A New Perspective to Explore the Hydraulic Connectivity of Karst Aquifer System in Jinan Spring Catchment, China

Abstract

Investigating the hydraulic connectivity of a complex karst aquifer system is an important research topic for sustainable operation and optimization layout of karst groundwater exploitation and recharge. However, the identification of preferential sites of recharge and exploitation is usually subject to regional hydrogeology conditions and the mechanisms of recharge and exploitation. The conventional research methods of hydraulic connectivity often have some limitations. In this study, we developed an improved grey amplitude relation model to explore the hydraulic connectivity in Jinan spring catchment and presented a quantized evaluation index water table fluctuation relation degree (WTFRD) using karst groundwater table data in Western Jinan and Jinan spring groups from 2014 to 2017. Results showed that the total WTFRD was 0.854 between Western Jinan and Jinan spring groups when the external distraction for karst groundwater table was the smallest, which was in high relation degree grade. Meanwhile, the change rules of karst groundwater table in the two sites were basically the same. Accordingly, a high connectivity occurred between the two karst aquifers from a statistical perspective, and further illustrated that Western Jinan could be selected as preferential experiment sites. A comprehensive case in Jinan spring catchment indicated that the WTFRD provided a preliminary idea to investigate hydraulic connectivity quantitatively. This method could be considered as a pre-study of the conventional experiments to form a high-efficiency and low-cost combined method, which has great potential and merits further study.

Effects of Grass and Forests and the Infiltration Amount on Preferential Flow in Karst Regions of China

“…Latent variables can be reflected by measurable variables by the use of a measurement model. We can obtain the relationship between each latent variable and measurable variable by solving Equations (6)- (8).…”

“…Preferential flow refers to the uneven and rapid movement of water and solutes through porous media (typically soil). It is an important factor that increases soil water conservation [6] and groundwater recharge [7] because of spatial connectivity of soil [8], which has been studied by certain mathematical models [9]. Moreover, preferential flow, as an important part of soil water infiltration, can affect the transport of pollutants [10], thus influencing the capacity of the soil to buffer and filter [11].…”

Spectral Decomposition and a Waveform Cluster to Characterize Strongly Heterogeneous Paleokarst Reservoirs in the Tarim Basin, China

“…The general characteristics of karst systems have been extensively published, and modern cave systems are well-studied [89][90][91][92][93][94][95]. The distribution of fracture-cavity channel systems formed by the action of paleo-karst water can be divided into network, dendritic, pinnate, single-pipe, individual, and other forms [88].…”

Hydraulic Behavior of Karst Aquifers

“…Zhang et al [9] investigated the hydraulic connectivity in the Jinan spring catchment (China) using karst groundwater table data. They proposed a method where the time-series of the hydraulic head is processed and compared statistically to explore the hydraulic connectivity of complicated karst aquifer systems.…”