Methodology for groundwater recharge assessment in carbonate aquifers: application to pilot sites in southern Spain

Aquifer recharge can be determined by conventional methods such as hydrodynamic or hydrologic balance calculations, or numerical, hydrochemical or isotopic models. Such methods are usually developed with respect to detrital aquifers and are then used on carbonate aquifers without taking into consideration their hydrogeological particularities. Moreover, such methods are not always easy to apply, sometimes requiring data that are not available. Neither do they enable determination of the spatial distribution of the recharge. For eight regions in southern Spain, the APLIS method has been used to estimate the mean annual recharge in carbonate aquifers, expressed as a percentage of precipitation, based on the variables altitude, slope, lithology, infiltration landform, and soil type. The aquifers are representative of a broad range of climatic and geologic conditions. Maps of the above variables have been drawn for each aquifer, using a geographic information system; thus they can be superimposed to obtain the mean value and spatial distribution of the recharge. The recharge values for the eight aquifers are similar to those previously calculated by conventional methods and confirmed by discharge values, which corroborates the validity of the method.     

Controls on the chemical composition of groundwater from alluvial aquifers in the Wanaka and Wakatipu basins, Central Otago, New Zealand

 Groundwater in alluvial aquifers of the Wakatipu and Wanaka basins, Central Otago, New Zealand, has a composition expressed in equivalent units of Ca²⁺≫Mg²⁺≅Na⁺>K⁺ for cations, and HCO₃ ^–≫SO₄ ^2->NO₃ ^–≅Cl^– for anions. Ca²⁺ and HCO₃ ^– occur on a 1 : 1 equivalent basis and account for >80% of the ions in solution. However, some groundwater has increased proportions of Na⁺ and SO₄ ^2-, reflecting a different source for this water. The rock material of the alluvial aquifers of both basins is derived from the erosion and weathering of metamorphic Otago Schist (grey and green schists). Calcite is an accessory mineral in both the grey and green schists at <5% of the rock. Geological mapping of both basins indicates that dissolution of calcite from the schist is the only likely mechanism for producing groundwater with such a constant composition dominated by Ca²⁺ and HCO₃ ^– on a 1 : 1 equivalent basis. Groundwater with higher proportions of Na⁺ and SO₄ ^2- occurs near areas where the schist crops out at the surface, and this groundwater represents deeper and possibly older water derived from basement fluids. Anomalously high K⁺ in the Wakatipu basin and high NO₃ ^– concentrations in the Wanaka basin cannot be accounted for by interaction with basement lithologies, and these concentrations probably represent the influence of anthropogenic sources on groundwater composition. Received, June 1996 Revised, March 1997, July 1997 Accepted, July 1997     

Statistical analysis of hydrochemistry of groundwater and its implications for water source identification: a case study

Hydrochemistry of groundwater is important for inrush water source identification in coal mines. For determining the source of inrush water from the 8101 working face in the Wolonghu coal mine, Northern Anhui Province, China, a total of 22 groundwater samples from three aquifer systems (loose layer—LA, coal bearing sandstone—CA, and the underlying limestone—TA), and eight samples from the 8101 working face were collected for analyzing major ion concentrations. The results suggest that major ion concentrations of the aquifer systems were different from each other, and they can be subdivided into Na–HCO₃, Na–SO₄, and Ca–SO₄ types. Factor analysis indicates that their chemical compositions are mainly originated from two kinds of contributions: dissolution of soluble minerals (e.g., calcite, dolomite, and gypsum) and weathering of silicate minerals (e.g., plagioclase). Plots of factor scores and cluster analysis imply that LA was connected with CA, whereas TA was an isolated aquifer system. Moreover, the source of 8101 working face water was finally determined to be LA by using discriminant analysis.     

地下水向水平井三维流动的有限层分析

基于地下水向水平井三维流动数学模型,利用半解析数值分析原理推导了层状各向异性承压含水层有限层方程,给出了水平井源汇项计算公式,编制了相应的计算程序,实现了有限层方程的求解。通过算例的解析解和有限差分解验证了有限层法及程序的正确性,对比分析了有限层法与有限差法的计算效率。结果表明,有限层法适于层状各向异性承压含水层中地下水向水平井三维流动问题的模拟分析,且具有较高的计算效率。     

