Unsustainable depletion of aquifer storage and diversion of groundwater from downstream users continue to be serious problems, even though their adverse effects are widely recognized. Groundwater depletion involves interactions between economically motivated pumping decisions and physical constraints. Here, we investigate these interactions by using optimal control techniques to describe the pumping decisions of economic agents who share an aquifer. Our approach relies on a multi-scale description of unconfined groundwater flow, applied to a computational experiment that illustrates some important impacts of aquifer development. We show that cooperative groundwater management can provide higher economic benefits, with less storage depletion, than an uncooperative alternative. However, demand for water still drives pumping decisions, even when users cooperate. In many aquifers the benefits of pumping are necessarily accompanied by a reduction in aquifer outflow and by depletion of the groundwater reserve, for both cooperative and uncooperative management. These benefits decrease significantly when pumping is limited by well yield constraints or when the diversion of aquifer outflow is restricted. Our overall analysis emphasizes the importance of viewing aquifer management as part of a larger resource allocation problem that considers the conflicting needs of well operators, downstream users, and future consumers of the resource.

中文翻译：

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地下水枯竭的多尺度动态

不可持续的含水层储存枯竭和从下游用户转移地下水仍然是严重的问题，尽管它们的不利影响已得到广泛承认。地下水枯竭涉及经济驱动的抽水决策和物理限制之间的相互作用。在这里，我们通过使用最佳控制技术来描述共享含水层的经济主体的抽水决策来研究这些相互作用。我们的方法依赖于无承压地下水流的多尺度描述，应用于计算实验，说明含水层开发的一些重要影响。我们表明，与不合作的替代方案相比，合作地下水管理可以提供更高的经济效益，同时减少储存枯竭。然而，对水的需求仍然推动抽水决策，即使用户合作。在许多含水层，抽水带来的好处必然伴随着含水层流出量的减少和地下水储备的枯竭，无论是合作管理还是非合作管理。当抽水受到井产量限制或含水层流出物的分流受到限制时，这些好处会显着减少。我们的总体分析强调了将含水层管理视为更大资源分配问题的一部分的重要性，该问题考虑了油井运营商、下游用户和未来资源消费者的冲突需求。当抽水受到井产量限制或含水层流出物的分流受到限制时，这些好处会显着减少。我们的总体分析强调了将含水层管理视为更大资源分配问题的一部分的重要性，该问题考虑了油井运营商、下游用户和未来资源消费者的冲突需求。当抽水受到井产量限制或含水层流出物的分流受到限制时，这些好处会显着减少。我们的总体分析强调了将含水层管理视为更大资源分配问题的一部分的重要性，该问题考虑了油井运营商、下游用户和未来资源消费者的冲突需求。