Use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in water resources: A review

Increasing public awareness, stricter measures and promulgation of new laws in the area of water resources have made the use of advanced technologies indispensable. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are an effective tool for storing, managing, and displaying spatial data often encountered in water resources management. The application of GIS in water resources is constantly on the rise. In order to stress the importance of GIS in water resources management, applications related to this area are addressed and evaluated for efficient future research and development. Fundamentals of GIS are summarized and the history of the GIS evolution in water resources is discussed. Current GIS applications are presented including surface hydrologic and groundwater modeling, water supply and sewer system modeling, stormwater and nonpoint source pollution modeling for urban and agricultural areas, and other related applications. Future research and development needs are presented, based on these reviews.     

水文水资源新技术应用研究综述

就水文水资源领域中得到广泛应用的若干新技术进行简要地回顾和述评,主要包括人工神经网络、信息技术以及遗传算法等方面。     

Cost-effective Approaches for Sustainable Groundwater Management in Alluvial Aquifer Systems

The consequences of unsustainable use of groundwater are becoming increasingly evident worldwide, particularly in developing nations. Groundwater management is a serious problem in many parts of the world. The prime concern is how to achieve groundwater sustainability. Artificial recharge techniques coupled with water harvesting hold a great promise for groundwater sustainability. The main intent of this paper is to highlight salient cost-effective and easy-to-use methods for augmenting groundwater resources in the alluvial hydrogeologic setting. Based on the intensive field investigation in a groundwater basin of Japan, three low-cost and easy-to-implement recharge techniques are suggested for alluvial aquifer systems, viz., augmentation of river flow, recharge through irrigation/drainage canals, and recharge from paddy fields. The source of recharge water for these recharge techniques is surface water supply. The efficacy of these methods or approaches has been demonstrated. It is emphasized that such cost-effective methods of groundwater recharge are key to sustainable groundwater management in both developing and developed countries. These methods must not be overlooked in the midst of sophisticated and highly expensive methods.     

Estimating Regional Groundwater Recharge Using a Hydrological Budget Method

Estimating groundwater recharge is a key component in determining the sustainable yield of groundwater resources in arid and semi-arid areas such as southern California. Estimating groundwater recharge on a regional scale requires developing a water budget that incorporates data on boundary conditions, aquifer properties, groundwater levels, and groundwater production. The hydrological budget method proposed herein is simple, cost-effective, and easy to apply. It utilizes matched pairs of groundwater level measurements, groundwater extraction data, and distributed specific yield information for estimating groundwater recharge. In this method, ARCGIS 9.0 Geostatistical and Spatial Analyst applications are used for interpolating/extrapolating and creating grids for specific yield, bedrock elevation, and raw groundwater data. The annual average groundwater recharge for the Hemet subbasin in western Riverside County, California, from 1997 to 2005 is estimated at 12.5 MCM, with wet and dry periods ranging between 14.9 MCM and 11.7 MCM, respectively. The proposed method utilizes information commonly available to most groundwater management entities, such as groundwater production data, groundwater level measurements, and lithologic information.     

Remote Sensing and GIS Based Approach for Identification of Artificial Recharge Sites

The main aim of this paper is to demonstrate the capabilities of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques for the demarcation of suitable sites for artificial recharge of groundwater aquifers, in the Loni watershed, located in Unnao and Raebareli districts, Uttar Pradesh, India. In this study, the SCS-CN model, groundwater depth data and morphological parameters (bifurcation ratio, elongation ratio, drainage density, ruggedness number, relief ratio, and circulatory ratio) have been used to delineate the recharge sites for undertaking water conservation measures. Augmentation of water resource is proposed in the watershed by constructing runoff storage structures, like check dam, percolation tank and nala bund. The site suitability for these water harvesting structures is determined by considering spatially varying parameters, like runoff potential, slope, groundwater fluctuation data and morphometric information of the watershed. GIS has been used as an effective tool to store, analyse and integrate spatial and attribute information pertaining to runoff, slope, drainage, groundwater fluctuation and morphometric characteristics for such studies.     

