the aquifer. This paper describes a solution of the source inverse problem and its application in the Be'er Tuvia plume. A transient two-dimensional finite element model was solved and the source terms were computed at each node in a 14×14 km² area. An error analysis has shown that when no errors are introduced in the input data the reconstruction is perfect. The results of a sensitivity analysis are presented and the actual reconstruction errors are estimated. Applying the model in the Be'er Tuvia region indicates that a salinity source exists about 1 km to the west and 1.5 km to the north of the center of the salinity plume. This source is believed to be the plume source.     

Combination of FEM and CMA‐ES algorithm for transmissivity identification in aquifer systems

In this paper, we propose a coupling of a finite element model with a metaheuristic optimization algorithm for solving the inverse problem in groundwater flow (Darcy's equations). This coupling performed in 2 phases is based on the combination of 2 codes: This is the HySubF‐FEM code (hydrodynamic of subsurface flow by finite element method) used for the first phase allowing the calculation of the flow and the CMA‐ES code (covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy) adopted in the second phase for the optimization process. The combination of these 2 codes was implemented to identify the transmissivity field of groundwater by knowing the hydraulic head in some point of the studied domain. The integrated optimization algorithm HySubF‐FEM/CMA‐ES has been validated successfully on a schematic case offering an analytical solution. As realistic application, the integrated optimization algorithm HySubF‐FEM/CMA‐ES was applied to a complex groundwater in the north of France to identify the transmissivity field. This application does not use zonation techniques but solves an optimization problem at each internal node of the mesh. The obtained results are considered excellent with high accuracy and fully consistent with the hydrogeological characteristics of the studied aquifer.However, the various numerical simulations performed in this paper have shown that the CMA‐ES algorithm is time‐consuming. Finally, the paper concludes that the proposed algorithm can be considered as an efficient tool for solving inverse problems in groundwater flow.     

Estimation of the effective precipitation recharge coefficient in an unconfined aquifer using stochastic analysis

Effectively managing groundwater relies heavily on estimating the amount of precipitation that may infiltrate the subsurface and supply groundwater. In this study, we present a novel estimation method based on a stochastic approach to evaluate the quantity of precipitation that may recharge groundwater. The precipitation recharge coefficient is also investigated based on an unconfined aquifer with an unbound, infinitely extended boundary condition. Moreover, a spectrum's relationship to the precipitation and groundwater level variation is also derived. The precipitation recharge coefficient can be obtained from the solution of the spectrum equation. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis is performed in order to determine the key variable on the precipitation recharge coefficient. Analysis results indicate that the location of an observation well affects the estimated precipitation recharge coefficient. If the precipitation recharge area is large enough, the precipitation recharge coefficient becomes insensitive to the location of the observation well. The spectrum's relationship between the precipitation recharge and groundwater level variation is also applied when estimating the precipitation recharge coefficient upstream of the Cho‐Shui River alluvial fan. According to those results, the precipitation recharge coefficient is 0·03 and the amount of groundwater recharge from precipitation is 35 million tons of water annually upstream of the Cho‐Shui River alluvial fan. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

工作状态下梁及桥梁模态与损伤识别的新方法

工作状态下桥梁结构的模态参数识别是桥梁损伤识别的重要环节,考虑桥梁检测的实用性,桥梁检测一般应建立在环境激励的基础上,已有的环境激励下模态参数识别的方法对模态频率的识别的精度较高,而对位移模态的识别则误差较大。提出了一种利用移动质量块在不同位置时对桥梁的模态频率进行多次测量,用各次测得的频率值确定位移模态的新方法,使得位移模态识别的精度接近频率识别的精度,建立了该方法的初步模型,推导了频率与位移模态关系的理论公式,并通过数值模拟对该方法的有效性进行了说明。     

