Groundwater - surface water interactions: application of hydrochemical and stable isotope tracers to the lake bosumtwi area in Ghana

Loh, Yvonne Sena Akosua; Fynn, Obed Fiifi; Manu, Evans; Afrifa, George Yamoah; Addai, Millicent Obeng; Akurugu, Bismark Awinbire; Yidana, Sandow Mark

doi:10.1007/s12665-022-10644-x

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…For a detailed step-wise approach, refer to Fellman et al [41]. The fraction of water loss through evaporation can be quantified using the equation reformulated by Gibson and Reid [42] for a non-steady-state condition and adopted by several authors [11,43,44], as shown in Equation (2):…”

Section: Quantification Of Evaporation Losses Of Sampled Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…= eq + k (7) where eq is expressed as eq = 1000(1 − α −1 w-v ), which is a function of temperature (in Kelvin) expressed for δ 18 O by Equation (8) [11,43]:…”

Section: Quantification Of Evaporation Losses Of Sampled Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using a mean yearly temperature of 298.15 K, the kinetic fractionation factor ( k ) was calculated to be 9.11 vrs V-SMOW, resulting in a fractionation enrichment factor (f) of −13.37 vrs V-SMOW [43].…”

Section: Quantification Of Evaporation Losses Of Sampled Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…where α w-v is the fractionation factor. For the estimation, we adopted the initial isotopic signature of rainwater, which was sampled in April 2012 around the Lake Bosumtwi area from Loh et al [43] and returned a value of −12.40‰vrs V-SMOW for δ 18 O.…”

Section: Quantification Of Evaporation Losses Of Sampled Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stable Isotopes and Water Level Monitoring Integrated to Characterize Groundwater Recharge in the Pra Basin, Ghana

Manu,

De Lucia,

Akiti

et al. 2023

Water

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In the Pra Basin of Ghana, groundwater is increasingly becoming the alternative water supply due to the continual pollution of surface water resources through illegal mining and indiscriminate waste discharges into rivers. However, our understanding of hydrogeology and the dynamics of groundwater quality remains inadequate, posing challenges for sustainable water resource management. This study aims to characterize groundwater recharge by determining its origin and mechanism of recharge prior to entering the saturated zone and to provide spatial estimates of groundwater recharge using stable isotopes and water level measurements relevant to groundwater management in the basin. Ninety (90) water samples (surface water and groundwater) were collected to determine stable isotope ratios of oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δ2H) and chloride concentration. In addition, ten boreholes were installed with automatic divers to collect time series data on groundwater levels for the 2022 water year. The Chloride Mass Balance (CMB) and the Water Table Fluctuation (WTF) methods were employed to estimate the total amount and spatial distribution of groundwater recharge for the basin. Analysis of the stable isotope data shows that the surface water samples in the Pra Basin have oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δ2H) isotope ratios ranging from −2.8 to 2.2‰ vrs V-SMOW for δ18O and from −9.4 to 12.8‰ vrs V-SMOW for δ2H, with a mean of −0.9‰ vrs V-SMOW and 0.5‰ vrs V-SMOW, respectively. Measures in groundwater ranges from −3.0 to −1.5‰ vrs V-SMOW for δ18O and from −10.4 to −2.4‰ vrs V-SMOW for δ2H, with a mean of −2.3 and −7.0‰ vrs V-SMOW, respectively. The water in the Pra Basin originates from meteoric source. Groundwater has a relatively depleted isotopic signature compared to surface water due to the short residence time of infiltration within the extinction depth of evaporation in the vadose zone. Estimated evaporative losses in the catchment range from 51 to 77%, with a mean of 62% for surface water and from 55 to 61% with a mean of 57% for groundwater, respectively. Analysis of the stable isotope data and water level measurements suggests a potential hydraulic connection between surface water and groundwater. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that the isotopes of groundwater have comparatively lower values than surface water. Furthermore, the observation that the groundwater level remains constant in months with lower rainfall further supports this conclusion. The estimated annual groundwater recharge in the catchment ranges from 9 to 667 mm (average 165 mm) and accounts for 0.6% to 33.5% (average 10.7%) of mean annual precipitation. The total estimated mean recharge for the study catchment is 228 M m3, higher than the estimated total surface water use for the entire Pra Basin of 144 M m3 for 2010, indicating vast groundwater potential. Overall, our study provides a novel insight into the recharge mechanism and spatial quantification of groundwater recharge, which can be used to constrain groundwater flow and hydrogeochemical evolution models, which are crucial for effective groundwater management within the framework of the Pra Basin’s Integrated Water Resources Management Plan.

