Effects of Soil and Water Conservation Measures on Groundwater Levels and Recharge

Abstract

Abstract:Measures of soil and water conservation (SWC) could affect the hydrological process. The impacts of typical measures on groundwater recharge, levels and flow were analyzed based on simulated rainfall experiments and a groundwater model. The three-dimensional finite-difference groundwater flow model (MODFLOW) was calibrated and verified for bare slope, grassland and straw mulching scenarios based on the experiments. The results of the verification in groundwater balance, levels, runoff and flow field all showed that MODFLOW could be applied to study the impact of SWC measures on groundwater. Meanwhile, the results showed the recharge rate (α) and specific yield of the three soil layers (Sy1, Sy2 and Sy3) were the most sensitive parameters to the change in the underlying surface. Then, the impacts of the SWC measures' construction and destruction on the groundwater regime were studied. The results indicated the measures could strengthen groundwater recharge. The amounts of groundwater recharge, runoff and level were on the order of straw mulching > grassland > bare slope. When the underlying surface was converted from grass and mulching to bare slope, the recharge decreased by 42.2% and OPEN ACCESSWater 2014, 6 3784 39.1%. It was concluded that SWC measure construction would increase groundwater recharge and the measure destruction would decrease recharge.

Influence of Gully Land Consolidation on Phreatic Water Transformation in the Loess Hilly and Gully Region

“…The experiments were conducted in the sand-box model [42,43], 5.3 m × 1 m × 1 m, at the Rainfall Simulation Hall. The slope of the model could be adjusted manually from 0° to 35°.…”

Development and Application of the Snow, Soil Water and Water Balance Model (SNOSWAB), an Online Model for Daily Estimation of Snowpack Processes, Soil Water Content and Soil Water Balance

“…is critical for properly assessing the soil water content and soil water budget dynamics; for example, these processes are critical for baseflow and runoff formation as well as for the transport of excess nutrients from agricultural fields, but are difficult to measure [5][6][7][8]. Soil water content is a key component of the soil water budget and, hence, it contributes to controlling, for example, plant growth [9,10], the availability of water for drainage [11,12] and groundwater recharge [13,14], as well as the transport of contaminants [15,16] and pathogens [17] in the subsurface. Soil water content can in many cases be difficult, time-consuming or expensive to measure [18][19][20].…”

Hydrological characteristics of different organic materials mulches

“…Lin and Chen 18 studied the effects of straw mulching, polyacrylamide (PAM), and grass strips on the hydraulic properties of red soil, and the results showed that straw mulches significantly improved the moisture content, the water-holding capacity, and the structure of the soil. By exploring the effects of three mulching treatments (bare slope, grassland, and straw mulching) on the physical and chemical properties of the soil, Wang et al 19 concluded that mulches can increase soil moisture content and that organic mulches are the best choices for water retention. Soil moisture and the physical and chemical properties of the soil can be improved by enhancing the water permeability and water-holding capacity of the mulches 20 .…”

“…of the soil, Wang et al 19 concluded that mulches can increase soil moisture content and that organic mulches are the best choices for water retention. Soil moisture and the physical and chemical properties of the soil can be improved by enhancing the water permeability and water-holding capacity of the mulches 20 .…”