Hydrogeology Journal最新文献

Groundwater is an important water source in Arizona, accounting for about 41% of water use in this mostly arid-to-semiarid state in the southwestern United States, and the availability of groundwater resources in the state is a concern. To provide accessible information from depth-to-groundwater data, a series of web-based interactive maps were developed, called the Arizona Groundwater Explorer (AGEx). Scripts were written to harmonize and synthesize groundwater datasets from the two largest publicly available sources, subset these data to address different groundwater availability questions, and display the results in online, interactive maps. The combined dataset contained 1,820,122 depth-to-groundwater measurements from 1891 through 2022 from 41,918 wells in Arizona. Data views are provided for 20 topics, including recent (2020 or later) depth to groundwater (4,569 wells), historical (pre-1950) depth to groundwater (4,287 wells), wells with long-term (≥50 years) records (1,183 wells), wells with recent groundwater level decline (277 wells), wells with recent groundwater level rise (120 wells), and linear trends in groundwater levels over ten 10-year periods (number of wells ranging from 341 in 1978–1987 to 1,208 in 2003–2012), among others. With ongoing drought in the region resulting in declining surface-water supplies in Arizona, groundwater may play an even larger role in satisfying water needs in the state. The AGEx series of maps provides a nonspecialist audience with an improved understanding of historical, current, and changes in groundwater levels in Arizona.

Understanding and quantifying the flow process at fracture intersections is critical for the accurate modeling of field-scale discrete fracture networks (DFNs) but remains challenging. Particularly, the geometric features of the inflection points inside the intersection are usually ignored, limiting insight into the flow behavior at the intersection. To fill this knowledge gap, the effect of the inflection curvature at intersections was investigated based on direct numerical simulations by solving Navier-Stokes equations. The inflection points at the intersection were classified as α and β, corresponding to the radii of curvature R_α and R_β, respectively. The effect of R_α, R_β on flow redistribution and head loss was systematically analyzed and the sensitivity to flow nonlinearity was determined by the Morris method. The results demonstrated that the inflection curvature of the intersection has a significant effect on head loss but a negligible effect on flow redistribution. With the increase of curvature radius, the flow nonlinearity caused by inflection β enhances and that caused by α diminishes. Nonlinear flow is more sensitive to variations in R_β than R_α. The effect of intersection geometry diminishes with the decrease of hydraulic gradient or the increase of distance from the intersection. Further, the critical distance of the intersection’s interference range was assessed by considering different indicators. The results can provide a reference for parameter selection and calculation simplification in DFN modeling.

Groundwater is present at shallow depth under many coastal low-lying cities. Despite the importance of protecting coastal urbanised areas from flooding and climate-change-induced sea-level rise, the effects of shallow groundwater fluctuations are rarely investigated. The aim of this study was to determine characteristics of shallow groundwater, including spatial and temporal trends in depths to groundwater and their relationship to natural and anthropogenic stressors. The study uses depth to groundwater measurements from a uniquely extensive and densely spaced monitoring network in Ōtautahi/Christchurch, New Zealand. Data-driven analysis approaches were applied, including spatial interpolation, autocorrelation, clustering, cross-correlation and trend analysis. These approaches are not commonly applied for groundwater assessments despite the potential for them to provide insights and information for city-wide systems. The comprehensive approach revealed discernible clusters and trends within the dataset. Responses to stresses such as rainfall events and stream flow were successfully classified using clustering analysis. The time series analysis indicated that in areas of shallow groundwater, low variation in levels occurred and this was also found using clustering. However, attributing some clusters to specific hydrogeological attributes or stressors posed challenges. The primary feature in hydrograph classification proved to be the proximity to tidal rivers and their correlation with tidal signals. These results highlight the value of using large datasets to characterise spatial and temporal variability of shallow groundwater in urban coastal settings and to assist with monitoring infrastructure planning in the face of future climate-change hazards.

The Cambodia-Mekong River Delta Aquifer, a vital transboundary aquifer in the Lower Mekong Region of Southeast Asia, faces escalating challenges due to excessive groundwater extraction for agriculture and domestic purposes. In response, this study utilizes the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite estimates, combined with land-surface-model and remote-sensing datasets to estimate groundwater storage anomalies (GWSA) across the aquifer where traditional monitoring is limited. The study further evaluates the consistency of GRACE-derived data in comparison to both localized in situ measurements and a global-scale hydrological model. Additionally, the spatio-temporal trends in groundwater depletion over a 14-year span (2003–2016) were mapped. The results reveal a good agreement between GRACE-derived GWSA, PC-Raster Global Water Balance (PCR-GLOBWB) model outputs, and observed in situ measurements, thereby underscoring the pivotal role of satellite observations in comprehensively assessing groundwater resources within the aquifer. The findings expose a concerning downward trend, with groundwater storage declining at a rate of ~0.68 cm/year, resulting in a total volume loss of 18.28 km³ over the 14-year span. Notably, the depletion rate is higher in the coastal regions of the Mekong Delta and certain areas within the Tonle Sap Basin. Discrepancies between GRACE and observed GWSA are attributed to multiple factors, including the absence of local signals, intricate hydrogeological dynamics, limitations in specific yield and storage estimations, and the uneven distribution of monitoring wells in the region. This research emphasizes the potential of GRACE estimates to supplement in situ observations on a regional scale, establishing a critical foundation for transboundary groundwater management strategies.