Groundwater pollution from agrochemicals — A dynamic model of externalities and policy options

A dynamic model of groundwater pollution from intensive agrochemical use is developed in this paper to capture the possible externalities and analyze various policy options in protecting groundwater resources. Four different paradigms are used to analyze the externalities involved in groundwater pollution due to excessive use of agrochemicals. The economic threshold levels of agrochemical contents in groundwater resources are derived and related to social discount rates. Conditions under which the nonchemical technologies will be adopted by individual farmers to protect groundwater resources are derived. Policy implications for water quality regulations are discussed based on model results. It is argued that meaningful regulation policies would involve internalizing possible externalities by taking into account costs of groundwater pollution to future generations.     

GIS技术在水文水资源领域的应用现状与展望

水文水资源领域引入GIS地理信息系统,为水文水资源管理、查询、分析和模拟提供了一条加快捷有效的途径。GIS地理信息系统在水文水资源领域的应用主要有五个方面:地表水资源及地下水资源的空间分布和调配;流域面雨量计算;地下水资源勘查;水文模拟及水情预报。GIS地理信息系统在水文水资源领域应用的主要发展趋势包括四个方面:加强应用标准和规范的研究和制定;建立具有水文水资源特色的地理空间数据库;GIS融合水文水资源专业模型;GIS软件向多维发展。     

Groundwater Recharge Assessment for the Kalahari Catchment of North-eastern Namibia and North-western Botswana with a Regional-scale Water Balance Model

Groundwater is the only source of drinking water for the inhabitants of the Kalahari. Thus understanding spatial and temporal variations in groundwater recharge is very important and a regional-scale water balance model has therefore been set up for a 209,149 km² catchment in north-eastern Namibia and north-western Botswana. The model has a spatial resolution of 1.5 × 1.5 km, daily model time-steps, and climatic input parameters for 19 years are used. The distributed, GIS-based, process-oriented, physical water balance model (MODBIL) used in this study considers the major water balance components: precipitation, evapotranspiration, groundwater recharge, and surface runoff/interflow. Mean precipitation for the study area is 409 mm a⁻¹, while mean actual evapotranspiration is 402 mm a⁻¹ and mean groundwater recharge is 8 mm a⁻¹ (2% of mean annual precipitation). The recharge pattern is mainly influenced by the distribution of soil and vegetation units. Groundwater recharge shows a high inter- and intra-annual variability, but not only the sum of annual precipitation is important for the development of groundwater recharge; a large amount of precipitation in a relatively short period is more important. Published independent data from the Kalahari in Namibia, Botswana and the Southern African region under similar climatic conditions are used to verify the modelling results.     

五常镇地下水水文地质特征分析

五常镇以农耕为主,为稻米之乡。五常镇70km2范围内区域的水文地质条件,受区域第四纪地质、地貌、水文和气象等因素的控制,形成了区域地下水系统的基本格局。研究地下水水文地质条件,包括地下水的赋存条件、补径排条件、类型和动态规律等,从而得出移动规律,为地下水量的计算提供基础资料,为五常镇地下水资源的评价提供水文地质依据。     

Groundwater Protection and Management Strategy in Jordan

Groundwater resources are essential in Jordan that require careful planning and management in order to sustain human socio-economic development and various ecosystems. However these vital resources are under the threat of degradation by both mismanagement and over-exploitation that leads to contamination and decline of water levels. A new by-law, which specifically addresses pollution prevention and protection of water resources used for domestic purposes through appropriate land use restriction and zoning, is currently under preparation in Jordan. This law (i.e., Groundwater Management Policy) addresses the management of groundwater resources including development, protection, management, and reducing abstraction for each renewable aquifer to the sustainable rate (i.e., safe yield). Groundwater vulnerability mapping and delineation of groundwater protection zones were implemented in different areas in Jordan in cooperation between the German Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR) company and Ministry of Water and Irrigation. This paper presents the status of groundwater resources in Jordan and their major issues. It attempts to discuss the groundwater vulnerability and protection strategy and the impacts of over-exploitation on the groundwater aquifers in an integrated water resources management perspective.