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Low‐water maps of the groundwater table in the central Amazon by satellite altimetry
Author(s) -
Pfeffer Julia,
Seyler Frédérique,
Bonnet MariePaule,
Calmant Stéphane,
Frappart Frédéric,
Papa Fabrice,
Paiva Rodrigo C.D.,
Satgé Frédéric,
Silva Joecila Santos Da
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2013gl059134
Subject(s) - groundwater , water table , amazon rainforest , hydrology (agriculture) , wetland , geology , surface water , aquifer , table (database) , groundwater flow , environmental science , ecology , computer science , biology , environmental engineering , data mining , geotechnical engineering
Groundwater plays a fundamental role in rainforest environments, as it is connected with rivers, lakes, and wetlands, and helps to support wildlife habitat during dry periods. Groundwater reservoirs are however excessively difficult to monitor, especially in large and remote areas. Using concepts from groundwater‐surface water interactions and ENVISAT altimetry data, we evaluated the topography of the groundwater table during low‐water periods in the alluvial plain of the central Amazon. The water levels are monitored using an unprecedented coverage of 491 altimetric stations over surface waters in the central Amazon. The groundwater table maps interpolated at spatial resolutions ranging from 50 to 100 km are consistent with groundwater wells data. They provide evidence of significant spatiotemporal organization at regional scale: heterogeneous flow from the hillslope toward the main rivers is observed, as well as strong memory effects and contrasted hydrological behaviors between the North and the South of the Amazon.