Quantification of river water infiltration in shallow aquifers using acesulfame and anthropogenic gadolinium

This study has investigated the use of the artificial sweetener acesulfame and the magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent gadolinium as quantitative tracers for river water infiltration into shallow groundwater. The influence of a river on alluvial groundwater in a subalpine catchment in western Europe has been assessed using the ‘classical’ hydrochemical tracer chloride and the trace contaminants acesulfame and anthropogenic gadolinium. Mixing ratios for riverine bank filtrate with ambient groundwater and the uncertainties associated with the temporal and spatial tracer variability were calculated using acesulfame and gadolinium and compared with those obtained using chloride. The temporal variability of tracer concentrations in river water of gadolinium (standard deviation SD: 63%) and acesulfame (SD: 71%) both exceeded that of chloride (SD: 27%), and this was identified as the main source of uncertainty in the mixing analysis. Similar spatial distributions were detected in the groundwater for chloride and gadolinium, but not for acesulfame. Mixing analyses using acesulfame resulted in calculated mixing ratios that differed from those obtained using gadolinium and chloride by up to 83% and 92%, respectively. At the investigated site, which had oxic conditions and moderate temperatures, acesulfame was found to be a less reliable tracer than either gadolinium or chloride, probably because of natural attenuation and input from other sources. There was no statistically significant difference between the mixing ratios obtained using chloride or gadolinium, the mixing ratios obtained using gadolinium were 40–50% lower than those obtained using chloride. This is mainly due to a bias of the mean gadolinium concentration in river water towards higher values. In view of the uncertainties of the two tracers, neither could be preferred over the other for the quantification of bank filtrate in groundwater. At this specific site gadolinium was able to reliably identify river water infiltration and was a more precise tracer than chloride at low mixing ratios (<20%), because of the exclusive occurrence of gadolinium in river water and its high dynamic range. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved spatial delineation of streambed properties and water fluxes using distributed temperature sensing

A new method was developed for analysing and delineating streambed water fluxes, flow conditions and hydraulic properties using coiled fibre‐optic distributed temperature sensing or closely spaced discrete temperature sensors. This method allows for a thorough treatment of the spatial information embedded in temperature data by creating a matrix visualization of all possible sensor pairs. Application of the method to a 5‐day field dataset reveals the complexity of shallow streambed thermal regimes. To understand how velocity estimates are affected by violations of assumptions of one‐dimensional, saturated, homogeneous flow and to aid in the interpretation of field observations, the method was also applied to temperature data generated by numerical models of common field conditions: horizontal layering, presence of lateral flow and variable streambed saturation. The results show that each condition creates a distinct signature visible in the triangular matrices. The matrices are used to perform a comparison of the behaviour of one‐dimensional analytical heat‐tracing models. The results show that the amplitude ratio‐based method of velocity calculation leads to the most reliable estimates. The minimum sensor spacing required to obtain reliable velocity estimates with discrete sensors is also investigated using field data. The developed method will aid future heat‐tracing studies by providing a technique for visualizing and comparing results from fibre‐optic distributed temperature sensing installations and testing the robustness of analytical heat‐tracing models. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of climate indicators on continental‐scale potential groundwater recharge in Africa

In the last decades, human activity has been contributing to climate change that is closely associated with an increase in temperatures, increase in evaporation, intensification of extreme dry and wet rainfall events, and widespread melting of snow and ice. Understanding the intricate linkage between climate warming and the hydrological cycle is crucial for sustainable management of groundwater resources, especially in a vulnerable continent like Africa. This study investigates the relationship between climate‐change drivers and potential groundwater recharge (PGR) patterns across Africa for a long‐term record (1960–2010). Water‐balance components were simulated by using the PCR‐GLOBWB model and were reproduced in both gridded maps and latitudinal trends that vary in space with minima on the Tropics and maxima around the Equator. Statistical correlations between temperature, storm occurrences, drought, and PGR were examined in six climatic regions of Africa. Surprisingly, different effects of climate‐change controls on PGR were detected as a function of latitude in the last three decades (1980–2010). Temporal trends observed in the Northern Hemisphere of Africa reveal that the increase in temperature is significantly correlated to the decline of PGR, especially in the Northern Equatorial Africa. The climate indicators considered in this study were unable to explain the alarming negative trend of PGR observed in the Sahelian region, even though the Standardized Precipitation‐Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) values report a 15% drought stress. On the other hand, increases in temperature have not been detected in the Southern Hemisphere of Africa, where increasing frequency of storm occurrences determine a rise of PGR, particularly in southern Africa. Time analysis highlights a strong seasonality effect, while PGR is in‐phase with rainfall patterns in the summer (Northern Hemisphere) and winter (Southern Hemisphere) and out‐of‐phase during the fall season. This study helps to elucidate the mechanism of the processes influencing groundwater resources in six climatic zones of Africa, even though modelling results need to be validated more extensively with direct measurements in future studies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

“三滩”傍河水源地地下水水位降落漏斗区水质演化

本文在1987～2006年兰州断陷盆地典型水源地地下水环境监测资料基础上,通过2007年10月环境地质补充调查采集地下水样品11组、地表水1组,综合分析了断陷盆地地下水集中开采区浅层地下水水化学特征及时空分布规律,以及黄河条带状为补给区的地下水与开采降落漏斗的水质演变关系。根据多年开采过程中地下水水化学成分的变化及影响因素,阐明了水化学组分与地下水位的密切关系;利用开采量水质时空变化对比资料,得出地下水位下降排泄区与傍河区地下水存在的水力联系。依据本次环境地质调查结果和水样实测数据,进一步论证了傍河区地下水受黄河激发补给因素控制的结论。     

