The hydrological and the hydrogeological framework of the Lottenbachtal, Bochum, Germany

Abstract

This study was performed to investigate the hydrological and the hydrogeological framework of the Lottenbachtal, Germany. Long-term climatic data were statistically analyzed, water and soil samples were collected and analyzed, stream flow discharge was measured and separated, the hydrological balance of this catchment was calculated and a hydrological and hydrogeological conceptual model was constructed. The study area is characterized mainly by the precipitation value ranged between 0.1 and 5 mm/day. The actual evapotranspiration constitutes 31.90 % of the total precipitation, the direct surface runoff constitutes 61.04 %, the soil storage constitutes 3 % and the groundwater recharge of the Lottenbachtal constitutes only 4 % of the total precipitation. The Lottenbachtal has largely affected the diversity of the land use, which includes forests, arable areas, abandoned coal mines and settlement areas. The soil of the forested area is represented by relatively high acidic conditions and relatively high sulfate concentrations, while the soil of the arable areas is represented by near-neutral conditions associated with relatively high concentrations of nutrients and other chemical elements (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, sulfate, nitrate). The settlement areas are characterized by huge blocks of concrete and backfills, which are rich in calcium and magnesium carbonates. The effects of this diversity in the land use on groundwater and surface water quality resulting by leaching the chemical elements from the soil covers and the other materials. These effects are represented by the following complex water types of Ca-Na-Mg-Cl-SO 4 -HCO 3 , Ca-Mg-HCO 3 -SO 4 , Ca-NaMg-Cl-SO 4 , Ca-Na-Mg-Cl-SO 4 and Ca-HCO 3 , which represent the diversity of the flow paths of the water as well as to mixing processes. The diversity of the land use also affected the physical hydrological-hydrogeological characteristics of the study area by increasing the direct surface runoff and decreasing the groundwater recharge. The impervious surfaces of the settlement areas and the low hydraulic conductivities of the soil covers are responsible for these conditions.

Water Chemical Characteristics and Safety Assessment of Irrigation Water in the Northern Part of Hulunbeier City, Grassland Area in Eastern China

“…− . The Piper triple plot is a graphical representation of the concentration of major anions and cations in water, and is widely used to evaluate the relationship between dissolved ion components and major water types [41][42][43]. The three-line graph consists of three parts.…”