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Net Recharge vs. Depth to Groundwater Relationship in the Platte River Valley of Nebraska, United States
Author(s) -
Szilagyi Jozsef,
Zlotnik Vitaly A.,
Jozsa Janos
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/gwat.12007
Subject(s) - groundwater recharge , hydrology (agriculture) , groundwater , water table , evapotranspiration , surface runoff , environmental science , surface water , precipitation , depression focused recharge , geology , aquifer , geography , ecology , geotechnical engineering , environmental engineering , meteorology , biology
One‐km resolution MODIS‐based mean annual evapotranspiration (ET) estimates in combination with PRISM precipitation rates were correlated with depth to groundwater ( d ) values in the wide alluvial valley of the Platte River in Nebraska for obtaining a net recharge ( Rn ) vs. d relationship. MODIS cells with irrigation were excluded, yielding a mixture of predominantly range, pasture, grass, and riparian forest covers on sandy soils with a shallow groundwater table. The transition depth ( d t ) between negative and positive values of the net groundwater recharge was found to be at about 2 (±1) m. Within 1 (±1) m of the surface and at a depth larger than about 7 to 8 (±1) m, the mean annual net recharge became independent of d at a level of about −4 (±12)% and 13 (±10)%, respectively, of the mean annual precipitation rate. The obtained Rn ( d ) relationship is based on a calibration‐free ET estimation method and may help in obtaining the net recharge in shallow groundwater areas of negligible surface runoff where sufficient groundwater‐depth data exist.