Articles | Volume 26, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5757-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5757-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Influence of intensive agriculture and geological heterogeneity on the recharge of an arid aquifer system (Saq–Ram, Arabian Peninsula) inferred from GRACE data
Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, Coll France, INRAE, CEREGE
UM 34, 13545 Aix en Provence, France
Julio Gonçalvès
Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, Coll France, INRAE, CEREGE
UM 34, 13545 Aix en Provence, France
Bruno Hamelin
Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, Coll France, INRAE, CEREGE
UM 34, 13545 Aix en Provence, France
Thomas Stieglitz
Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, Coll France, INRAE, CEREGE
UM 34, 13545 Aix en Provence, France
Pierre Deschamps
Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, Coll France, INRAE, CEREGE
UM 34, 13545 Aix en Provence, France
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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS).
Short summary
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Groundwater does not react immediately to changing conditions, such as climatic changes or abstraction. This delay is commonly assessed through hydraulic response times. Regional confined aquifers were thought to have response times on millennial to multimillennial scales. We show that accounting for overlying aquitards and active surface boundaries can accelerate this response in certain contexts, and provide an equation for appropriate order-of-magnitude estimates in these cases.
Jérôme Texier, Julio Gonçalvès, Thomas Stieglitz, Christine Vallet-Coulomb, Jérôme Labille, Vincent Marc, Angélique Poulain, and Philippe Dussouillez
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Manuscript not accepted for further review
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Understanding the relationship between rivers and alluvial aquifers is crucial, yet challenging. Through a combined approach of tracing and modeling in a French Rhône River site, we reveal significant insights. We quantify the impact of pumping on water flow and identify the primary water sources. Our findings aid sustainable water management in regions facing similar challenges, offering practical guidance for policymakers on groundwater use.
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Short summary
This study assesses the detailed water budget of the Saq–Ram Aquifer System using satellite gravity data. Spatial heterogeneities regarding the groundwater recharge were identified: (i) irrigation excess is great enough to artificially recharge the aquifer; and (ii) volcanic lava deposits, which cover 8% of the domain, contribute to more than 50% of the total natural recharge. This indicates a major control of geological context on arid aquifer recharge, which has been poorly discussed hitherto.
This study assesses the detailed water budget of the Saq–Ram Aquifer System using satellite...