Evaluation of distributed recharge in an upland semi-arid karst system: the West Bank Mountain Aquifer, Middle East

Hughes, Andrew; Mansour, Majdi; Robins, Nick

doi:10.1007/s10040-008-0273-6

Cited by 56 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Later, groundwater flow models were used to establish empirical rainfall-recharge relationships (Baida and Burstein, 1970;Guttman and Zukerman, 1995;Zukerman, 1999). Average recharge rates were assessed by a simple water balance approach (Hughes et al, 2008) and by a chloride mass balance (Marei et al, 2010). Sheffer et al (2010) coupled a water budget model with a groundwater flow model for the entire western part of the Mountain Aquifer and used spring discharge and groundwater level data for calibration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recharge estimation and soil moisture dynamics in a Mediterranean, semi-arid karst region

Ries

Lange

Schmidt³

et al. 2015

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Knowledge of soil moisture dynamics in the unsaturated soil zone provides valuable information on the temporal and spatial variability of groundwater recharge. This is especially true for the Mediterranean region, where a substantial fraction of long-term groundwater recharge is expected to occur during high magnitude precipitation events of aboveaverage wet winters. To elucidate process understanding of infiltration processes during these extreme events, a monitoring network of precipitation gauges, meteorological stations, and soil moisture plots was installed in an area with a steep climatic gradient in the Jordan Valley region. In three soil moisture plots, Hydrus-1D was used to simulate water movement in the unsaturated soil zone with soil hydraulic parameters estimated by the Shuffled Complex Evolution Metropolis algorithm. To generalize our results, we modified soil depth and rainfall input to simulate the effect of the pronounced climatic gradient and soil depth variability on percolation fluxes and applied the calibrated model to a time series with 62 years of meteorological data.Soil moisture measurements showed a pronounced seasonality and suggested rapid infiltration during heavy rainstorms. Hydrus-1D successfully simulated short and longterm soil moisture patterns, with the majority of simulated deep percolation occurring during a few intensive rainfall events. Temperature drops in a nearby groundwater well were observed synchronously with simulated percolation pulses, indicating rapid groundwater recharge mechanisms. The 62-year model run yielded annual percolation fluxes of up to 66 % of precipitation depths during wet years and of 0 % during dry years. Furthermore, a dependence of recharge on the temporal rainfall distribution could be shown. Strong correlations between depth of recharge and soil depth were also observed.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recharge estimation and soil moisture dynamics in a Mediterranean, semi-arid karst region

Ries

Lange

Schmidt³

et al. 2015

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A simple hydraulic river model was chosen to ensure the composition can be tested before including a more complex river model. These three models are driven by run-off and recharge generated by the recharge model ZOODRM (Mansour and Hughes, 2004;Hughes et al, 2008). The run-off is routed to the river model whilst the recharge is passed to the two groundwater flow models ( Figure 5).…”

Section: Thames Integrated Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Model fusion at the British Geological Survey: experiences and future trends

Peach

Riddick

Hughes

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The British Geological Survey (BGS) is developing integrated environmental models to address the grand challenges that face society. Here we describe the BGS vision for an Environmental Modelling Platform (BGS 2009), that will allow integrated models to be built and describe case studies of emerging models in the United Kingdom. This Environmental Modelling Platform will be founded on the data and information that BGS holds. This will have to be made as accessible and interoperable as possible to both the academic and stakeholder decision making community. The geological models that have been built in an adhoc way over the last 5-10 years will be encompassed in a National Geological Model which will be multi-scaled, beginning with onshore United Kingdom and eventually including the offshore continental shelf. The future will be characterised by the routine delivery of 3D model products from a multi-scaled and scalable 3D geological model of the UK which can be dynamically updated. The deployment of this model will generate further significant requirements across the Information and Knowledge Exchange spectrum, from applications development (database, GIS, web and mobile device), data management, information product development, to delivery to a growing number of publics and stakeholders.There is now a growing realisation in the environmental and social sciences that to address the grand challenges that face the world a whole system approach is required. These challenges including climate change, natural resource and energy security and environment vulnerability raise multi-and transdisciplinary issues that require integrated understanding and analysis. Not only must we model the whole physical Earth system, bringing together climate, ecological, hydrological, hydrogeological, and geological models to name but a few, we must link them to socio-economic models. Model fusion may well be the only adequate way to provide the necessary coupled processes framework through which predictions and planning or management decisions can most appropriately be made.A scoping study (Giles et al 2010) assessed the current situation and made some preliminary recommendations in order to create a more integrated and semantically harmonized future in environmental modelling. The only viable option is a 'linked models' approach which enables models to pass parameters between each other at runtime. This solution can bring together the best and most appropriate scientific models and allows the various scientific disciplines to continue the development of their current models. This linking approach is also relevant for integrating models that have been largely built and optimised individually, with appropriate configuration. The European Union has funded multi-national, multi-disciplinary research into 'linked modelling', using the Open Model Interchange (OpenMI) standard. This software used, in conjunction with critical underpinning activities such as data management, semantics and ontologies, understanding of uncertainty and vi...

show abstract

“…A regional-scale distributed recharge model has also been developed for the West Bank Mountain Aquifer system (Hughes et al 2008). This demonstrates both the current understanding of the recharge processes over the unconfined part of the aquifer and current modelling capability.…”

Section: Recharge Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These values lie within the range 270 × 10 6 to 455 × 10 6 m 3 a 21 (Hughes et al 2008). Early recharge estimates were based on simple empirical relationships, which neither acknowledge the complexity of the partly karstic, fractured aquifer, nor the extreme annual variability of a semi-arid climate.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Tension over equitable allocation of water: estimating renewable groundwater resources beneath the West Bank and Israel

Mansour

Peach

Hughes

et al. 2012

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Competition for water resources between Palestine and Israel is an ongoing cause of tension. The Western Aquifer Basin forms a major part of the complex, largely karst, limestone system of the West Bank Mountain Aquifer. The aquifer crops out and is recharged solely in the semi-arid uplands of the West Bank and groundwater flows west beneath Israel to discharge at the Yarqon and Nahal Taninim springs near the Mediterranean coast. Annual recharge to the aquifer is not easy to quantify but lies within the range 270 × 10 6 to 455 × 10 6 m 3 a 21 , and current uncertainties do not support definition of a single value of long-term average recharge. The resource is heavily exploited and abstraction is directly controlled and apportioned between Israel and the West Bank by Israel. The key to equitable apportionment is the determination of the long-term average recharge to the basin, which also requires definition of the eastern boundary of the basin to confirm the recharge area. Calculations include empirical formulae and processbased models that are likely to constrain the best estimate provided that there is appropriate, ongoing monitoring. Improved understanding can then be fed back into the model.

show abstract

Evaluation of distributed recharge in an upland semi-arid karst system: the West Bank Mountain Aquifer, Middle East

Cited by 56 publications

References 12 publications

Recharge estimation and soil moisture dynamics in a Mediterranean, semi-arid karst region

Recharge estimation and soil moisture dynamics in a Mediterranean, semi-arid karst region

Model fusion at the British Geological Survey: experiences and future trends

Tension over equitable allocation of water: estimating renewable groundwater resources beneath the West Bank and Israel

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About