A BME solution of the inverse problem for saturated groundwater flow

In most real-world hydrogeologic situations, natural heterogeneity and measurement errors introduce major sources of uncertainty in the solution of the inverse problem. The Bayesian Maximum Entropy (BME) method of modern geostatistics offers an efficient solution to the inverse problem by first assimilating various physical knowledge bases (hydrologic laws, water table elevation data, uncertain hydraulic resistivity measurements, etc.) and then producing robust estimates of the subsurface variables across space. We present specific methods for implementing the BME conceptual framework to solve an inverse problem involving Darcys law for subsurface flow. We illustrate one of these methods in the case of a synthetic one-dimensional case study concerned with the estimation of hydraulic resistivity conditioned on soft data and hydraulic head measurements. The BME framework processes the physical knowledge contained in Darcys law and generates accurate estimates of hydraulic resistivity across space. The optimal distribution of hard and soft data needed to minimize the associated estimation error at a specified sampling cost is determined. This work was supported by grants from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Grant no. 5 P42 ES05948 and P30ES10126), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant no. 60-00RFQ041), the Army Research Office (Grant no. DAAG55-98-1-0289), and the National Science Foundation under Agreement No. DMS-0112069.     

小波分析在结构损伤识别中的应用

为提高结构损伤识别方法的准确性和适用性,将小波分析引入到结构损伤识别中。本文首先介绍了小波分析的基本原理,然后详细论述了小波分析用于结构损伤识别的三种方法:基于时域响应的方法、基于空间域响应的方法和小波分析与其他方法联合使用,接着分析了各种方法的应用现状、适用范围和存在的问题。通过比较可以看出小波分析用于结构损伤识别有着广阔的应用前景,本文最后针对进一步研究的方向提出了五点建议。     

A least-squares penalty method algorithm for inverse problems of steady-state aquifer models

Based on the generalized Gauss–Newton method, a new algorithm to minimize the objective function of the penalty method in (Bentley LR. Adv Wat Res 1993;14:137–48) for inverse problems of steady-state aquifer models is proposed. Through detailed analysis of the “built-in” but irregular weighting effects of the coefficient matrix on the residuals on the discrete governing equations, a so-called scaling matrix is introduced to improve the great irregular weighting effects of these residuals adaptively in every Gauss–Newton iteration. Numerical results demonstrate that if the scaling matrix equals the identity matrix (i.e., the irregular weighting effects of the coefficient matrix are not balanced), our algorithm does not perform well, e.g., the computation cost is higher than that of the traditional method, and what is worse is the calculations fail to converge for some initial values of the unknown parameters. This poor situation takes a favourable turn dramatically if the scaling matrix is slightly improved and a simple preconditioning technique is adopted: For naturally chosen simple diagonal forms of the scaling matrix and the preconditioner, the method performs well and gives accurate results with low computational cost just like the traditional methods, and improvements are obtained on: (1) widening the range of the initial values of the unknown parameters within which the minimizing iterations can converge, (2) reducing the computational cost in every Gauss–Newton iteration, (3) improving the irregular weighting effects of the coefficient matrix of the discrete governing equations. Consequently, the example inverse problem in Bentley (loc. cit.) is solved with the same accuracy, less computational effort and without the regularization term containing prior information on the unknown parameters. Moreover, numerical example shows that this method can solve the inverse problem of the quasilinear Boussinesq equation almost as fast as the linear one.In every Gauss–Newton iteration of our algorithm, one needs to solve a linear least-squares system about the corrections of both the parameters and the groundwater heads on all the discrete nodes only once. In comparison, every Gauss–Newton iteration of the traditional method has to solve the discrete governing equations as many times as one plus the number of unknown parameters or head observation wells (Yeh WW-G. Wat Resour Res 1986;22:95–108).All these facts demonstrate the potential of the algorithm to solve inverse problems of more complicated non-linear aquifer models naturally and quickly on the basis of finding suitable forms of the scaling matrix and the preconditioner.     

