The hydraulic characterization of a highly anthropized coastal aquifer in France is presented. The current industrial operations of the study site prevent the use of standard ‘active’ hydrogeological investigation methods (pumping, slug tests). However, the studied field is bordered on its north-western side by a channel directly connected to the sea, which allows for characterization of the hydraulic

The original version of this article unfortunately contained mistakes.

Pleistocene-aged glacial sediments are found in many parts the Northern Hemisphere and are often composed of clay-rich tills which form aquitards that can control drainage and influence groundwater movement and contaminant transport. Site-scale investigations have characterized the hydraulic properties of till aquitards; however, the hydraulic conductivity of these units has not been quantitatively

Although specific storage (SS) is a crucial parameter for characterizing the dynamic water-release process in an aquitard, the Hvorslev analysis method is only capable of estimating the hydraulic conductivity (K), rather than SS. The Hvorslev method is based on an assumption of steady-state flow and uses the falling-head test. Considering the elastic water-release effect in an aquitard and the actual

Profiles of the stable isotope ratios of pore water within the vadose zone provide fingerprints of the history of water percolation into a soil. These profiles, combined with profiles of the volumetric water content, can determine the timing and amount of water that has percolated during specific periods. This study aims to: (1) understand water percolation at two sites in Quebec (Canada) that experience

A study on the complex processes of hydrogeological transformation of recharge into discharge within a karst system is described. Given the absence of boreholes or points of direct observation, the applied methodology is based on study of the natural response of the main outlet of the karst aquifer, considered here as a black-box. Time series analysis and recession curve analysis are applied to daily

Improved understanding of interactions among the atmosphere, soil water and groundwater can be achieved by observing time-series of soil-water content and water-table fluctuations in a soil profile. Field observations at a site in China show that from mid-June to mid-September, when evapotranspiration is strong, direct groundwater recharge does not occur, and variations in soil-water content in the

In the arid landscape south of the Grand Canyon, natural springs and seeps are a critical resource for endemic species and Native American tribes. Groundwater is potentially threatened by expanding populations, tourism, and mineral extraction activities. Environmental tracers, including noble gases, stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen in water, tritium, and carbon-14, were used to characterize recharge

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is widely acknowledged as a key driver of environmental change in tropical island coral reefs. Previous work has addressed SGD and groundwater-reef interactions at isolated submarine springs; however, there are still many outstanding questions about the mechanisms and distribution of groundwater discharge to reefs. To understand how groundwater migrates to reefs

The hydrogeochemical characteristics of springs in the granites of the Spanish Central System (SCS), a mountain range affected by cortical tectonic structures, is described, along with an investigation of the spring water origin. In springs with variable flow and where they are associated with minor alterations and fractures, water type is Ca-(Na)-HCO3 with low total dissolved solids (TDS; 54–200 ppm)

Springs and groundwater seeps along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (Arizona, USA) are important for the region’s ecosystems, residents (human and animal), and economy. However, these springs and seeps are potentially vulnerable to contamination, increased groundwater extraction, or reduced recharge due to climate change. In this study, statistical methods are used to investigate δ2H and δ18O in

The Ica area of south-eastern Peru has evolved rapidly since the late 1990s into the most advanced agricultural development in the country. The intensive use of waterwells for year-round irrigation, primarily of asparagus, is the basis for an export industry worth about US$ 6,000 M/a, but one which is threatened by serious groundwater sustainability concerns. The public water-resource administration

Groundwater supply systems constructed by gold miners in Victoria during the nineteenth century were highly significant in the historical development of water law and water licensing in Australia. Alluvial gold mining required large volumes of water to separate gold from washdirt, but surface flows often failed in seasonally dry conditions. Drought in the mid-1860s prompted miners on the Ovens goldfield

The misunderstanding of hydrogeological processes together with the oversimplification of aquifer conceptual models result in numerous inaccuracies in the management of groundwater resources. In Central Chile (32–36°S), hydrogeological studies have exclusively focused to alluvial aquifers in valleys (~15% of total area) and mountain-front zones remain considered as no-flux boundary conditions. By a

A three-dimensional stratigraphic model was constructed of the upper 50 m of the Mississippi River Delta, southeastern USA. The model is used to understand hydrogeological connections among the Mississippi River, adjacent interdistributary bays and groundwater systems, and to understand how stratigraphic settings affect potential anthropically induced subsidence and erosion in the region. This study

The Jimo hot spring in Shandong Peninsula, China, is a typical coastal geothermal system. The geothermal water has a very high salinity (10.8 g/L) and the origin of the salt is key to utilization of this geothermal resource. A systematic investigation of the hydrochemistry and isotopes (δ11B, 87Sr/86Sr, δ18O, δD, 13CDIC and 14CDIC) of water from 14 geothermal wells was conducted. The results show that