渭河平原地下水分布特征与环境同位素研究——以白杨水源地为例

白杨水源地座落在渭河下游重镇——渭南市西北约5km处，为渭河冲积平原的一部分。区内第四纪松散堆积物巨厚，地形平坦，降水充沛，地表水丰富，为地下水储存提供了良好的空间。按含水介质的埋藏条件可划分为潜水、浅层承压水、中层承压水和深层承压水4个含水岩组。为了进一步研究地下水的补给形成机制、储存运移过程、排泄开采条件，本文结合环境同位素（包括14C、13C、3H、D和18O）对水源地地下水年龄、地下水运动速率以及一些水文地质参数进行研究和探讨。而同位素测定表明：水源地潜水为现代水，3H含量较高，河水补给量占1/2     

长沙市固体废弃物处理场水文地质及环境效应评价

为了解垃圾填埋场周边地下水环境污染状况,以长沙市固体废弃物处理场周边土壤、地下水及下游水库水质为研究对象,对研究区进行采样分析,采用单因子污染指数法和内梅罗污染综合指数法对该垃圾填埋场周边环境重金属含量特征进行分析与风险评价。结果表明：As、Cr（Ⅵ）、Ni、Pb、Zn、Cu重金属是填埋场周边环境中的主要污染物,区域采样点及下游水库中重金属含量均值低于地下水质量标准Ⅲ类,填埋场区污染状况良好;Cr（Ⅵ）含量在ZK1与R1样品中均高于地下水质量标准Ⅲ类,是填埋场周边地下水的主要风险污染物;ZK1~ZK4中土壤重金属元素以Pb、Cr（Ⅵ）富集为主,其达中度污染程度,应引起重视。     

泉州市地下水功能区划分

本文针对泉州市地下水资源的分布特点,依据全国地下水功能区划分技术大纲,选取了地下水系统中具有代表性的驱动因子、状态因子和响应因子,综合地下水的资源供给功能、生态环境维持功能和地质环境稳定功能,将地下水功能区划分为开发区、保护区和保留区,并以完整的水文地质单元为基础,以防止泉州地下水污染和海水入侵为控制目标,依据地下水的...     

地下水补给与开采量对降水变化响应特征:以京津以南河北平原为例

通过对京津以南河北平原年降水量、地下水补给量和农业开采量三者动态规律及其互动关系研究表明, 年降水量减增, 同期地下水补给量与开采量呈互逆变化规律, 即降水量减小, 补给量变少, 开采量增大; 年降水量增大, 补给量较多, 开采量减小.在连续枯(丰) 水年份, 当年降水量减少(增加) 10mm时, 则地下水系统水量减少7.08 (增加7.06) mm, 水位下降(上升) 5.2~8.7cm; 在10~320mm变幅内, 当年降水量减少(增加) 10%时, 则地下水系统水量减少7.98 (增加7.67) %.气候旱化过程中降水变化对引起补给量减少和开采量增加的幅度, 大于气候增雨过程中降水变化对补给量增大和开采量减少的影响程度.因此, 需要重视连续枯水年份降水变化对地下水系统影响的应对举措, 这对于提高我国北方区域地下水资源供给安全保障具有重大意义.      

温度时序资料确定地下水流速解析模型灵敏度分析

不同深度处的含水介质温度时序资料振幅比或相位滞后能用来计算地下水垂向流速,典型的解析模型是Hatch模型。为了评价Hatch模型的参数灵敏度,采用局部灵敏度分析方法确定该模型的主要影响因子及相关参数与模型响应的依存关系,再由全局灵敏度分析方法评价参数共同作用对模型计算结果的影响。灵敏度分析结果表明:Hatch模型精度的主要影响因子是测点距离（Δz）,其次是介质比热容（ρ_sc_s）和有效孔隙度（n_e）,而基准热传导系数（λ₀）和热弥散度（β）的影响甚微。基准热传导系数和热弥散度与计算流速呈负相关,其余参数则与之呈正相关。因此在实践中,需保证测点距离的准确性,而对基准热传导系数和热弥散度可取经验值。     

Parameter sensitivity of three Kalman filter schemes for assimilation of water levels in shelf sea models

In applications of data assimilation algorithms, a number of poorly known assimilation parameters usually need to be specified. Hence, the documented success of data assimilation methodologies must rely on a moderate sensitivity to these parameters. This contribution presents a parameter sensitivity study of three well known Kalman filter approaches for the assimilation of water levels in a three dimensional hydrodynamic modelling system. The filters considered are the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), the reduced rank square root Kalman filter (RRSQRT) and the steady Kalman filter. A sensitivity analysis of key parameters in the schemes is undertaken for a setup in an idealised bay. The sensitivity of the resulting root mean square error (RMSE) is shown to be low to moderate. Hence the schemes are robust within an acceptable range and their application even with misspecified parameters is to be encouraged in this perspective. However, the predicted uncertainty of the assimilation results are sensitive to the parameters and hence must be applied with care. The sensitivity study further demonstrates the effectiveness of the steady Kalman filter in the given system as well as the great impact of assimilating even very few measurements.