Investigation of the climate-driven periodicity of shallow groundwater level fluctuations in a Central-Eastern European agricultural region

The distribution and amount of groundwater, a crucial source of Earth’s drinking and irrigation water, is changing due to climate-change effects. Therefore, it is important to understand groundwater behavior in extreme scenarios, e.g. drought. Shallow groundwater (SGW) level fluctuation under natural conditions displays periodic behavior, i.e. seasonal variation. Thus, the study aims to investigate (1) the periodic behavior of the SGW level time series of an agriculturally important and drought-sensitive region in Central-Eastern Europe – the Carpathian Basin, in the north-eastern part of the Great Hungarian Plain, and (2) its relationship to the European atmospheric pressure action centers. Data from 216 SGW wells were studied using wavelet spectrum analysis and wavelet coherence analyses for 1961–2010. Locally, a clear relationship exists between the absence of annual periodic behavior in the SGW level and the periodicity of droughts, as indicated by the self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index and the Aridity Index. During the non-periodic intervals, significant drops in groundwater levels (average 0.5 m) were recorded in 89% of the wells. This result links the meteorological variables to the periodic behavior of SGW, and consequently, drought. On a regional scale, Mediterranean cyclones from the Gulf of Genoa (northwest Italy) were found to be a driving factor in the 8-yr periodic behavior of the SGW wells. The research documents an important link between SGW levels and local/regional climate variables or indices, thereby facilitating the necessary adaptation strategies on national and/or regional scales, as these must take into account the predictions of drought-related climatic conditions.     

Forecasting groundwater level fluctuations for rainfall-induced landslide

Groundwater plays a critical and important role in many landslides. Heavy precipitation can raise the groundwater level within a hillslope and lead to instability. The purpose of this paper is to present a model by means of continuity equation to predict groundwater level fluctuations in hillslope in response to hourly precipitation rates. The linear reservoir method is employed to describe the travel time distribution of infiltration, and Darcy??s law is then used to establish the groundwater flux rate of control volume. The governing equation shows that the changing rate of groundwater level fluctuation can be interpreted by two new defined variables (Sink Number and Rise Number) in this study. The application of the model is demonstrated using the rainfall-induced landslide at Lu-Shan, Nantou County, Taiwan. Data from one storm event are used to calibrate the model and estimate parameters by using the heuristic algorithm. Post-storm rainfall data from another storm event are employed to verify the calibrated parameters. The contribution of this study shows that a small Sink Number results in a fast recession and a large Rise Number yields a fast rise of groundwater level. This method may be practical to have better understanding on the rainfall-induced landslide.     

Quantifying changes in groundwater level and chemistry in Shahrood,northeastern Iran

Temporal changes in the quantity and chemical status of groundwater resources must be accurately quantified to aid sustainable management of aquifers. Monitoring data show that the groundwater level in Shahrood alluvial aquifer, northeastern Iran, continuously declined from 1993 to 2009, falling 11.4 m in 16 years. This constitutes a loss of 216 million m³ from the aquifer’s stored groundwater reserve. Overexploitation and reduction in rainfall intensified the declining trend. In contrast, the reduced abstraction rate, the result of reduced borehole productivity (related to the reduction in saturated-zone thickness over time), slowed down the declining trend. Groundwater salinity varied substantially showing a minor rising trend. For the same 16-year period, increases were recorded in the order of 24% for electrical conductivity, 12.4% for major ions, and 9.9% for pH. This research shows that the groundwater-level declining trend was not interrupted by fluctuation in rainfall and it does not necessarily lead to water-quality deterioration. Water-level drop is greater near the aquifer’s recharging boundary, while greater rates of salinity rise occur around the end of groundwater flow lines. Also, fresher groundwater experiences a greater rate of salinity increase. These findings are of significance for predicting the groundwater level and salinity of exhausted aquifers.     

Investigation of the probable trigger factor for large landslides in north of Dehdasht,Iran

Natural Hazards - Charosa and Dehdasht is a part of folded Zagros that is located in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province in southwestern Iran. This area is covered with several Zagros...     

