Regional Assessment of Groundwater Recharge in the Lower Mekong Basin
Groundwater recharge remains almost totally unknown across the Mekong River Basin, hindering the evaluation of groundwater potential for irrigation. A regional regression model was developed to map groundwater recharge across the Lower Mekong Basin where agricultural water demand is increasing, espe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2017-12-01
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| Series: | Hydrology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/4/4/60 |
| _version_ | 1818912428277104640 |
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| author | Guillaume Lacombe Somphasith Douangsavanh Sinxay Vongphachanh Paul Pavelic |
| author_facet | Guillaume Lacombe Somphasith Douangsavanh Sinxay Vongphachanh Paul Pavelic |
| author_sort | Guillaume Lacombe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Groundwater recharge remains almost totally unknown across the Mekong River Basin, hindering the evaluation of groundwater potential for irrigation. A regional regression model was developed to map groundwater recharge across the Lower Mekong Basin where agricultural water demand is increasing, especially during the dry season. The model was calibrated with baseflow computed with the local-minimum flow separation method applied to streamflow recorded in 65 unregulated sub-catchments since 1951. Our results, in agreement with previous local studies, indicate that spatial variations in groundwater recharge are predominantly controlled by the climate (rainfall and evapotranspiration) while aquifer characteristics seem to play a secondary role at this regional scale. While this analysis suggests large scope for expanding agricultural groundwater use, the map derived from this study provides a simple way to assess the limits of groundwater-fed irrigation development. Further data measurements to capture local variations in hydrogeology will be required to refine the evaluation of recharge rates to support practical implementations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T23:14:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-008cf05a77b1422ea61d227d8c0a90e3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2306-5338 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T23:14:26Z |
| publishDate | 2017-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hydrology |
| spelling | doaj.art-008cf05a77b1422ea61d227d8c0a90e32022-12-21T20:02:08ZengMDPI AGHydrology2306-53382017-12-01446010.3390/hydrology4040060hydrology4040060Regional Assessment of Groundwater Recharge in the Lower Mekong BasinGuillaume Lacombe0Somphasith Douangsavanh1Sinxay Vongphachanh2Paul Pavelic3International Water Management Institute, Southeast Asia Regional Office, PO BOX 4199, Vientiane, LaosCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, AustraliaSchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, AustraliaInternational Water Management Institute, Southeast Asia Regional Office, PO BOX 4199, Vientiane, LaosGroundwater recharge remains almost totally unknown across the Mekong River Basin, hindering the evaluation of groundwater potential for irrigation. A regional regression model was developed to map groundwater recharge across the Lower Mekong Basin where agricultural water demand is increasing, especially during the dry season. The model was calibrated with baseflow computed with the local-minimum flow separation method applied to streamflow recorded in 65 unregulated sub-catchments since 1951. Our results, in agreement with previous local studies, indicate that spatial variations in groundwater recharge are predominantly controlled by the climate (rainfall and evapotranspiration) while aquifer characteristics seem to play a secondary role at this regional scale. While this analysis suggests large scope for expanding agricultural groundwater use, the map derived from this study provides a simple way to assess the limits of groundwater-fed irrigation development. Further data measurements to capture local variations in hydrogeology will be required to refine the evaluation of recharge rates to support practical implementations.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/4/4/60groundwater rechargebaseflowlocal minimum digital filtering methodmultiple linear regressionMekong |
| spellingShingle | Guillaume Lacombe Somphasith Douangsavanh Sinxay Vongphachanh Paul Pavelic Regional Assessment of Groundwater Recharge in the Lower Mekong Basin Hydrology groundwater recharge baseflow local minimum digital filtering method multiple linear regression Mekong |
| title | Regional Assessment of Groundwater Recharge in the Lower Mekong Basin |
| title_full | Regional Assessment of Groundwater Recharge in the Lower Mekong Basin |
| title_fullStr | Regional Assessment of Groundwater Recharge in the Lower Mekong Basin |
| title_full_unstemmed | Regional Assessment of Groundwater Recharge in the Lower Mekong Basin |
| title_short | Regional Assessment of Groundwater Recharge in the Lower Mekong Basin |
| title_sort | regional assessment of groundwater recharge in the lower mekong basin |
| topic | groundwater recharge baseflow local minimum digital filtering method multiple linear regression Mekong |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/4/4/60 |
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