Spatio‐temporal analysis of groundwater recharge and mound dynamics in an unconfined aquifer: a GIS‐based approach

Groundwater recharge and mounding of water‐table is a complex phenomenon involving time‐ and space‐dependent hydrologic processes. The effect of long‐term groundwater mounding in the aquifer depends on soil, aquifer geometry and the area contributing to recharge. In this paper, a GIS‐based spatio‐temporal algorithm has been developed for the groundwater mound dynamics to estimate the potential rise in the water‐table and groundwater volume balance residual in an unconfined aquifer. The recharge and mound dynamics as predicted using the methodology recommended here were compared with those using the Hantush equation, and the differences were quite significant. The significance of the study is to assess the effectiveness of the basin in terms of its hydrologic and hydraulic properties for sustainable management of groundwater recharge. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sensitivity of tidal sand wavelength to environmental parameters: A combined data analysis and modelling approach

An integrated field data-modelling approach is employed to investigate relationships between the wavelength of tidal sand waves and four environmental parameters: tidal current amplitude, water depth, tidal ellipticity and median grain size. From echo sounder data at 23 locations on the Dutch continental shelf, the average wavelengths of observed sand waves are determined and compared with the wavelengths obtained with a process-based model. The latter describes the initial formation of these bedforms due to feedbacks between the tidal current and the erodible bed and uses environmental parameters for the 23 locations as input. Good agreement between observed and modelled wavelengths is found if the bottom stress experienced by tidal currents is adequately quantified. Model results show that the wavelength of sand waves increases with increasing water depth, tidal ellipticity and grain size (coarse sand), whilst it decreases with increasing tidal current amplitude and grain size (fine sand). Due to the limited number of stations and the fact that all four parameters change from location to location, the modelled relationships are only partly supported by the field observations.     

Application of multivariate statistical procedures to the hydrochemical study of a coastal aquifer: an example from Crete,Greece

A variety of multivariate statistical procedures were applied to three separate sets of quantitative analytical data from a coastal aquifer located in Malia, Crete (Greece), in order to identify the major hydrochemical processes affecting the groundwater quality and to investigate the evolution of groundwater composition in three different sampling periods. Two of them were carried out on October 2001 and September 2002 at the end of the dry season and the third on April 2002 at the end of the wet period. Two factors were found that explained major hydrochemical processes in the aquifer. These factors reveal the existence of an intensive intrusion of seawater and mechanisms of nitrate contamination of groundwater. Bivariate plots of the scores of the two main factors showed that the seawater intrusion and nitrate pollution processes are maintained through three surveys and that the process of nitrate pollution increases from the first to the second dry survey. Q‐mode factor analysis and discriminant analysis of the three sampling periods clearly showed a seasonal variation of the whole chemistry of groundwater samples. This seasonal variation can be attributed to the freshwater recharge and seawater intrusion that affect the groundwater quality of the Malia aquifer. The results of trend surface analysis are in agreement with those of factor analysis. Moreover, the fourth‐order trend surfaces of EC, Cl^? and NO₃^? showed that the salinization process is more intensive during the first dry period and the spatial variation of NO₃^? maxima plumes are strongly affected by the flow regime of the Malia aquifer. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of water-level response to rainfall and implications for recharge pathways in the Chalk aquifer, SE England

Water table response to rainfall was investigated at six sites in the Upper, Middle and Lower Chalk of southern England. Daily time series of rainfall and borehole water level were cross-correlated to investigate seasonal variations in groundwater-level response times, based on periods of 3-month duration. The time lags (in days) yielding significant correlations were compared with the average unsaturated zone thickness during each 3-month period. In general, for cases when the unsaturated zone was greater than 18 m thick, the time lag for a significant water-level response increased rapidly once the depth to the water table exceeded a critical value, which varied from site to site. For shallower water tables, a linear relationship between the depth to the water table and the water-level response time was evident. The observed variations in response time can only be partially accounted for using a diffusive model for propagation through the unsaturated matrix, suggesting that some fissure flow was occurring. The majority of rapid responses were observed during the winter/spring recharge period, when the unsaturated zone is thinnest and the unsaturated zone moisture content is highest, and were more likely to occur when the rainfall intensity exceeded 5 mm/day. At some sites, a very rapid response within 24 h of rainfall was observed in addition to the longer term responses even when the unsaturated zone was up to 64 m thick. This response was generally associated with the autumn period. The results of the cross-correlation analysis provide statistical support for the presence of fissure flow and for the contribution of multiple pathways through the unsaturated zone to groundwater recharge.     

