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    Groundwater Chemical Methods for Recharge Studies - Part 2
    Groundwater Chemical Methods for Recharge Studies - Part 2
    Groundwater Chemical Methods for Recharge Studies - Part 2
    Ebook64 pages1 hour

    Groundwater Chemical Methods for Recharge Studies - Part 2

    By PG Cook and AL Herczeg

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    About this ebook

    These notes are restricted to those geochemical methods which have been used to quantify rates of groundwater recharge. There have been two main approaches. The first involves the use of mass balances and mixing cell models, mainly using conservative (non-reacting) dissolved species. The methods range in complexity from simple back-of-the-envelope calculations (zero-dimensional chloride mass balance), to complex three-dimensional computer models. The second approach seeks to estimate the age or residence time of the groundwater by measuring compounds which are radioactive, or whose input to the aquifer has been changing over time (chlorofluorocarbons).

    In this report, the methodology and case examples are described. References to further information on the techniques are also provided.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCSIRO PUBLISHING
    Release dateMar 1, 1998
    ISBN9780643106031
    Groundwater Chemical Methods for Recharge Studies - Part 2

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      Book preview

      Groundwater Chemical Methods for Recharge Studies - Part 2 - PG Cook

      ABSTRACT

      Concentrations of major and minor ions, and stable and radioactive isotopes have been used extensively in hydrological investigations over the past few decades. Groundwater dating has been used to estimate horizontal flow velocities in confined aquifers and recharge rates to unconfined aquifers. Changes in concentrations of conservative tracers along groundwater flowlines have been used to determine mechanisms and magnitudes of inputs and outputs to aquifers (recharge, discharge, and leakage between aquifers) as well as chemical interactions between the groundwater and the rocks through which it travels.

      These notes are restricted to those geochemical methods which have been used to quantify rates of groundwater recharge. There have been two main approaches. The first involves the use of mass balances and mixing cell models, mainly using conservative (non-reacting) dissolved species (³H, ²H, ¹⁸O, chloride). The methods range in complexity from simple back-of-the envelope calculations (zero-dimensional chloride mass balance), to complex three-dimensional computer models. The second approach seeks to estimate the age or residence time of the groundwater by measuring compounds which are radioactive (¹⁴C), or whose input to the aquifer has been changing over time (chlorofluorocarbons).

      In this report, the methodology and some case examples are described. Several references to further information on the techniques are also provided.

      1  INTRODUCTION

      Groundwater chemical methods for estimating recharge have several advantages. In particular, where use can be made of existing wells, the methods can prove very cost efficient. Groundwater chemistry also provides some degree of integration of both the spatial and temporal variability of recharge, particul arly when compared with soil-based methods.

      Groundwater chemistry can provide useful information on the sources of groundwater and the location of the major recharge areas (Section 2). In some cases, it can be used to provide quantitative estimates of the groundwater recharge rate.

      Groundwater chemical methods for quantifying recharge can be divided into two broad categories: methods which rely on mass balance of solutes to deduce information about the magnitudes of additions to the aquifer (Section 3), and methods which seek to estimate the age or residence time of the groundwater (Section 4).

      2  INDICATORS OF RECHARGE PROCESSES

      Introduction

      Concentrations of major and minor ions, especially those that behave conservatively such as chloride, are often used to infer recharge mechanisms (e.g. Edmunds and Wright, 1979; Mazor, 1991). However, some of the most widely used techniques to assess some qualitative aspects of groundwater recharge are those using stable isotope ratios of the water molecules themselves; that is the ratio of ¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ²H/¹H. The advantage of these stable isotopes is that they are tracers of actual movement of water, and the two isotopes should display identical chemical behaviour in the environment. Slight variations in isotopic abundance are caused by small differences in reactivity of the different isotopes because of their mass differences. For example, H2¹⁶O is about 10 percent lighter than H2¹⁸O. The O-H bonds in H2¹⁶O are slightly weaker than those in H2¹⁸O because of the higher vibrational frequency for the former and therefore it is more reactive or ‘volatile’.

      Relative percent

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