Asymmetric impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughts
<p>Groundwater use affects groundwater storage continuously as the removal of water changes both short-term and long-term groundwater level variation. This has implications for groundwater droughts, i.e. a below-normal groundwater level. The impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughts, h...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2020-10-01
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| Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/24/4853/2020/hess-24-4853-2020.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818200785320673280 |
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| author | D. E. Wendt A. F. Van Loon J. P. Bloomfield D. M. Hannah |
| author_facet | D. E. Wendt A. F. Van Loon J. P. Bloomfield D. M. Hannah |
| author_sort | D. E. Wendt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Groundwater use affects groundwater storage continuously as the removal of water changes both short-term and long-term groundwater level
variation. This has implications for groundwater droughts, i.e. a below-normal groundwater level. The impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughts, however, remains unknown. Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate the impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughts in the absence of actual abstraction data. We present a methodological framework that consists of two approaches. The first approach compared groundwater droughts at monitoring sites that are potentially influenced by abstraction to groundwater droughts at sites that are known to be
near natural. Observed groundwater droughts were compared in terms of drought occurrence, duration, and magnitude. The second approach investigated
long-term trends in groundwater levels in all monitoring wells. This framework was applied to a case study of the UK, using four regional water
management units in which groundwater levels are monitored and abstractions are licensed. Results show two asymmetric responses in groundwater
drought characteristics due to groundwater use. The first response is an increase in shorter drought events and is found in three water management
units where long-term annual average groundwater abstractions are smaller than recharge. The second response, observed in one water management unit
where groundwater abstractions temporarily exceeded recharge, is a lengthening and intensification of groundwater droughts. Analysis of long-term
(1984–2014) trends in groundwater levels shows mixed but generally positive trends, while trends in precipitation and potential evapotranspiration
are not significant. The overall rising groundwater levels are consistent with changes in water use regulations and with a general reduction in
abstractions during the period of investigation. We summarised our results in a conceptual typology that illustrates the asymmetric impact of
groundwater use on groundwater drought occurrence, duration, and magnitude. The long-term balance between groundwater abstraction and recharge plays
an important role in this asymmetric impact, which highlights the relation between short-term and long-term sustainable groundwater use.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T02:43:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3fb99b66484648a8945bdbc6ed15c663 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T02:43:11Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-3fb99b66484648a8945bdbc6ed15c6632022-12-22T00:41:06ZengCopernicus PublicationsHydrology and Earth System Sciences1027-56061607-79382020-10-01244853486810.5194/hess-24-4853-2020Asymmetric impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughtsD. E. Wendt0A. F. Van Loon1J. P. Bloomfield2D. M. Hannah3School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UKInstitute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the NetherlandsBritish Geological Survey, Wallingford, UKSchool of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK<p>Groundwater use affects groundwater storage continuously as the removal of water changes both short-term and long-term groundwater level variation. This has implications for groundwater droughts, i.e. a below-normal groundwater level. The impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughts, however, remains unknown. Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate the impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughts in the absence of actual abstraction data. We present a methodological framework that consists of two approaches. The first approach compared groundwater droughts at monitoring sites that are potentially influenced by abstraction to groundwater droughts at sites that are known to be near natural. Observed groundwater droughts were compared in terms of drought occurrence, duration, and magnitude. The second approach investigated long-term trends in groundwater levels in all monitoring wells. This framework was applied to a case study of the UK, using four regional water management units in which groundwater levels are monitored and abstractions are licensed. Results show two asymmetric responses in groundwater drought characteristics due to groundwater use. The first response is an increase in shorter drought events and is found in three water management units where long-term annual average groundwater abstractions are smaller than recharge. The second response, observed in one water management unit where groundwater abstractions temporarily exceeded recharge, is a lengthening and intensification of groundwater droughts. Analysis of long-term (1984–2014) trends in groundwater levels shows mixed but generally positive trends, while trends in precipitation and potential evapotranspiration are not significant. The overall rising groundwater levels are consistent with changes in water use regulations and with a general reduction in abstractions during the period of investigation. We summarised our results in a conceptual typology that illustrates the asymmetric impact of groundwater use on groundwater drought occurrence, duration, and magnitude. The long-term balance between groundwater abstraction and recharge plays an important role in this asymmetric impact, which highlights the relation between short-term and long-term sustainable groundwater use.</p>https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/24/4853/2020/hess-24-4853-2020.pdf |
| spellingShingle | D. E. Wendt A. F. Van Loon J. P. Bloomfield D. M. Hannah Asymmetric impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughts Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| title | Asymmetric impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughts |
| title_full | Asymmetric impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughts |
| title_fullStr | Asymmetric impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Asymmetric impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughts |
| title_short | Asymmetric impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughts |
| title_sort | asymmetric impact of groundwater use on groundwater droughts |
| url | https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/24/4853/2020/hess-24-4853-2020.pdf |
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