The Lez aquifer in southern France comprises low-porosity karstified limestones and provides drinking water for ~400,000 inhabitants. Population growth and climate change have increased the stress on the water resources. In order to provide long-term protection and to optimize the water supply, the hydrogeology of the Lez aquifer must be better characterized. This study focused particularly on the

Better characterization of the geochemical evolution of groundwater south of Grand Canyon, Arizona (USA), is needed to understand natural conditions and assess potential effects from breccia-pipe uranium mining in the region. Geochemical signatures of groundwater at 28 sampling locations were evaluated; baseline concentrations for select trace elements (As, B, Ba, Cr, Li, Mo, Rb, Se, Sr, Th, Tl, U

A workflow is presented that integrates unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery with discrete fracture network (DFN) geometric characterization and quantification of fluid flow. The DFN analysis allows for reliable characterization and reproduction of the most relevant features of fracture networks, including: identification of orientation sets and their characteristics (mean orientation, dispersion

In an effort to detect and quantify potential CO2 leakage from geologic storage sites, this work investigates the migration process of CO2 leaked in a shallow subsurface associated with the CO2 sequestration project at Shaanxi, China. A shallow subsurface model with aquifer and soil layers was established, and the sensitivities of leakage rate and geological conditions were analysed. The results show

National governments and international organizations such as the European Commission, are promoting the increased use of information and communication technologies to assist scientists in the “mining” of knowledge. A typical workflow for a hydrogeologist consists of investigating and reporting hydrogeological processes in a study area, from data collection to model-based analysis. While hydrogeologists

A cokriging model using three variables is developed to estimate bare-surface soil moisture content based on multi-temporal synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) data. This model utilizes cross-semivariogram function to take into account spatially varied correlation among multiple variables. Here, five sentinel-1 SAR scenes were acquired on different dates using the interferometric wide-swath (IW) mode and

Nuclear power has the potential to provide significant amounts of reliable electricity generation without carbon dioxide emissions. Disposing of radioactive waste is, however, an ongoing challenge, and if it is to be buried, the characterisation of the regional groundwater system is vital to protect the anthroposphere. This aspect is understudied in comparison to the engineered facility; yet, selecting

Commonly used transport models of unsaturated flow assume that the movement of pore water is dominated mainly by capillary flow and they neglect adsorbed film flow. These models have been proven to be successful at high and intermediate saturations but typically underestimate the hydraulic conductivity in the dry range, where water movement in equilibrium conditions is dominated by adsorbed film flow

The characterization of contaminant transport in subsurface environments is a pre-requisite for sustainable groundwater use and management. Various analytical and numerical models are generally utilized for such characterization. Analytical models are used for solving simple and idealized pollution transport problems, while numerical models deal with real-world pollution transport simulations. However

Iran is among the world’s top five groundwater exploiters and, similar to many countries in the world, aquifers in Iran have been rapidly depleted over the past decades primarily as a result of groundwater use by farmers. This research was conducted to explore whether the perceptions of pistachio growers in Rafsanjan Plain, Iran (a global center for pistachio production), on the depleting groundwater

Landslides in loess slopes are mainly triggered by heterogeneity in hydrogeology. The southern Jingyang Plateau (China) was selected to characterize the geological structure and groundwater synergetic mechanisms that trigger landslides through groundwater–soil interactions. The study investigated hydrogeological and irrigation factors, the groundwater-perching effect of paleosols, the groundwater-conducting

The original version of this article unfortunately contained an incorrect citation.

Urban karst aquifers are threatened by anthropogenic activities, especially in semiarid developing countries. Recent water-sampling campaigns assessed the extent of groundwater-quality impairment in the Wadi Shueib in Jordan by a comprehensive hydrogeological and hydrochemical characterization of groundwater, wastewater, and imported water with its endmembers Lake Tiberias, Yarmouk River and Mukheiba

In order to evaluate the behavior of a freshwater lens in the uplifted atoll island of Minami-Daito, Japan, groundwater level and electrical conductivity were simultaneously measured in six monitoring wells. The monitoring allowed determination of the position and variability of the top and bottom positions of the freshwater lens. The freshwater lens periodically oscillates with phase lags (delay time)

A feasibility assessment was undertaken on the application of water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) for the Cape Flats Aquifer in Cape Town, South Africa, at the local scale. The study contributes towards the planning of water-sensitive cities in the future. A three-dimensional steady-state groundwater flow model was applied to the Cape Flats Aquifer to predict WSUD scenarios by incorporating managed