Theoretic analysis on phase delay phenomena of well water level tide in the double medium aquifer model

Introduction The phenomenon of water level tide was discovered at Duchort diggings, Czech in 1879. By 1939, Theis, an America hydrogeologist, confirmed that periodical wave of the well water level is caused by the solid tide. In 1964, Melchior, a Belgium geophysist, began to make research on this phenomenon. Then Cooper (1965), Bredehoeft (1967) and WANG, et al (1988) followed. In China the study on water level tide began with 1970s, and the study on well water level phase lagging began …     

The enhancing effect on tidal signals of a submarine spring connected to a semi-infinite confined aquifer

Abstract

Submarine springs play an important role in submarine groundwater discharge (SGD). To investigate the effects of these springs on the propagation of tidal signals in coastal confined aquifers, this paper considers a general coastal aquifer system with a submarine spring on the seabed where the length of the aquifer's offshore extent is finite and its submarine outlet is covered by an impermeable outlet-capping. An approximate analytical solution is obtained for describing the tidal head fluctuations in the aquifer. Solution analyses indicate that the error of the approximate analytical solution is negligible when both distances from the spring hole to the coastline and to the submarine outlet-capping are much greater than the radius of the spring hole. Sensitivity tests are conducted to investigate the effects of hydraulic properties, tidal and spring geometric configuration parameters on the tidal signal propagation in the inland aquifer. For aquifers with infinite offshore length, or without submarine springs, existing solutions in the literature are obtained. The comparison of groundwater head fluctuations for the cases with and without a submarine spring demonstrate the enhancing effect of the submarine spring on tidal signal propagation in the inland aquifer. Three situations that fit our model assumptions are given for future potential applications. A hypothetical example is used to show the possibility of identifying a spring's location using the present analytical solution together with tidal signals observed from inland wells.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor Y. Guttmann

Citation Xia, Y.Q., Li, H.L., Yang, Y., and Huang, W., 2012. Enhancing effect on tidal signals of a submarine spring related to a semi-infinite confined aquifer. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (6), 1231–1248.     

On the use of resistance envelopes to identify the controls on slope stability in the tropics

In tropical and sub-tropical slopes, soil suction may in certain circumstances play a role in maintaining slope stability. Resistance envelope methods are outlined that provide a means of assessing the threshold soil water conditions for stability. In addition, this technique enables the likely failure depth to be identified. Application to slopes in St. Lucia, West Indies, show the accordance of resistance envelope predictions with stability analysis results. A methodology for the geomorphological investigation of stability processes in tropical slopes is proposed.     

Enhanced identification of a hydrologic model using streamflow and satellite water storage data: A multicriteria sensitivity analysis and optimization approach

Hydrologic model development and calibration have continued in most cases to focus only on accurately reproducing streamflows. However, complex models, for example, the so‐called physically based models, possess large degrees of freedom that, if not constrained properly, may lead to poor model performance when used for prediction. We argue that constraining a model to represent streamflow, which is an integrated resultant of many factors across the watershed, is necessary but by no means sufficient to develop a high‐fidelity model. To address this problem, we develop a framework to utilize the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment's (GRACE) total water storage anomaly data as a supplement to streamflows for model calibration, in a multiobjective setting. The VARS method (Variogram Analysis of Response Surfaces) for global sensitivity analysis is used to understand the model behaviour with respect to streamflow and GRACE data, and the BORG multiobjective optimization method is applied for model calibration. Two subbasins of the Saskatchewan River Basin in Western Canada are used as a case study. Results show that the developed framework is superior to the conventional approach of calibration only to streamflows, even when multiple streamflow‐based error functions are simultaneously minimized. It is shown that a range of (possibly false) system trajectories in state variable space can lead to similar (acceptable) model responses. This observation has significant implications for land‐surface and hydrologic model development and, if not addressed properly, may undermine the credibility of the model in prediction. The framework effectively constrains the model behaviour (by constraining posterior parameter space) and results in more credible representation of hydrology across the watershed.     

