Water table fluctuations within the floodplain of the River Severn, England

Burt, T. P.; Bates, Paul; Stewart, Marianne C.; Claxton, Amanda Jane; Anderson, M. G.; Price, David

doi:10.1016/s0022-1694(01)00567-4

Cited by 80 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The intensity of these interactions is directly linked to the spatial and temporal dynamics of the groundwater table, which is due to the water balance in the complex aquifer-soilvegetation-atmosphere system. The water table depth is affected by the vertical recharge through the unsaturated soil, determined by the precipitation infiltrated into the topsoil (Burt et al 2002, Lu et al 2011). Chen and Hu (2004) and Luo and Sophocleous (2010) showed that the shallow groundwater has a primary role in maintaining a high soil moisture, and in sustaining the evaporation fluxes and the crop-water use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the soil water balance in an alluvial flood plain with a shallow groundwater table

Pirastru

Niedda

2013

Hydrological Sciences Journal

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Many of the hydrological and ecological functions of alluvial flood plains within watersheds depend on the water flow exchanges between the vadoze soil zone and the shallow groundwater. The water balance of the soil in the flood plain is investigated, in order to evaluate the main hydrological processes that underlie the temporal dynamics of soil moisture and groundwater levels. The soil moisture and the groundwater level in the flood plain were monitored continuously for a three-year period. These data were integrated with the results derived from applying a physically-based numerical model which simulated the variably-saturated vertical water flow in the soil. The analysis indicated that the simultaneous processes of lateral groundwater flow and the vertical recharge from the unsaturated zone caused the observed water table fluctuations. The importance of these flows in determining the rises in the water table varied, depending on soil moisture and groundwater depth before precipitation. The monitoring period included two hydrological years (September 2009-September 2011. About 13% of the precipitation vertically recharged the groundwater in the first year and about 50% in the second. The difference in the two recharge coefficients was in part due to the lower groundwater levels in the recharge season of the first hydrological year, compared to those observed in the second. In the latter year, the shallow groundwater increased the soil moisture in the unsaturated zone due to capillary rise, and so the mean hydraulic conductivity of the unsaturated soil was high. This moisture state of soil favoured a more efficient conversion of infiltrated precipitation into vertical groundwater recharge. The results show that groundwater dynamics in the flood plain are an important source of temporal variability in soil moisture and vertical recharge processes, and this variability must be properly taken into account when the water balance is investigated in shallow groundwater environments.Key words soil water balance; groundwater recharge; lateral groundwater flow; 1D Richards model Evaluation du bilan hydrique du sol dans une plaine d'inondation alluviale avec une nappe phréatique peu profonde Résumé La plupart des fonctions hydrologiques et écologiques des plaines inondables alluviales des bassins versants dépendent des échanges entre la zone vadose et la nappe phréatique peu profonde. Nous avons étudié le bilan hydrique du sol dans la plaine d'inondation, afin d'évaluer les principaux processus hydrologiques qui sous-tendent la dynamique temporelle de l'humidité du sol et des eaux souterraines. L'humidité du sol et le niveau de la nappe phréatique de la plaine d'inondation ont été suivis en continu pendant une période de trois ans. Ces données ont été intégrées avec les résultats issus de l'application d'un modèle numérique à base physique simulant l'écoulement vertical de l'eau dans la zone du sol à saturation variable. L'analyse a montré que les processus simultanés de l'écoulement souterrain latéral et de la...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the soil water balance in an alluvial flood plain with a shallow groundwater table

