Groundwater drought propagation and distribution in temperate and semi-arid climates

Groundwater drought can be defined as a temporary decrease in groundwater availability over a prolonged period. It can be identified when the water table in an aquifer falls below a critical level over a certain period resulting in several adverse effects. Nowadays, the water security of countries during meteorological, hydrological and agricultural drought is highly dependent on the groundwater availability. In consequence, studies related to groundwater drought are essential for sustainable use and management of groundwater in numerous countries. This research aims to develop and apply a method and supporting tools for groundwater drought assessment and management in temperate (Belgium case study) and semiarid (Ethiopia case study) climate regions. An essential factor in the propagation of drought from meteorological drought to groundwater drought, is the delay between a precipitation event and the groundwater recharge reaching the groundwater table. The research therefore starts by analyzing the groundwater recharge delay in the unsaturated soil zone. Then, propagation of groundwater drought will be analyzed by focusing on the relationship between recharge, groundwater level and discharge in the aquifer system. A combined water balance and groundwater modeling strategy with the consideration of a threshold level approach will be used for simulating groundwater drought. Additionally, linear reservoir modeling techniques will also be utilized to examine this propagation. Climate change and groundwater demand scenarios will be incorporated in this research to predict the occurrence of groundwater drought in the future, both in temperate and semi-arid study areas. Finally, a comparison will be made between the processes and techniques of groundwater drought propagation and distribution in temperate and semiarid climate region case studies. The increased understanding and the development of quantitative tools for groundwater drought propagation in aquifer systems can be used for sustainable groundwater management.

Jaar van publicatie:2021

Toegankelijkheid:Embargoed