Aquifers found in glacial buried valleys are a major source of good-quality ground water in northeastern Kansas. The extent and character of many of these deposits are not precisely known, so a detailed study of the buried valleys was undertaken. Test drilling, Landsat imagery, shallow-earth temperature measurements, seismic refraction, surface electrical resistivity, and gravity data were used to evaluate two sites in Nemaha and Jefferson Counties. Tonal patterns on springtime Landsat imagery and winter/summer anomalies in shallow-earth temperatures were quick and inexpensive methods for locating some glacial buried aquifers and suggested areas for more intensive field studies. Reversed seismic refraction and resistivity surveys were generally reliable indicators of the presence or absence of glacial buried valleys, with most depth determinations being within 25% of test-drilling results. The effectiveness of expensive test-hole drilling was greatly increased by integrating remote sensing, shallow-earth temperature, seismic, and resistivity techniques in the two buried valley test areas. A gravity profile allowed precise definition of the extent of one of the channels after the other techniques had been used for general information. 相似文献
To quantify and model the natural groundwater-recharge process, two sites in south-central Kansas, U.S.A., were instrumented with various modern sensors and data microloggers. The atmospheric-boundary layer and the unsaturated and saturated soil zones were monitored as a unified regime. Data from the various sensors were collected using microloggers in combination with magnetic-cassette tape, graphical and digital recorders, analog paper-tape recorders, and direct observations to evaluate and automate data collection and processing.
Atmospheric sensors included an anemometer, a tipping-bucket raingage, an air-temperature thermistor, a relative-humidity probe, a net radiometer, and a barometric-pressure transducer. Sensors in the unsaturated zone consisted of soil-temperature thermocouples, tensiometers coupled with pressure transducers and dial gages, gypsum blocks, and a neutron moisture probe operated by an observer. The saturated-zone sensors consisted of a water-level pressure transducer, a conventional float gage connected to a variable potentiometer, soil thermocouples, and a number of multiple-depth piezometers.
Evaluation of the operation of these sensors and recorders indicated that certain types of equipment such as pressure transducers are very sensitive to environmental conditions. Extraordinary steps had to be taken to protect some of the equipment, whereas other equipment seemed to be reliable under all conditions. Based on such experiences, a number of suggestions aimed at improving such investigations are outlined. 相似文献
One of the most pressing global issues currently facing mankind is the increase in world population and its impact on the availability of freshwater. Recent estimates of water stocks and flows through the world's hydrologic cycle and their spatiotemporal variability illustrate the nature of current and projected water disparities throughout the world. As all such problems manifest themselves at smaller scales, a major challenge in freshwater assessments is how to handle this on different geographical scales. Increasing use of water is creating water shortages in many countries that are projected to have significant population increases in the next 25 years. Humankind is projected to appropriate from 70% to 90% of all accessible freshwater by 2025. Agriculture is the dominant component of human water use, accounting for almost 70% of all water withdrawals. Hence, many of the solutions to water-related food and environmental security come from within agriculture by increasing the efficiency and productivity of water use. Many factors significantly impact the increasing water demand, including population growth, economic growth, technological development, land use and urbanization, rate of environmental degradation, government programs, climate change, and others. Demand management, not increasing supply availability, is the realistic way forward. Although, thanks to market forces, the threatened exhaustion of nonrenewable resources has not happened, renewable resources, such as freshwater, remain problematic because they are vulnerable to human overuse and pollution. Climate change adds further risks and uncertainties to the global picture requiring the adoption of adaptive management in water resources based on monitoring and reevaluation. Although climate change may be perceived as a long-term problem, it needs to be addressed now because decisions today will affect society's ability to adapt to increasing variability in tomorrow's climate. If we are to balance freshwater supply with demand, and also protect the integrity of aquatic ecosystems, a fundamental change in current wasteful patterns of production and consumption is needed. Recognition of the links between rapidly growing populations and shrinking freshwater supplies is the essential first step in making water use sustainable. 相似文献
The seismic hazard and risk analysis for the onshore Groningen gas field requires information about local soil properties, in particular shear-wave velocity (VS). A fieldwork campaign was conducted at 18 surface accelerograph stations of the monitoring network. The subsurface in the region consists of unconsolidated sediments and is heterogeneous in composition and properties. A range of different methods was applied to acquire in situ VS values to a target depth of at least 30 m. The techniques include seismic cone penetration tests (SCPT) with varying source offsets, multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) on Rayleigh waves with different processing approaches, microtremor array, cross-hole tomography and suspension P-S logging. The offset SCPT, cross-hole tomography and common midpoint cross-correlation (CMPcc) processing of MASW data all revealed lateral variations on length scales of several to tens of metres in this geological setting. SCPTs resulted in very detailed VS profiles with depth, but represent point measurements in a heterogeneous environment. The MASW results represent VS information on a larger spatial scale and smooth some of the heterogeneity encountered at the sites. The combination of MASW and SCPT proved to be a powerful and cost-effective approach in determining representative VS profiles at the accelerograph station sites. The measured VS profiles correspond well with the modelled profiles and they significantly enhance the ground motion model derivation. The similarity between the theoretical transfer function from the VS profile and the observed amplification from vertical array stations is also excellent. 相似文献
A method of estimating groundwater recharge, based on water-balance components using the SWAT-MODFLOW model (an integrated surface water-groundwater model), is described. A multi-reservoir storage routing module is suggested instead of a single storage routing module in SWAT; this represents a more realistic delay in the travel of water through the vadose zone. By using this module, the parameter related to the delay time can be optimized by checking the correlation between simulated recharge and observed groundwater levels. The final step of this procedure is to compare simulated groundwater levels as well as the simulated watershed stream flow with the observed groundwater levels and watershed stream flow. This method is applied to the Mihocheon watershed in South Korea to estimate spatio-temporal groundwater recharge distribution. The computed annual recharge rate is compared with the independently estimated recharge rate using BFLOW. The hydrologic modelling results show that the annual average recharge rate should be estimated by a long-term continuous simulation with a distributed hydrologic modelling technique. 相似文献
The Ogallala Formation of Miocene/Pliocene age is present over a large area of the Great Plains in the central US. The formation is composed of mostly clastic material eroded and transported eastward from the Rocky Mountains by eastward flowing rivers and streams. It contains the life-giving water that supports the population and farming activities of this vast area. However, this precious water resource is fast being depleted. The geology and geologic history, groundwater recharge, irrigation development, and water law and management of the region are outlined so as to highlight the nature and extent of the water problems facing that region and point to a more sustainable path. Further strengthening local water management and coordination with state government as well as better interstate coordination of the High Plains states will help sustain this critical water resource for generations to come. 相似文献