Pirastru

Niedda

2013

Hydrological Sciences Journal

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“…Continued evaporation will lower the water table even further. Under such conditions, the normal hydraulic gradient may even reverse, with discharge from the river to the floodplain, especially during flood events (Haycock and Burt, 1993;Bates et al, 2000;Burt et al, 2002). In autumn, water table levels within the floodplain and on adjacent slopes rise again, and flow towards the river is re-established.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since the hydrological condition of the floodplain can significantly influence the passage of the flood wave and the pattern of floodplain inundation, there have been several studies of floodplain inundation and recharge of alluvial aquifers by surface water (see review in Winter (1995)). Bates et al (2000) and Burt et al (2002) have studied the relative contribution of bank storage and slope discharge in controlling water table levels in the floodplain of the River Severn in central England. Autumn floods generate flows from the channel into the floodplain, producing a 'reverse' ridge of groundwater that migrates across the floodplain towards the slope.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water table fluctuations in the riparian zone: comparative results from a pan-European experiment

Burt

Pinay

Matheson

et al. 2002

Journal of Hydrology

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146

128

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Soil saturation is known to be of crucial importance to denitrification and other nitrogen cycling processes within the riparian zone. Since denitrification potential generally increases towards the soil surface, water table elevation can control the degree to which nitrate reduction is optimised. Given their topographic location and sedimentary structure, most floodplains are characterised by high water tables. However, detailed field data on water table levels, hydraulic gradients and flow patterns within the riparian zone are generally lacking. This paper presents data collected as part of a pan-European study of nitrate buffer zones, the Nitrogen Control by Landscape Structures in Agricultural Environments project (NICOLAS). An identical experimental design was employed at each site, allowing riparian zone hydrology and nitrogen cycling processes to be explored across a wide range of temperate climates; only the hydrological data are discussed here. A grid of dipwells at 10-metre spacing was installed at each site and manual measurements made at least once a month for a minimum of one year. In addition, at least one dipwell in each grid was monitored continuously using a data logger. All the riparian zones studied displayed a clear annual cycle of water table elevation, although other factors seemed equally important in influencing the range of variation. Where the riparian zone was flat, the water level in the adjoining river or lake proved more significant in controlling water table levels within the riparian zone than was originally anticipated. q

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“…In particular, stream-aquifer interactions have increasingly become a critical issue for water resources management and such interactions are now being emphasized in applications involving hydrological, environmental, ecological, and hydrogeological problems in the riparian/hyporheic zone. In the riparian/hyporheic zone, the recharge process of an aquifer takes place because of inflow from the stream and this process is influenced by stream level fluctuations [15,16] and rainfall infiltration/percolation into saturated beds [17]. Direct inflow from a stream should contribute predominantly to groundwater level rise near the stream.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing the Impact of River Barrage Construction on Stream-Aquifer Interactions, Korea

Hamm

et al. 2016

Water

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This study investigated changes in stream-aquifer interactions during the period shortly after the construction of the Changnyeong-Haman River barrage (CHRB) on the Nakdong River in South Korea. The hydraulic diffusivity (α) and river resistance (R) values at the semipervious stream-aquifer interface were estimated by using a one-dimensional (1-D) analytical solution with Fourier transform (FT). Prior to the application of the 1-D analytical solution, the noise effects on the groundwater levels were removed by using fast Fourier transform and low-pass filtering techniques. Sinusoidal variation of the river stages was applied to the 1-D analytical solution. For the study period, the R values showed a decreasing trend, while the α values showed an increasing trend, and results showed that the average of the median values of flood duration times (t d ) and flood amplitudes were reduced to 78% and 59%, respectively. Moreover, the ratio of flood peak time to t d demonstrated a decreasing tendency after the construction of the CHRB. Hence, it is concluded that the dredging and increase of river-water storage due to CHRB construction enhanced stream-aquifer interactions during the period shortly after the construction of the CHRB.

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Water table fluctuations within the floodplain of the River Severn, England

Cited by 80 publications

References 18 publications

Evaluation of the soil water balance in an alluvial flood plain with a shallow groundwater table

Evaluation of the soil water balance in an alluvial flood plain with a shallow groundwater table

Water table fluctuations in the riparian zone: comparative results from a pan-European experiment

Characterizing the Impact of River Barrage Construction on Stream-Aquifer Interactions, Korea

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