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Title: Groundwater recharge estimation in arid hardrock-alluvium aquifers using combined water-table fluctuation and groundwater balance approaches

Journal Article · · Hydrological Processes
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11270 · OSTI ID:1512612
 [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6]
  1. Sultan Qaboos Univ., Muscat (Oman). Water Research Center; East Water and Environmental Research Inst., Mashhad (Iran). Dept. of Hydroinformatics
  2. Sultan Qaboos Univ., Muscat (Oman). Water Research Center
  3. East Water and Environmental Research Inst., Mashhad (Iran). Dept. of Hydroinformatics
  4. Caledonian College of Engineering, Muscat (Oman). Built and Natural Environment Dept.
  5. Sultan Qaboos Univ., Muscat (Oman). Water Research Center; Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Atmospheric, Earth and Energy Division
  6. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Atmospheric, Earth and Energy Division
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This article proposes an approach to estimate groundwater recharge using an optimization-based water-table fluctuation method combined with a groundwater balance model in an arid hardrock-alluvium region, located at the Oman–United Arab Emirates border. Here, we introduce an “effective hardrock thickness” term to identify the percentage of the considered hardrock thickness in which effective groundwater flow takes place. The proposed method is based upon a Thiessen polygon zoning approach. The method includes subpolygons to represent specific geologic units and to enhance the confidence of the estimated groundwater recharge. Two linear and 1 nonlinear submodels were developed to evaluate the model components for the calibration (October 1996 to September 2008) and validation (October 2008 to September 2013) periods. Long-term annual groundwater recharge from rainfall and return flow over the model domain are estimated as 24.62 and 5.71 Mm3, respectively, while the effective groundwater flow circulation is found to occur in the upper 7% of the known hardrock thickness (42 m), confirming conclusions of previous field studies. Considering a total difference in groundwater levels between eastern and western points of the study area of the order of 220 m and a 12-year monthly calibration period, a weighted root mean squared error in predicted groundwater elevation of 2.75 m is considered quite reasonable for the study area characterized by remarkable geological and hydrogeological diversity. The proposed approach provides an efficient and robust method to estimate groundwater recharge in regions with a complex geological setting in which interaction between fractured and porous media cannot be easily assessed.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1512612
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-769882; 961119
Journal Information:
Hydrological Processes, Vol. 31, Issue 19; ISSN 0885-6087
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 9 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (19)

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Cited By (3)

Modern Recharge in a Transboundary Groundwater Basin Deduced from Hydrochemical and Isotopic Investigations: Al Buraimi, Oman journal September 2018
Groundwater Recharge Prediction Using Linear Regression, Multi-Layer Perception Network, and Deep Learning journal September 2019
Groundwater Modeling and Sustainability of a Transboundary Hardrock–Alluvium Aquifer in North Oman Mountains journal February 2017

Figures / Tables (13)

Fig. 1(p. 34)figure Fig. 1
Fig. 2(p. 35)figure Fig. 2
Fig. 3(p. 36)figure Fig. 3
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Fig. 7(p. 40)figure Fig. 7
Fig. 8(p. 41)figure Fig. 8
Fig. 9(p. 42)figure Fig. 9
Fig. 10(p. 43)figure Fig. 10
Table 1(p. 44)table Table 1
Table 2(p. 45)table Table 2
Table 3(p. 46)table Table 3

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Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
groundwater recharge
hardrock‐alluvium
Oman
water‐table fluctuation