Abstract
Abstract. Groundwater is one of the most important natural resources for economic development and environmental sustainability. In this study, we estimated groundwater storage in 11 major river basins across Alberta, Canada, using a combination of remote sensing (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, GRACE), in situ surface water data, and land surface modeling estimates (GWSAsat). We applied separate calculations for unconfined and confined aquifers, for the first time, to represent their hydrogeological differences. Storage coefficients for the individual wells were incorporated to compute the monthly in situ groundwater storage (GWSAobs). The GWSAsat values from the two satellite-based products were compared with GWSAobs estimates. The estimates of GWSAsat were in good agreement with the GWSAobs in terms of pattern and magnitude (e.g., RMSE ranged from 2 to 14 cm). While comparing GWSAsat with GWSAobs, most of the statistical analyses provide mixed responses; however the Hodrick–Prescott trend analysis clearly showed a better performance of the GRACE-mascon estimate. The results showed trends of GWSAobs depletion in 5 of the 11 basins. Our results indicate that precipitation played an important role in influencing the GWSAobs variation in 4 of the 11 basins studied. A combination of rainfall and snowmelt positively influences the GWSAobs in six basins. Water budget analysis showed an availability of comparatively lower terrestrial water in 9 of the 11 basins in the study period. Historical groundwater recharge estimates indicate a reduction of groundwater recharge in eight basins during 1960–2009. The output of this study could be used to develop sustainable water withdrawal strategies in Alberta, Canada.
Highlights
Fresh water is an important resource for economic development and social sustainability around the world
In situ groundwater storage anomalies (GWSAs) (GWSAobs) values ranged from −30 to 30 cm in all of the basins, with the highest fluctuations observed in www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/22/6241/2018/
The results indicate that GWSAobs depletion is in the range of −0.20 in basins 2 and 3
Summary
Fresh water is an important resource for economic development and social sustainability around the world. 1.2 billion people live in water-scarce areas across the globe (UN-Water/FAO, 2007). More than a billion people lack access to safe drinking water and this number is increasing due to an increasing population (Connor, 2015). The effects of climate change on glaciers and snowpack and the effects of human activities, such as overuse and overextraction of resources, can result in lowering water tables and groundwater depletion (Scanlon et al, 2016; Bhanja et al, 2017b). Well monitoring is spatially not continuous and has a high cost for a large region. There are only scant observation stations in some areas, especially in semiarid and arid environments, or cold climate regions covered by glacier and snowpack, due to difficulties of access and monitoring. Proper groundwater management and decision-making are hampered considerably by the scarcity of data
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