Evidence of short-term groundwater recharge signal propagation from the Andes to the central Atacama Desert: a singular spectrum analysis approach

The effect of pressure-driven groundwater recharge signal propagation in the Andean-Atacamenian environment is investigated by assessing a record of 15 years of water table fluctuations of an unconfined–confined aquifer system. Based on a singular spectrum analysis of water table time series, it is shown that, in the given case, groundwater levels in the central Atacama Desert are hydraulically controlled by two distant recharge areas associated with the Andes. The maximum observed range of the pressure signal propagation is ~50 km over an elevation difference of more than 3000 m at a lag of ~25 months. Several findings indicate that an often-cited study misinterpreted a water level rise at the same site as an in-situ alluvial fan recharge. Thus, the effect’s impact on groundwater dynamics in complex aquifer systems can easily be overlooked. Singular spectrum analysis could be of use to investigate pressure effects at hydrologically comparable sites.     

A new analytical approach to reconstruct the acceleration time history at the bedrock base from the free surface signal records

Acceleration time histories of earthquake events are typically measured in seismic stations that are placed close to the soil top surface. These acceleration records are often used as input data for seismic analysis. It may be used for base excitation in seismic analysis of above ground structures with shallow foundations.. However it may not be used for seismic analysis of underground structures, or even for above ground buildings with deep foundations and several underground stories. The required base excitation data of the latter should have been measured below the top surface, at a level that may be determined according to the specific analyzed building geometry or at the bedrock below. If the acceleration time history at the bedrock would have been known, the seismic wave propagation through the soil medium, from the bedrock towards the top surface, could have been carried out and the base excitation of the buried structure could be determined. Since there is no data on the acceleration time history at the bedrock, and the only given data is the acceleration records at the top surface, the goal of this paper is to provide an exact reverse analysis procedure to determine the unknown acceleration time history at the bedrock that would exactly produce the measured acceleration time history at the top surface. Once this goal is achieved, seismic analysis of buried structures may be carried out with the determined acceleration record at the bedrock as input. This paper presents an analytical exact solution of the inverse problem for determination of the acceleration, velocity and displacement time histories at the bedrock base of a layered geological medium that are compatible with the given acceleration record at the soil top surface. This new proposed method is based on analytical solutions of the initial-boundary value problems of the linear wave equation in the case of a layered medium. The relationship between waves in one layer and waves in another adjacent layer is derived considering the continuity of stresses and displacements at the common interface between the layers. The efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated through several examples involving the nonstationary response of the free surface. The case of the San Fernando Earthquake is studied. Excellent agreement is achieved between the recorded free surface time history and the reconstructed signal. This excellent agreement is obtained due to the exact analytical method used in deriving the inverse problem solution. This exact analytical method allows one to obtain an acceleration (velocity/displacement) distribution along all the layers at any time.     

Inversion of a Lagrangian time domain random walk (TDRW) approach to one-dimensional transport by derivation of the analytical sensitivities to parameters

Lagrangian approaches are well suited to transport in contrasted media but have been considered irrelevant when inversion is envisioned. The randomness of results for the same transport scenario adds to the rough evaluation by perturbation of the sensitivities, yielding an inaccurate search of parameters. It is shown here how a Time Domain Random Walk (TDRW) method can be inverted by deriving the sensitivities analytically. The calculations are very rapid and provide a precise evaluation of the descent directions followed by a Gauss–Newton optimizer. The method handles advection–dispersion + retention by matrix diffusion or sorption with first-order kinetics and proves its worth in all cases. Since analytical sensitivities are available, calculations are rigorous and allow discussing the inversion feasibility, the accuracy of the sought parameters, according to the predominant mechanism involved in the transport scenario.     

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.