矿区深部含水层水-岩作用的同位素与水化学示踪分析

为了有效揭示华北隐伏型煤矿区煤炭开采进程中深部含水层水-岩作用机制,本文以淮北煤田宿县-临涣矿区为研究示范,收集与采集1985～2011年期间矿区松散层第四含水层、煤系砂岩裂隙含水层、石炭系太原组岩溶含水层与奥陶系岩溶含水层深部地下水样166个,分析与测试87Sr/86Sr、34S、13C同位素以及Na++K+、Ca2+、Mg2+、HCO-3、Cl-、SO2-4、CO2-3等常规组分,并开展基于同位素与水化学的水-岩作用示踪与分析。研究成果表明:在矿区主要充水含水层中,煤系砂岩裂隙含水层脱硫酸与阳离子交替吸附作用最为显著,而松散层第四含水层、石炭系太原组岩溶含水层与奥陶系岩溶含水层黄铁矿氧化或地下水硬化最为显著;受煤炭开采影响,煤系砂岩裂隙含水层、奥陶系岩溶含水层主要水-岩作用逐渐减弱,松散层第四含水层、石炭系太原组岩溶含水层主要水-岩作用或增强、或减弱,增强或减弱的程度取决于井田基岩面标高、主要断层的展布形态与隔水性能以及煤层开采扰动范围等。     

Prediction of groundwater inrush into coal mines from aquifers underlying the coal seams in China: vulnerability index method and its construction

Groundwater inrushes often occur in the coal mines of China. One of the water sources is the aquifers underlying the coal seams. Because such a water hazard is affected by many factors, data collected from various sources need to be evaluated to predict its occurrence. This paper introduces an innovative approach in which the water inrush risk is represented by the vulnerability index. This method combines the geographic information system and the artificial neural network. The artificial neural network is used to estimate the weight of each factor. Unlike the traditional prediction method in which two controlling factors are often evaluated without regard to their relative importance, this new approach incorporates multi-factors and describes the non-linear dynamical processes.     

The distribution of saline groundwater and its relation to the hydraulic conditions of aquifers and aquitards: examples from Israel

The effect of separation by aquitard layers on the distribution of saline groundwater in coastal aquifers has been demonstrated in two Israeli coastal aquifers: the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea aquifers. There is vertical separation in the Dead Sea area, even where the clayey aquitard layers are <1?m thick, exhibited by large differences in hydraulic head (2?C5?m), salinity (TDS of 50?C340?g/L) and chemical composition (e.g. Na/Cl range 0.28?C0.55). Similar features are found in the Mediterranean coastal aquifer, where the separating aquitard layers are thicker (??5?C10?m). Here, the different subaquifers host fresh and saline groundwater of different ages (tritium and ¹⁴C ages range from tens to thousands of years), as well as different chemical compositions. This high resolution of results can be obtained only by drilling without fluids; otherwise, the spatial information may lead to incorrect representation of the studied aquifer. This is especially important in saline systems where only partial flushing occurs and, thus, large variations in salinity and chemical composition are expected. The main factors controlling the salinity of groundwater in subaquifers in coastal aquifers are their connection to the sea or saline lakes, existence of brines, salinization and flushing rates, and separation by aquitard layers.     

On the potential for the Partial Triadic Analysis to grasp the spatio-temporal variability of groundwater hydrochemistry

Standard multivariate statistical techniques, such as principal components analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis, have been widely used as unbiased methods for extracting meaningful information from groundwater quality data. However, these classical multivariate methods deal with two-way matrices, usually parameters × sites or parameters × time, while often the dataset resulting from qualitative water monitoring programs should be seen as a datacube parameters × sites × time. Three-way matrices, such as the one proposed here, are difficult to handle and to analyse by classical multivariate statistical tools and thus should be treated with approaches dealing with three-way data structures. One possible analysis approach is the use of Partial Triadic Analysis (PTA). Applied to the dataset of the Luxembourg Sandstone aquifer, the PTA appears to be a new promising statistical instrument for hydrogeologists, for characterization of temporal or spatial hydrochemical variations induced by natural and anthropogenic factors. This new approach for groundwater management offers potential for (1) identifying a common multivariate spatial structure, (2) untapping the different hydrochemical patterns and explaining their controlling factors and (3) analyzing the temporal variability of this structure and grasping hydrochemical changes.     