GIS-based spatial and temporal investigation of groundwater level fluctuations under rice-wheat ecosystem over Haryana

Groundwater irrigation is the most predominant method used across India and about 50% of the total irrigated area is dependent on it. The state of Haryana has witnessed a spectacular increase in agricultural production in the last few decades, and is largely dependent on groundwater for irrigation. Groundwater mining for irrigation has become a reality in the state over the years as the number of tube wells has increased from 0.02 million in 1966 to 0.73 million in 2012, showing alarming signs of over-exploitation. The impact of increased groundwater irrigation on groundwater levels has not been studied both spatially and temporally. Therefore, this study has been undertaken to investigate the groundwater level fluctuations in the state using geographical information system (GIS) from the groundwater level data of 893 observation wells obtained from Groundwater Cell, Department of Agriculture, Government of Haryana, Panchkula, for the period 2004-12. Many researchers have applied GIS to reveal the spatial and temporal structure of groundwater level fluctuation and as a management and decision tool. The analysis of results indicated a mix of negative and positive trends in the groundwater levels. However, the negative trends were much more pronounced than positive ones. Groundwater level in the state ranged between 0.16 to 65.97 m from the ground surface and per cent area with groundwater level depth more than 10 meter (critical category) was about 56% in 2004 and has increased to 64% by 2012. The average annual decline in groundwater level was observed to be above 32 cm/year, with the strongest decline (108.9 cm/year) in Kurukshetra district.     

Evaluation of correlations between precipitation, groundwater fluctuations, and lake level fluctuations using spectral methods (Wisconsin, USA)

Spectral methods and 2 years of daily data were used to estimate the phase lag between precipitation and groundwater-level response, and two decades of quarterly data were used to analyze the interaction between precipitation, lake levels and groundwater in the Trout Lake watershed located in Vilas County, Wisconsin, USA. The phase-lag function between precipitation and groundwater response is used to estimate recharge travel time. The recharge travel time and precipitation–groundwater–lake interactions have been traditionally studied using time-domain methods such as physically-based modeling. In this article, the innovative and efficient use of spectral methods is demonstrated to uncover the time scales that are significant in those interactions and estimate the recharge travel time, which is extracted from the underlying daily time series data. The results consistently show that precipitation leads groundwater-level response by up to 5 days in all cases. The effects of precipitation on lake and groundwater levels display strong similarities. Both the precipitation–lake level and the precipitation–groundwater level coherency functions show significant peaks at interannual and seasonal frequencies. The groundwater level–lake level coherency function shows a significant, broad peak at interannual frequencies, and no significant peak at seasonal frequencies, demonstrating the predominance of annual and lower frequencies in groundwater–lake interaction.     

利用观测孔中地下水位潮汐效应计算天津滨海新区含水层参数

在沿海地区,尤其是围海造陆工程形成的陆域地区地下水水位受潮汐影响较大,使传统水文地质试验求取含水层参数存在较大误差。因此通过合理概化地下水在潮汐作用下运动规律,建立数学模型,推导解析公式求取沿海含水层参数具有重要意义。分析天津滨海新区两处观测孔地下水位及潮汐波动特征,在滞后时间不明显的情况下,利用观测孔水位变幅数据计算了含水层水头扩散系数,并根据承压含水层储水系数经验值进一步获得含水层渗透系数。通过两个观测孔分别计算,对比计算结果互相验证发现,该方法取得了令人满意的结果。利用地下水潮汐效应计算含水层参数可以广泛应用于沿海地区水文地质工作中。     

考虑水位和孔压影响的基坑抗隆起稳定性上限分析

分析了基坑围护墙内外水位和孔压的分布规律,基于极限分析上限定理,将孔压做功作为外力功代入上限定理能量平衡方程,选用Prandtl滑动模式建立了考虑地下水位和孔压影响的基坑抗隆起分析方法及其验算公式。通过该计算方法对坑外水位、土体强度、硬土层深度和基坑开挖宽度等参数的影响分析以及工程实例的对比计算,验证了公式的适用性。分析结果表明,基坑内外水位和孔压变化以及地下水渗流对抗隆起稳定性产生重要影响,地下水是影响基坑稳定性的一个重要的不利因素。与经典的Terzaghi、Bjerrum和Eide方法以及Chang方法相比,该分析方法可以考虑坑内外水位和孔压对抗隆起稳定性的影响,为软土地区基坑抗隆起稳定性分析提供了合理的计算方法。     

