Abstract
ABSTRACT Spatial data became increasingly utilized in many scientific fields due to the accessibility of monitoring data from different sources. In the case of hydrological mapping, measurements of external environmental conditions, such as soil, climate, vegetation, are often available in addition to the measurements of water characteristics. An integrated modelling approach capable to incorporate multiple input data sets that may have heterogeneous geometries and other error characteristics can be achieved using geostatistical techniques. In this study, different physical hydric properties of soils extensively sampled and topography were used as auxiliary information for making optimal, point-level inferences of water table depths in forest areas. We used data from 48 wells in the Bauru Aquifer System in the Santa Bárbara Ecological Station (EEcSB), in the municipality of Aguas de Santa Bárbara in São Paulo State, Brazil. Using the resistance of soil to penetration and topography as auxiliary variables helped reduce prediction errors. With the generated maps, it was possible to estimate the volumes of water recovered from the water table in two periods during the monitoring period. These values showed that 30% of the recovered volume would be sufficient for a three-month supply of water for a population of 30,000 inhabitants. Therefore, this raises the possibility of using areas such as the EEcSB as strategic supplies in artificial recharging management.
Highlights
The future of natural resources has been the subject of much reflection in relation to the modern way of life, with the imminent scarcity of water resources among the greatest causes for concern
The study area is located above the Bauru Aquifer System (BAS), which is an aquifer in Upper Cretaceous sandstones, with a regional extension that occupies the geomorphological region of the occidental plateau of São Paulo State, in the sedimentary basin of Paraná
The measured values did not show normal behavior, i.e., the asymmetry and kurtosis values diverged from the expected limits of 0 and 3, respectively
Summary
The future of natural resources has been the subject of much reflection in relation to the modern way of life, with the imminent scarcity of water resources among the greatest causes for concern. When shallow groundwater systems are unconfined, they are vulnerable to anthropogenic contamination It is important for hydrogeologists and natural resource managers to understand the processes of the unsaturated zone that link human activity at the soil surface with the underlying groundwater, and vice versa (DILLON; SIMMERS, 1998). The strategic importance of groundwater resources has increased, stimulating the development of efficient methods for their measurement and monitoring. Such techniques must be capable of assessing the quantity of groundwater resources and the seasonality effects and possible alterations in climatic conditions. This understanding would promote a balance of the interests around the multiple functions attributed to groundwater, making the knowledge regarding the very important spatiotemporal dynamics of the groundwater (VON ASMUTH; KNOTTERS, 2004)
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