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Section: Quantification Of Evaporation Losses Of Sampled Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…= eq + k (7) where eq is expressed as eq = 1000(1 − α −1 w-v ), which is a function of temperature (in Kelvin) expressed for δ 18 O by Equation (8) [11,43]:…”

Section: Quantification Of Evaporation Losses Of Sampled Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Quantification Of Evaporation Losses Of Sampled Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Quantification Of Evaporation Losses Of Sampled Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stable Isotopes and Water Level Monitoring Integrated to Characterize Groundwater Recharge in the Pra Basin, Ghana

Manu,

De Lucia,

Akiti

et al. 2023

Water

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“…In the study area, research on the hydrochemical characterization of surface water and groundwater is very sparse and the few ones that exist [19][20][21] are poorly coordinated to provide a regional overview for better planning and management of the aquifers in the basin. The complexity characterizing the underlying geology and the enormous land-use changes make it very difficult to understand the processes that determine the quality of surface water and groundwater in a regional setting.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrochemical Characterization of Surface Water and Groundwater in the Crystalline Basement Aquifer System in the Pra Basin (Ghana)

Manu

Lucia

Kühn

2023

Water

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The quality of groundwater resources in the Pra Basin (Ghana) is threatened by ongoing river pollution from illegal mining. To date, there are very limited data and literature on the hydrochemical characteristics of the basin. For the first time, we provide regional hydrochemical data on surface water and groundwater to gain insight into the geochemical processes and quality for drinking and irrigation purposes. We collected 90 samples from surface water (rivers) and groundwater (boreholes) and analysed them for their chemical parameters. We performed a water quality assessment using conventional water quality rating indices for drinking water and irrigation. Cluster and factor analysis were performed on the hydrochemical data to learn the chemical variations in the hydrochemical data. Bivariate ion plots were used to interpret the plausible geochemical processes controlling the composition of dissolved ions in surface water and groundwater. The water quality assessment using Water Quality Index (WQI) revealed that 74% of surface water and 20% of groundwater samples are of poor drinking quality and, therefore, cannot be used for drinking purposes. For irrigation, surface water and groundwater are of good quality based on Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Wilcox diagram and United States Salinity (USSL) indices. However, Mn and Fe (total) concentrations observed in most surface water samples are above the acceptable limit for irrigation and therefore require treatment to avoid soil acidification and loss of availability of vital soil nutrients. Manganese and iron (total) are identified as the main contaminants affecting the basin’s water quality. The hierarchical cluster analysis highlights the heterogeneity in the regional hydrochemical data, which showed three distinct spatial associations based on elevation differences. Groundwater composition chemically evolves from a Ca–HCO3 to a Na–HCO3 and finally to a Na–Cl water type along the flow regime from the recharge to the discharge zone. The bivariate ion plot and the factor analysis underscore silicate weathering, carbonate dissolution and ion exchange as the most likely geochemical processes driving the hydrochemical evolution of the Pra Basin groundwater. Going forward, geochemical models should be implemented to elucidate the dominant reaction pathways driving the evolution of groundwater chemistry in the Pra Basin.

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Identifying interactions of linked irrigated lake-groundwater system by combining hydrodynamic and hydrochemical method

Li¹,

Bian²,

Wang³

et al. 2023

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Groundwater - surface water interactions: application of hydrochemical and stable isotope tracers to the lake bosumtwi area in Ghana

Cited by 7 publications

References 60 publications

Stable Isotopes and Water Level Monitoring Integrated to Characterize Groundwater Recharge in the Pra Basin, Ghana

Stable Isotopes and Water Level Monitoring Integrated to Characterize Groundwater Recharge in the Pra Basin, Ghana

Hydrochemical Characterization of Surface Water and Groundwater in the Crystalline Basement Aquifer System in the Pra Basin (Ghana)

Identifying interactions of linked irrigated lake-groundwater system by combining hydrodynamic and hydrochemical method

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