Hydrogeochemical assessment of groundwater in Isfahan province, Iran

Groundwater quality in five catchment areas in Isfahan province of Iran is assessed by measuring physicochemical parameters including major cation and anion compositions, pH, total dissolved solid, electrical conductivity and total hardness. For this purpose, 567 piezometric well samples were collected in October 2007. The abundance of major ions in four of the catchment areas including Gavkhuni, Ardestan, Salt lake and Central Iran desert basins is similar and follows Cl^??>?SO₄ ^2??>?Na⁺?>?HCO₃ ^??>?Ca²⁺?>?Mg²⁺?>?K⁺?>?CO₃ ^2? trend, while in the fifth basin (Karoon), the trend changes into HCO₃ ^??>?Ca²⁺?>?Cl^??>?SO₄ ^2??>?Mg²⁺?>?Na⁺?>?K⁺?>CO₃ ^2?. In general, four water facies are determined and it is shown that alkali elements and strong acids are dominating over alkaline earth and weak acids. Statistical analysis including Mann?CWhitney U test indicate that physicochemical parameters in three of the five investigated basins [Gavkhuni, Ardestan and Central Iran desert (CID)] are similar, while Karoon and salt lake basins display different characteristics. The result indicate that groundwater west of the province is suitable for irrigation, while in the central and eastern parts of the province the groundwater loses its quality for this purpose. It is concluded that mineral dissolution and evapotranspiration are the main processes that determine major ion compositions.     

Nitrate pollution of groundwater in Toyserkan,western Iran

A total of 95 groundwater samples were collected from Toyserkan, western Iran to assess the chemical composition and nitrate (NO₃ ⁻) status of groundwater. The most prevalent water type is Ca–HCO₃ followed by water types Ca–Mg–HCO₃. In comparison with the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water guideline of 50 mg l⁻¹ for NO₃ ⁻, a total of nine wells (9.5%) showed higher concentrations. In 36% of samples (34) NO₃ ⁻ concentration was low (<20 mg l⁻¹), and in 53.7% of samples (51), in the range of 20–50 mg l⁻¹. The samples were classified into four groups based on NO₃ ⁻ and chloride (Cl⁻) concentrations. Of the samples, 40% were classified as group 4 and were relatively high in Cl⁻ and NO₃ ⁻ (Cl⁻ > 47 mg l⁻¹, NO₃ ⁻ > 27 mg l⁻¹). The high correlation between NO₃ ⁻ and Cl⁻ (r = 0.86, p < 0.01) is consistent with a manure source, resulting from the practice of adding salt to animal feed. Pollution of groundwaters appeared to be affected by the application of inorganic fertilizer at greater than agronomic rates, Cl-salt inputs, and irrigation practice.     

潮汐作用下的滨海湿地浅层地下水动态变化

黄河三角洲滨海湿地浅层地下水位受潮汐波动影响明显,海洋潮汐和受其影响的海岸带湿地浅层地下水具有复杂的周期性变化和趋势性变化。本文通过现场水文监测,设定时间自动采集地下水监测数据,连续监测地下水动态变化,分析地下水位与海洋潮汐波动关系,为湿地水文变化和预测分析提供科学依据。     

