Engineering Geologists at KIT Develop a New Process with Australian Researchers to Quantify the State/Level of Groundwater and Subsurface
Water is a vital resource for people and the environment. One of the most important sources is groundwater which is renewed from precipitation or surface water. Population growth as well as agriculture and industry strongly influence the quantity and quality of groundwater. To be able to investigate groundwater resources more easily, cost-effectively and comprehensively than in the past, researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a new method with Australian colleagues which they are now unveiling in the Reviews of Geophysics journal.
According to the German Environment Agency, more than 70 percent of drinking water originates from groundwater in Germany alone. Production is increasing so rapidly across the world that groundwater levels are falling, quality is deteriorating and whole cities are facing groundwater-related subsidence. Therefore, it is important to explore subsurface properties for managing resources more sustainably.
“Current testing methods require active pumping of water from a specially designed water extraction well while observing the water level in other wells in the vicinity,” says Dr. Gabriel Rau from the Institute of Applied Geosciences (AGW) at KIT. To do this, two or three people would need to set up a pump test and supervise measurements for an extended period of time. This method is very expensive, can last anywhere from a few hours to several months depending on the subsurface properties, and the result is only valid for the tested location. “Underground aquifers vary greatly in space, and it is much too expensive and intrusive to build extraction wells everywhere.”
Together with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney and the Deakin University in Melbourne, KIT has now developed a new method which evaluates information about tidal effects on groundwater levels. Similar to tides in the ocean, the groundwater level is affected by tidal forces, with the change in gravitation squeezing the porous rocks in the subsurface and causing measurable pressure changes. In addition, there are atmospheric tides which cyclically change subsurface pressure. “We can measure this change at low cost and using less complex procedures and fewer personnel to quantify subsurface properties,” says Rau. Engineers require no special extraction wells for this but can place an automated water pressure data logger at a conventional groundwater measuring point. The pressure sensor then measures the groundwater level regularly for at least a month. Using the measurements, researchers can calculate the physical properties of the subsurface such as porosity, hydraulic conductivity and compressibility and translate the findings into the sustainable use of groundwater resources. “Since it is much cheaper to drill monitoring boreholes than to create entire wells, we can carry out measurements in more locations, significantly increasing the number and coverage of the subsurface properties calculated,” says Rau.
The researchers have studied and summarized international studies and articles from various disciplines for their method: “We have seen that the recent advances in groundwater research show potential for much cheaper long-term groundwater studies,” says Timothy McMillan from the Connected Waters Initiative Research Center at UNSW Sydney. “In our method we use a combination of engineering, science and maths, and the impact of tides on groundwater to calculate the subsurface properties.” These findings can also contribute to predicting spatial and temporal fluctuations of the climate system and its impact on groundwater resources. “We are facing enormous challenges in the future. Our method makes it easier to investigate subsurface resources and therefore to manage them more sustainably,” says Rau.
Learn more: Simple, Accurate and Inexpensive: A New Method For Exploring Groundwater
The Latest on: Groundwater
[google_news title=”” keyword=”groundwater” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Groundwater
- DOH takes 'unusual step' to reject Navy's Red Hill groundwater sampling planon May 1, 2024 at 12:51 pm
The Navy wants to reduce how much water is being discharged into Hālawa Stream, but the Hawaiʻi Department of Health is concerned about the lack of monitoring that was proposed in its plan.
- Opinion Columnistson May 1, 2024 at 11:30 am
Curtailing groundwater use is not an isolated event, but rather a significant piece of the state’s declared intent to reduce the share of water devoted to agriculture — roughly three quarters of ...
- Hobbs veto blocks effort to strip AG Mayes of groundwater authorityon May 1, 2024 at 10:49 am
Gov. Katie Hobbs won't let Republican lawmakers strip away the right of Attorney General Kris Mayes to sue the owners of corporate farms whose groundwater pumping dries up the wells of their neighbors ...
- Walters: As California cracks down on groundwater, what about the fallowed farmland?on April 30, 2024 at 11:45 pm
It was the state’s first major enforcement action under the State Groundwater Management Act, passed a decade ago to protect the aquifers that farmers have used to supplement or replace water from ...
- Report: Drought continues to have negative effect on Nebraska groundwater levelson April 30, 2024 at 3:59 pm
A UNL report showed 85% of the 4,822 wells measured statewide showed declines from spring 2022 to spring 2023, with an average decline across all wells of 1.65 feet.
- Nebraska groundwater levels continue decline after prolonged droughton April 30, 2024 at 1:38 pm
Groundwater levels in much of Nebraska continue to decline after several years of prolonged drought, according to a report.
- As California Cracks Down on Groundwater, What Happens to Fallowed Farmland?on April 30, 2024 at 11:13 am
California enforces groundwater laws in Kings County, sparking discussions on converting farmland to solar energy.
- Valdosta sees 6.7 million gallons of groundwater and sewage spill due to severe weatheron April 24, 2024 at 11:22 am
The Withlacoochee River WPCP Secondary Equalization Basin overflowed due to heavy rains, resulting in a massive sewage spill.
- Arizona groundwater regulation weaknesses exploited by industrial-scale agricultureon April 23, 2024 at 10:48 am
Elaine Bailey stood at the microphone at the Sunsites Community Center in southeastern Arizona, voice shaking as she described the massive scale of new agricultural development next to her property.
- In California’s Central Valley, large farms have depleted the groundwater. Now, they’ll have to payon April 22, 2024 at 1:31 am
Droughts fueled by climate change have exacerbated this trend by depleting rivers and reservoirs, increasing reliance on this dwindling groundwater. In many places, such as California’s Central Valley ...
via Bing News