Research into the unsaturated zone and groundwater recharge can greatly improve understanding of hydrological processes and assist in sustainable groundwater management. Groundwater recharge of the Ljubljana Field aquifer, a coarse-gravel porous aquifer in Slovenia, was estimated with reference to soil characteristics, outflow data from a weighing lysimeter, and water-table fluctuation. The specific

This study integrates a water-table estimator into the hydrologic model SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) to simulate transit times of nitrate in groundwater for Fish River basin in Alabama, USA. Three water-table estimators were developed using 3D finite-element-modeling data and spatiotemporally dynamic remotely sensed data. Initially, the study estimates spatiodynamic groundwater levels by coupling

The registering and/or licensing of groundwater abstraction is held as a “best practice” in the control of groundwater use and a necessary step toward volumetric management of resources. Yet, groundwater licensing and legalization processes in areas with many scattered (often agricultural) users tend to face severe difficulties and are rarely successful. Based on a global survey on groundwater governance

Small and shallow alluvial aquifers in arid and semi-arid regions compose an important water system that smallholder farmers rely on for irrigation and livestock feeding. Geological settings and the small scale of these aquifers suggest the need for governance at the local level, but research supporting its development is still scarce. Treating a case of alluvial aquifers exploited by smallholder farmers

A simple and efficient improvement on the conventional packer testing technique is described. Based on experience associated with hundreds of packer tests in the past decade, a functional change is proposed with respect to the pressure inflation supply for the packer testing unit. The change involves allowing each packer to be independently controlled with two separate gas-flow delivery systems, allowing

The evolution of water temperature at the stream–aquifer interface and the associated heat fluxes have a major influence on the ecological state. Here, a synthetic case is developed to characterize the behavior of the stream–aquifer interface submitted to meteorological and hydrological forcings as well as to various hydraulic and thermal properties, representative of a wide range of lithofacies from

The cold and thermal karst water resources of the Bükk Mountains play a significant role in the hydrogeological setting of northeastern Hungary. Although there is much geological and hydrogeological information available, the regional hydrogeology of the Bükk Mountains had not been described in a standalone study involving all this information. The drinking water supply of the city of Miskolc and some

A contaminated industrial waste site in Washington State (USA) containing buried, metallic-waste storage tanks, pipes, and wells, was evaluated to determine the feasibility of monitoring groundwater remediation activities associated with an underlying perched aquifer system using electrical resistivity tomography. The perched aquifer, located ~65 m below ground surface and ~10 m above the regional

Physical process-based groundwater flow models are the major tools for studying fluid-flow behavior and for simulating the hydrological responses of water levels and spring discharge to human- and/or nature-induced triggers such as pumping and recharge. Such models are built with deep understanding of the physical processes and are based on geological models, developed by integrating data from geology

Accuracy of groundwater storage (GWS) estimates from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission usually has certain relations with hydrological models. This study develops a statistical selection approach to optimally estimate GWS from GRACE using two hydrological models: the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) and the WaterGAP Global Hydrology Model (WGHM), over Tasmania

Calibrating the heterogeneous permeability distribution of hard-rock aquifers based on sparse data is challenging but crucial for obtaining meaningful groundwater flow models. This study demonstrates the applicability of stochastic sampling of the prior permeability distribution and Metropolis sampling of the posterior permeability distribution using typical production data and measurements available

Heterogeneity is a common feature of aquifers and plays an important role in the efficiency of remediation of groundwater contamination. Pore-scale heterogeneity is an important control on governing mass transport and chemical/biological reactions in reactive transport processes, but quantitative characterization and systematic assessment of this property has been limited. In this study, a pore-sc

Groundwater storage in alpine regions is essential for maintaining baseflows in mountain streams. Recent studies have shown that common alpine landforms (e.g., talus and moraine) have substantial groundwater storage capacity, but the hydrogeological connectivity between individual landforms has not been understood. This study characterizes the hydrogeology of an alpine cirque basin in the Canadian

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) as a major source of alkalinity has rarely been studied in Jiaozhou Bay, China. The presented study used radon (222Rn) and radium isotopes to investigate SGD and its influence on alkalinity and nutrient inputs into the bay. Time-series observations of 222Rn were used to quantify groundwater dynamics over tidal time scales and the results showed that the SGD rates

Fig. 3 in the original article contains an error in labelling. The correct figure is given here.

