Precipitation Intensity Effects on Groundwater Recharge in the Southwestern United States

Thomas, Brian F.; Behrangi, Ali; Famiglietti, J. S.

doi:10.3390/w8030090

Cited by 79 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Treatment effects of this magnitude (16% larger daily precipitation) are likely to be realized in the coming decades [2–6]. Despite modest effects on precipitation event size, treatments caused surprisingly large increases in soil water infiltration and availability [21, 24]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Experimental tests of the effects of precipitation intensity are important because ecohydrological models suggest that ecosystem responses may be very sensitive to precipitation intensity [14, 21, 24]. For example, small increases in precipitation intensity may increase plant productivity by decreasing interception and evaporation [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, small increases in precipitation intensity may increase plant productivity by decreasing interception and evaporation [25]. Alternatively, large increases in precipitation intensity may decrease plant productivity due to overland flow or deep soil infiltration [24, 26]. Further, factors such as soil type, slope and plant root distributions may also affect plant and water responses to changes in precipitation intensity [27, 28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A savanna response to precipitation intensity

Berry

Kulmatiski

2017

PLoS ONE

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As the atmosphere warms, precipitation events are becoming less frequent but more intense. A three-year experiment in Kruger National Park, South Africa, found that fewer, more intense precipitation events encouraged woody plant encroachment. To test whether or not these treatment responses persisted over time, here, we report results from all five years of that experiment. Grass growth, woody plant growth, total fine root number and area and hydrologic tracer uptake by grasses and woody plants were measured in six treated plots (8 m by 8 m) and six control plots. Treatment effects on soil moisture were measured continuously in one treated and one control plot. During the fourth year, increased precipitation intensity treatments continued to decrease water flux in surface soils (0–10 cm), increase water flux in deeper soils (20+ cm), decrease grass growth and increase woody plant growth. Greater root numbers at 20–40 cm and greater woody plant uptake of a hydrological tracer from 45–60 cm suggested that woody plants increased growth by increasing root number and activity (but not root area) in deeper soils. During the fifth year, natural precipitation events were large and intense so treatments had little effect on precipitation intensity or plant available water. Consistent with this effective treatment removal, there was no difference in grass or woody growth rates between control and treated plots, although woody plant biomass remained higher in treated than control plots due to treatment effects in the previous four years. Across the five years of this experiment, we found that 1) small increases in precipitation intensity can result in large increases in deep (20–130 cm) soil water availability, 2) plant growth responses to precipitation intensity are rapid and disappear quickly, and 3) because woody plants accumulate biomass, occasional increases in precipitation intensity can result in long-term increases in woody plant biomass (i.e., shrub encroachment). While results are likely to be site-specific, they provide experimental evidence of large ecohydrological responses to small changes in precipitation intensity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A savanna response to precipitation intensity

Berry

Kulmatiski

2017

PLoS ONE

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“…This suggests that groundwater recharge from extreme rainfall is quite significant in Bengaluru, despite being predominantly built-up. In the literature, significant recharge events from extreme precipitation have been reported [38][39][40] in agricultural regions. In urban areas, however, the conventional narrative is that groundwater recharge is impeded by the dominance of built-up, impervious areas (e.g., [27]).…”

Section: Extreme Rainfall Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater Level Dynamics in Bengaluru City, India

Sekhar

Tomer²,

Thiyaku³

et al. 2017

Sustainability

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Abstract:Groundwater accounts for half of Indian urban water use. However, little is known about its sustainability, because of inadequate monitoring and evaluation. We deployed a dense monitoring network in 154 locations in Bengaluru, India between 2015 and 2017. Groundwater levels collected at these locations were analyzed to understand the behavior of the city's groundwater system. At a local scale, groundwater behavior is non-classical, with valleys showing deeper groundwater than ridge-tops. We hypothesize that this is due to relatively less pumping compared to artificial recharge from leaking pipes and wastewater in the higher, city core areas, than in the rapidly growing, lower peripheral areas, where the converse is true. In the drought year of 2016, groundwater depletion was estimated at 27 mm, or 19 Mm 3 over the study area. The data show that rainfall has the potential to replenish the aquifer. High rainfall during August-September 2017 led to a mean recharge of 67 mm, or 47 Mm 3 for the study area. A rainfall recharge factor of 13.5% was estimated from the data for 2016. Sustainable groundwater management in Bengaluru must account for substantial spatial socio-hydrological heterogeneity. Continuous monitoring at high spatial density will be needed to inform evidence-based policy.

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“…Thomas et al [2] provide a regional assessment of the impact of rainfall intensity on the recharge rate over a large area of the southwestern United States in their paper entitled "Precipitation Intensity Effects on Groundwater Recharge in the Southwestern United States". They use a combination of the water table fluctuation and master recession curve methods to assess aquifer recharge applied to water level data collected from a large number of observation wells.…”

Section: Contributorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Resources Assessment and Management in Drylands

Koch

Missimer

2016

Water

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Drylands regions of the world face difficult issues in maintaining water resources to meet current demands which will intensify in the future with population increases, infrastructure development, increased agricultural water demands, and climate change impacts on the hydrologic system. New water resources evaluation and management methods will be needed to assure that water resources in drylands are optimally managed in a sustainable manner. Development of water management and conservation methods is a multi-disciplinary endeavor. Scientists and engineers must collaborate and cooperate with water managers, planners, and politicians to successfully adopt new strategies to manage water not only for humans, but to maintain all aspects of the environment. This particularly applies to drylands regions where resources are already limited and conflicts over water are occurring. Every aspect of the hydrologic cycle needs to be assessed to be able to quantify the available water resources, to monitor natural and anthropogenic changes, and to develop flexible policies and management strategies that can change as conditions dictate. Optimal, sustainable water management is achieved by cooperation and not conflict, thereby necessitating the need for high quality scientific research and input into the process.

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Precipitation Intensity Effects on Groundwater Recharge in the Southwestern United States

Cited by 79 publications

References 76 publications

A savanna response to precipitation intensity

A savanna response to precipitation intensity

Groundwater Level Dynamics in Bengaluru City, India

Water Resources Assessment and Management in Drylands

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