Integrated assessment of the impact of land use changes on groundwater recharge and groundwater level in the Drava floodplain, Hungary

Abstract

Land-use/land-cover (LULC) change is considered a key human factor influencing groundwater recharge in floodplains. Without accurate estimations, the impact of LULC change on water balance components may be either significantly understated or exaggerated. This paper assesses the impacts of LULC changes from 1990 to 2018 on water balance components and groundwater levels of the Drava floodplain, Hungary, where human interference has led to a critical environmental situation. In this study, a spatially-distributed water balance model (WetSpass-M), and a groundwater flow model (MODFLOW-NWT) were integrated to assess the impacts of LULC changes. The moderate expansion of built-up areas increased surface runoff, while the afforestation of arable land and meadows and the overgrowth of bare mudflats with willow shrubs increased evapotranspiration. As a consequence, total annual groundwater recharge decreased by 5.3 × 107 m3 in the floodplain with an average of 335 mm year−1 and 317 mm year−1 in 2012 and 2018, respectively. Moreover, an average groundwater level decline by 0.1 m is observed in the same period. Declined groundwater recharge, increased runoff, and evapotranspiration exerted a negative effect on water resources in the Drava basin. The approach tested in this paper allows temporal and spatial estimation of hydrological components under the changes of LULC, providing quantitative information for decision-makers and stakeholders to implement efficient and sustainable management of water resources in the Drava floodplain. The provided integrated model is also applicable to regionally.

Spatial–Temporal Water Balance Evaluation in the Nile Valley Upstream of the New Assiut Barrage, Egypt, Using WetSpass-M

“…The decrease in groundwater recharge is linked to the increase in urban areas and the decline of cropland. Furthermore, urbanization leads to a reduction in the recharge of groundwater [47]. Average groundwater recharge experienced a significant drop of 6% from 2012 to 2018.…”

“…The WBC may exhibit variability across different LULC types and soil textures [47]. The amount of groundwater recharge, actual evapotranspiration, and surface runoff are influenced by LULC, as shown in Figure 10.…”

Groundwater Potential Assessment in the Upper Oum Er-Rbia Basin, Northern Morocco

“…et al, 2021]. LULC influences groundwater recharge [Mengistu et al, 2022;Salem et al, 2023]. It determines evapotranspiration, runoff, and infiltration rates [Anusha et al, 2022;Yadav et al, 2023].…”

Enhancing groundwater vulnerability assessment for improved environmental management: addressing a critical environmental concern

“…Intrinsic vulnerability refers to the inherent geological, hydrological, hydrogeological, and hydrogeochemical characteristics of an area (Abu-Bakr 2020 ; Taghavi et al 2022 ). In recent years, the global population has increased, leading to a surge in human activities in various sectors, including agriculture and industry (Salem et al 2023 ). This has resulted in the production of hazardous chemical materials that can infiltrate porous aquifers, causing a significant deterioration in groundwater quality (Chen et al 2016 ).…”