Estimates of hydraulic properties from a one-dimensional numerical model of vertical aquifer-system deformation, Lorenzi site, Las Vegas, Nevada

Pavelko, Michael T.

doi:10.3133/wri034083

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 12 publications

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“…The currently observed subsidence rates are expected to persist unless water levels are brought back up, and residual compaction would continue despite potential water level recovery due to the low hydraulic conductivity of clays. Even if groundwater levels were to be raise, there is no hope for recovering the majority of the already-lost elevation and the lost aquitard storage capacity because the inelastic compressibility of clays is 1-3 orders of magnitude greater than their elastic compressibility (Pavelko, 2004;Riley, 1998).…”

Section: Changes In Water Flow and Impact On Water Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Over a Century of Sinking in Mexico City: No Hope for Significant Elevation and Storage Capacity Recovery

et al. 2021

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Many areas worldwide are known to experience land subsidence due to groundwater extraction. It is traditionally assumed that subsidence extent and rates are controlled by groundwater extraction locations and volumes. Here, we reevaluate this assumption in the Mexico City metropolitan area by combining stratigraphic, hydrologic, geodetic, and demographic datasets. Integration of 115 years of leveling with 24 years of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and 14 years of GPS data reveals that subsidence rates have been mostly constant in Mexico City since at least 1950 and reach 50 cm/year. Analysis of InSAR and GPS data shows that no significant elastic deformation exists, demonstrating that the subsidence is almost fully irreversible. In Mexico City, no direct relationships exist between groundwater level fluctuations and subsidence rates or between pumping rates and subsidence rates. In contrast, a strong positive linear relationship is isolated between subsidence rates and the thickness of the upper aquitard. Through the integration of these long‐term datasets, we forecast that it will take ∼150 years to reach total compaction of the upper aquitard, which may lead to additional subsidence up to 30 m. With the potentiometric surface now deeper than most of the aquitard, clay's porewater rich in salts, chemical constituents, and pollutants is now flowing downward into the productive aquifer, hence decreasing water quality. Finally, our work shows that the consequences of land subsidence greatly influence the socioeconomic landscape in the Mexico City metropolitan area.

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Section: Changes In Water Flow and Impact On Water Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Over a Century of Sinking in Mexico City: No Hope for Significant Elevation and Storage Capacity Recovery

et al. 2021

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Observations of Confined Aquifer Systems

Chen,

Chaussard

2024

Remote Sensing for Characterization of Geohazards and Natural Resources

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Simulation of present and future land subsidence in the Rafsanjan plain, Iran, due to groundwater overexploitation using numerical modeling and InSAR data analysis

et al. 2023

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In the Rafsanjan plain, Iran, the excessive use of groundwater for pistachio irrigation since the 1960s has led to a severe water level decline as well as land subsidence. In this study, the advantages of InSAR analyses and groundwater flow modeling are combined to improve the understanding of the subsurface processes causing groundwater-related land subsidence in several areas of the region. For this purpose, a calibration scheme for the numerical groundwater model was developed, which simultaneously accounts for hydraulic aquifer parameters and sediment mechanical properties of land subsidence and thus considers the impact of water release from aquifer compaction. Simulation results of past subsidence are calibrated with satellite-based InSAR data and further compared with leveling measurements. Modeling results show that land subsidence in this area occurs predominantly in areas with fine-grained sediments and is therefore only partly dependent on groundwater level decline. During the modeling period from 1960 to 2020, subsidence rates of up to 21 cm year−1 are simulated. Due to the almost solely inelastic compaction of the aquifer, this has already led to an irreversible aquifer storage capacity loss of 8.8 km3. Simulation results of future development scenarios indicate that although further land subsidence cannot be avoided, subsidence rates and the associated aquifer storage capacity loss can be reduced by up to 50 and 36%, respectively, by 2050 through the implementation of improved irrigation management for the pistachio orchards.

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Estimates of hydraulic properties from a one-dimensional numerical model of vertical aquifer-system deformation, Lorenzi site, Las Vegas, Nevada

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

Over a Century of Sinking in Mexico City: No Hope for Significant Elevation and Storage Capacity Recovery

Over a Century of Sinking in Mexico City: No Hope for Significant Elevation and Storage Capacity Recovery

Observations of Confined Aquifer Systems

Simulation of present and future land subsidence in the Rafsanjan plain, Iran, due to groundwater overexploitation using numerical modeling and InSAR data analysis

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