Using soil and Quaternary geological information to assess the intrinsic groundwater vulnerability of shallow aquifers: an example from Lithuania

Lithuania, in the Baltic region of northern Europe, is heavily dependent on groundwater resources for its public water supply, with a large proportion, especially in rural areas, derived from shallow Quaternary aquifers. A national groundwater-vulnerability methodology, based upon the UK approach, has been developed on behalf of the Lithuanian Ministry of Environmental Protection as a possible basis for the future protection of shallow groundwater resources for the rural inhabitants. Some modifications to the UK methodology were required to enable archive data to be used. The four aquifer classes depicted on the final groundwater vulnerability map are based upon the assessed relative permeabilities of the uppermost Quaternary deposits. The derivation of the classification of soil-leaching potential required a reassessment of Soviet-based soil wetness and particle-size classes and a calculation of subsoil-saturated hydraulic conductivity. A preliminary validation of the final maps against available shallow groundwater samples suggests that the methodology satisfactorily predicts the intrinsic groundwater vulnerability. The final methodology, based upon its low-cost approach using archive data, is relevant to the current needs of Lithuania and can be applied in other regions of similar geology and climate. Electronic Publication     

A comparative analysis of two methodologies to estimate well protection zones for transport of viruses from septic tanks in volcanic aquifers in Costa Rica

High groundwater demand in the Great Metropolitan Area (GMA) of Costa Rica, combined with the presence of many septic systems, imposes the necessity to define adequate dimensions for setback distances or protection zones around wellheads to prevent contamination of aquifers by pathogenic organisms. Numerical 3-D simulations of transport of viruses under natural hydrogeological conditions of the northwest section of GMA were performed, considering both porous and fractured porous media with variable saturation. Based on the sensitivity analysis, principal transport parameters for the conditions in the study area are injection concentration, hydraulic conductivity, inactivation rate and attachment rate. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the arrival of viruses to the water table and the modeling domain’s boundary was carried out using two approaches: maximum permissible concentration criteria and travel time criteria (TT) of 100 days frequently applied in Costa Rica for fractured rocks aquifers. The analysis indicates that under conditions of low mobility and high removal rates (typical for soils of volcanic origin), the TT approach overestimates the dimension of the protection zone. On the other hand, when conditions of high mobility and low removal rate are considered, the TT approach usually underestimates that dimension. It is recommended to perform more field and laboratory studies to obtain better representative parameters for soils of volcanic origin.     

The DRASTIC-Sg model: an extension to the DRASTIC approach for mapping groundwater vulnerability in aquifers subject to differential land subsidence,with application to Mexico City

Mexico City relies on groundwater for most of its domestic supply. Over the years, intensive pumping has led to significant drawdowns and, subsequently, to severe land subsidence. Tensile cracks have also developed or reactivated as a result. All such processes cause damage to urban infrastructure, increasing the risk of spills and favoring contaminant propagation into the aquifer. The effects of ground deformation are frequently ignored in groundwater vulnerability studies, but can be relevant in subsiding cities. This report presents an extension to the DRASTIC methodology, named DRASTIC-Sg, which focuses on evaluating groundwater vulnerability in urban aquifers affected by differential subsidence. A subsidence parameter is developed to represent the ground deformation gradient (Sg), and then used to depict areas where damage risk to urban infrastructure is higher due to fracture propagation. Space-geodetic SqueeSAR data and global positioning system (GPS) validation were used to evaluate subsidence rates and gradients, integrating hydrogeological and geomechanical variables into a GIS environment. Results show that classic DRASTIC approaches may underestimate groundwater vulnerability in settings such as the one at hand. Hence, it is concluded that the Sg parameter is a welcome contribution to develop reliable vulnerability assessments in subsiding basins.     

Onshore–offshore correlation of Pleistocene rhyolitic eruptions from New Zealand: implications for TVZ eruptive history and paleoenvironmental construction

Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), in the North Island, New Zealand, is arguably the most active Quaternary rhyolitic system in the world. Numerous and widespread rhyolitic tephra layers, sourced from the TVZ, form valuable chronostratigraphic markers in onshore and offshore sedimentary sequences. In deep-sea cores from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 181 Sites 1125, 1124, 1123 and 1122, located east of New Zealand, ca 100 tephra beds are recognised post-dating the Plio-Pleistocene boundary at 1.81 Ma. These tephras have been dated by a combination of magnetostratigraphy, orbitally tuned stable-isotope data and isothermal plateau fission track ages. The widespread occurrence of ash offshore to the east of New Zealand is favoured by the small size of New Zealand, the explosivity of the mainly plinian and ignimbritic eruptions and the prevailing westerly wind field.Although some tephras can be directly attributed to known TVZ eruptions, there are many more tephras represented within ODP-cores that have yet to be recognised in near-source on-land sequences. This is due to proximal source area erosion and/or deep burial as well as the adverse effect of vapour phase alteration and devitrification within near-source welded ignimbrites. Despite these difficulties, a number of key deep-sea tephras can be reliably correlated to equivalent-aged tephra exposed in uplifted marine back-arc successions of Wanganui Basin where an excellent chronology has been developed based on magnetostratigraphy, orbitally calibrated sedimentary cycles and isothermal plateau fission track ages on tephra. Significant Pleistocene tephra markers include: the Kawakawa, Omataroa, Rangitawa/Onepuhi, Kaukatea, Kidnappers-B, Potaka, Unit D/Ahuroa, Ongatiti, Rewa, Sub-Rewa, Pakihikura, Ototoka and Table Flat Tephras. Six other tephra layers are correlated between ODP-core sites but have yet to be recognised within onshore records.The identification of Pleistocene TVZ-sourced tephras within the ODP record, and their correlation to Wanganui Basin and other onshore sites is a significant advance as it provides: (1) an even more detailed history of the TVZ than can be currently achieved from the near-source record, (2) a high-resolution tephrochronologic framework for future onshore-offshore paleoenvironmental reconstructions, and (3) well-dated tephra beds correlated from the offshore ODP sites with astronomically tuned timescales provide an opportunity to critically evaluate the chronostratigraphic framework for onshore Plio-Pleistocene sedimentary sequences (e.g. Wanganui Basin, cf. Naish et al. [1998. Quaternary Science Reviews 17 695–710].     

