Feedback of land subsidence on the movement and conjunctive use of water resources
The dependency of surface- or groundwater flows and aquifer hydraulic properties on dewatering-induced layer deformation is not available in the USGS's groundwater model MODFLOW. A new integrated hydrologic model, MODFLOW-OWHM, formulates this dependency by coupling mesh deformation with aquifer transmissivity and storage and by linking land subsidence/uplift with deformation-dependent flows that also depend on aquifer head and other flow terms. In a test example, flows most affected were stream seepage and evapotranspiration from groundwater (ETgw). Deformation feedback also had an indirect effect on conjunctive surface- and groundwater use components: Changed stream seepage and streamflows influenced surface-water deliveries and returnflows. Changed ETgw affected irrigation demand, which jointly with altered surface-water supplies resulted in changed supplemental groundwater requirements and pumping and changed return runoff. This modeling feature will improve the impact assessment of dewatering-induced land subsidence/uplift (following irrigation pumping or coal-seam gas extraction) on surface receptors, inter-basin transfers, and surface-infrastructure integrity.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2014 |
---|---|
Title | Feedback of land subsidence on the movement and conjunctive use of water resources |
DOI | 10.1016/j.envsoft.2014.08.006 |
Authors | Wolfgang Schmid, Randall T. Hanson, Stanley A. Leake, Joseph D. Hughes, Richard G. Niswonger |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Environmental Modelling and Software |
Index ID | 70115030 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
USGS Organization | California Water Science Center |