The capture of groundwater by horizontal wells (HWs) is an old but often overlooked technique. Practically all modeling techniques available in groundwater hydrology have been applied to HWs. This work compares analytical models with field data and investigates the influence of nonuniform screen inflow. The usefulness of a vertical well approximation is studied. A new MATLAB application, HORI, is presented

Subsurface temperatures are substantially higher in urban areas than in surrounding rural environments; the result is a subsurface urban heat island (SUHI). SUHIs and their drivers have received attention in studies world-wide. In this study, a well-constrained data set of subsurface temperatures from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, is presented. The study demonstrates that, through modeling of centuries-long

The mechanisms of private-well groundwater contamination are uniquely complex, necessitating a multisector communicative approach to risk management, premised on behaviour promotion. In countries such as the Republic of Ireland (ROI), characterised by oftentimes high groundwater contamination risk and concurrently limited user awareness, incorporation of multidisciplinary, ‘expert-based’ knowledge

Groundwater nitrate is a concern in the Great Lakes Basin (GLB) of North America. Concentrations vary based on hydrogeologic setting and surface contamination pressures. The first objective of this study was to characterize groundwater nitrate trends in a spatial and temporal context across three unique hydrogeologic and land-use settings in the GLB, at research sites in Norfolk, Guelph, and Acton

A Turonian limestone-dolomite aquifer from the Tadla basin of Morocco was analysed using a multi-tracer approach (δ18O, δ2H, δ13C, 3H, 14C and noble gases) to reconstruct the paleotemperature evolution from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene. The Turonian aquifer was found to be suitable for a groundwater-based paleoclimate reconstruction, representing the Holocene–late Pleistocene epochs. After

Groundwater chemical and isotopic variability are used to identify and map temporal changes in the paleo-lacustrine environment and the long-term climate trends in the Closed Basin of the San Luis Valley, Colorado, USA. Total dissolved solids, water color, δ13C, SO42−, Cl−, and Na+ excess are used to identify chemical reaction zones. The reaction zones include methanogenic zones, which represent organic-rich

Hydraulic head and groundwater age data are effective in building understanding of groundwater systems. Yet their joint role in detecting and characterising low-permeability geological structures, i.e. hydrogeologic barriers such as faults and dykes, has not been widely studied. Here, numerical flow and transport models, using MODFLOW-NWT and MT3D-USGS, were developed with different hydrogeologic barrier

Salt loads in the Colorado River Basin are a primary water quality concern. Natural groundwater brine discharge to the Dolores River where it passes through the collapsed salt anticline of the Paradox Valley in western Colorado (USA) is a significant source of salt to the Colorado River. An airborne electromagnetic survey of Paradox Valley has provided insights into the three-dimensional distribution

Isotopes and hydrochemistry were used to characterize the recharge and flow of groundwater in the arid Santanghu basin in Northwest China. The results of isotopic measurement and hydrochemical facies indicate that the predominant recharge mechanism is via rivers and streams. Modern recharge only occurs in the piedmont area of Moqinwula Mountains by ephemeral rivers, and the main recharge source is

A calibrated field-scale numerical model of groundwater flow and permafrost degradation has been used in a sensitivity analysis of permafrost thaw on thermal and hydraulic parameters. The two-dimensional cryo-hydrogeological model was developed using the HEATFLOW-SMOKER code applied to the Umiujaq field site in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, and includes coupled groundwater flow and advective–conductive

Approximately 2 km2 of sand- and gravel-rich Pleistocene glacial-outburst megaflood sediment has accumulated in a series of five subparallel paleochannels that are an important component of a basalt-dominated aquifer system on the semiarid, ~450-km2 West Plains area. Located near Spokane, Washington (USA), the West Plains paleochannel deposits have been used for artificial storage and recovery wells

The presented study evaluates the effect of water-table depth on groundwater evaporation (Eg) and recharge (Rg) when they occurred alternately. A lysimeter experiment incorporating a 1-year-long bromide tracer test was conducted under conditions with a range of maintained water-table depths. The results revealed that both the Rg and Eg decreased as the water table fell, until it was down to the extinction

Groundwater flow and the geochemical evolution of a freshwater lens in an aquifer on a Pacific atoll were investigated by hydrogeochemical surveys. Sulfur hexafluoride measurements showed that deeper groundwater and groundwater at the periphery of the lens are older, consistent with a downward and outward groundwater flow scheme. This is the typical flow scheme on Pacific atolls where a Holocene–Pleistocene

A cold-region watershed located in the discontinuous permafrost zone near Umiujaq (Nunavik, Canada) was studied in order to increase understanding of the subarctic water cycle and permafrost dynamics. This essay gives an overview of the research, summarised in a collection of six papers that: respectively characterize the physical three-dimensional cryo-hydrogeological system, present a detailed water