华北东部平原地下水垂向循环的水化学与同位素标示

在华北平原东部,选择典型地区(地调局衡水水文地质科学试验场),开展不同层位的抽水试验工作,在充分分析研究区水文地质条件的基础上,揭示在抽水试验过程中不同层位、不同时间的地下水的水化学和同位素组成,探索地下水垂向循环特征。研究表明:研究区地下水划分为三种地下水类型,随地下水埋藏深度的增加,水质逐渐变好,地下水溶解性总固体减小,硬度降低,具有垂向分带性。第Ⅰ含水组为现代水,由大气降水补给,第Ⅱ、Ⅲ含水组为现代水与古水的混合水,水力联系密切,有浅层地下水的越流补给;第Ⅳ、Ⅴ含水组为古水,水力联系不如前者密切,没有上部含水层发生越流补给;第Ⅲ、Ⅳ含水层没有水力联系。     

Prediction of groundwater inrush into coal mines from aquifers underlying the coal seams in China: application of vulnerability index method to Zhangcun Coal Mine,China

Groundwater inrush is a geohazard that can significantly impact safe operations of the coal mines in China. Its occurrence is controlled by many factors and processes are often not amenable to mathematical expressions. To evaluate the water inrush risk, Professor Wu and his colleagues have proposed the vulnerability index approach by coupling the artificial neural network (ANN) and geographic information system (GIS). The detailed procedures of using this innovative approach are shown in a case study. Firstly, the powerful spatial data analysis functions of GIS was used to establish the thematic layer of each of the main factors that control the water inrush, and then to choose the training sample on the thematic layer with the ANN-BP Arithmetic. Secondly, the ANN evaluation model of the water inrush was established to determine the threshold value for each risk level with a histogram of the water inrush vulnerability index. As a result, the mine area was divided into four regions with different vulnerability levels and they served as the general guidelines for the mine operations.     

Considerations for conducting incubations to study the mechanisms of As release in reducing groundwater aquifers

Microbial Fe reduction is widely believed to be the primary mechanism of As release from aquifer sands in Bangladesh, but alternative explanations have been proposed. Long-term incubation studies using natural aquifer material are one way to address such divergent views. This study addresses two issues related to this approach: (1) the need for suitable abiotic controls and (2) the spatial variability of the composition of aquifer sands. Four sterilization techniques were examined using orange-colored Pleistocene sediment from Bangladesh and artificial groundwater over 8 months. Acetate (10 mM) was added to sacrificial vials before sterilization using either (1) 25 kGy of gamma irradiation, (2) three 1-h autoclave cycles, (3) a single addition of an antibiotic mixture at 1× or (4) 10× the typical dose, and (5) a 10 mM addition of azide. The effectiveness of sterilization was evaluated using two indicators of microbial Fe reduction, changes in diffuse spectral reflectance and leachable Fe(II)/Fe ratios, as well as changes in P-extractable As concentrations in the solid phase. A low dose of antibiotics was ineffective after 70 days, whereas autoclaving significantly altered groundwater composition. Gamma irradiation, a high dose of antibiotics, and azide were effective for the duration of the experiment.     

Tsunami impact assessment: development of vulnerability matrix for critical infrastructure and application to Christchurch,New Zealand

Natural Hazards - Tsunamis can have severe impacts on society. In addition to casualties and damage to buildings, they can also damage and disrupt critical infrastructure. To support effective risk...