Nitrate contamination in irrigation groundwater,Isfahan, Iran

Groundwater is one of the major sources of water in Isfahan. Efficient management of these resources requires a good understanding of its status. This paper focuses on the hydrochemistry and also it wants to assess the nitrate concentration in irrigation groundwater of Isfahan suburb. All the groundwater samples are grouped into three categories, including Na-Cl + Ca-Cl (63 %), Na-SO₄ + Ca-SO₄ (23 %) and Ca-HCO₃ (14 %). According to the EC and SAR, the most dominant classes are C3S1, C4S2 and C4S3. 55 % of samples indicate very high salinity and medium to very high alkalinity that is not suitable for irrigation. 84 % of the groundwater samples show nitrate contents higher than HAV (13 mg l^?), while more than 25 % exceeded the maximum contamination level (44.27 mg l^?) according to EPA regulations. The horizontal and vertical distribution patterns of nitrate in groundwater samples show a surficial origin for nitrate contamination. The high nitrate content can be attributed to the agricultural activities along with domestic sewage and industrial wastewaters in populated area. Based on results, using high nitrate groundwater for irrigation can minimize the requirement for inorganic fertilizers and reduce the cost of cultivation and nitrate contamination.     

Suction dynamics-induced bubbly sand under groundwater table fluctuations

Bubbly sand is found in intertidal zones and has been considered to be closely related to swash and tides. Unlike bubble structures that arise from in situ methane gas production and bubble growth in river and marine sediments due to organic matter decomposition, the formation mechanism and conditions of bubbly sand remain unresolved. The present study aims to resolve them on the basis of a conceptual model and controlled laboratory experiments. The study demonstrates that bubbly sand is a consequence of the cyclic expansion of sand under groundwater table fluctuations. The varying intensity of dynamics of suction, which is sand moisture tension defined by negative pore water pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, controls the manifestation of a full spectrum of sand behaviour relevant to the formation of bubbly sand. Namely, with increasing intensity of suction dynamics under larger groundwater table fluctuations, the sand behaviour varies from enhanced cyclic contraction, to weak contraction, loosening and expansion resulting in bubbly sand. The suction dynamics-induced cyclic expansion of sand occurs under conditions where the maximum suction developed exceeds the air-entry suction of sand such that the degree of saturation becomes lower than 60%, while the groundwater tables cyclically rise to and fall from the sediment surface. Accordingly, the sand porosity changes remarkably from dense to super-loose states of bubbly sand. These findings account for previously unanswered questions with respect to bubbly sand, both qualitatively and quantitatively, and will lead to a renewed understanding of the geological record and morphological features at waterfronts that are subject to groundwater table fluctuations.     

海潮引起初始水位倾斜的滨海承压含水层地下水位 变化的数值模拟

海潮波动可以引起海岸带地下水位发生波动。建立了基于有限差分法的滨海地区一维承压含水层地下水运动数值模型。将潮汐波动概化为正弦波,模拟了滨海地区地下水位随潮汐波动的变化。通过与初始水位水平的承压含水层水位变化的比较表明,受海潮影响的滨海承压含水层地下水位与海潮有相似的波动特征,但变幅减小,受海潮的影响程度与离海岸的距离有关,随着离海岸距离的增加,地下水位的变幅及潮汐效率呈负指数函数衰减,但比前者变化程度稍缓,地下水位对海潮的滞后时间随距离呈线性增加。     

Source of salinity in the groundwater of Lenjanat Plain,Isfahan, Iran

The present study aimed at identifying the salinity source in the groundwater of Lenjanat Plain. To do so, non-isotopic geochemical methods were employed: groundwater samples were collected seasonally from 33 wells widespread in the area, and physicochemical parameters as well as major and minor elements were measured in the 132 samples. The data collected from the field and laboratory measurements were interpreted through statistical and hydrogeochemical graphs, mass ratios and saturation indexes obtained from modeling. The results revealed that hydrogeochemical properties of the study aquifer were controlled by rock/water interactions including ion exchange, dissolution of evaporation deposits (halite and gypsum) and precipitation/dissolution of carbonates. Based on the values of Cl/Br ratio in Lenjanat groundwater (329–4,492), dissolution of evaporation deposits in aquifer was the main cause for groundwater salinity. Considering the Lenjanat groundwater geochemical properties, the data confirm the reported Cl/Br ratios for groundwater affected by the dissolution of evaporation deposits (Cl/Br > 300) and overlaps with the range of Cl/Br ratios for domestic sewage effluent groundwater. Selecting the best chemical components and their ratios in non-isotopic geochemical methods provides an accurate distinction between sources of groundwater salinity.