Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment Using Process Based Models

Since the need to protect ground water from pollution was recognized, researchers have made progress in understanding the vulnerability of ground water to contamination. Yet, there are substantial uncertainties in the vulnerability assessment methods now available. With a wealth of detailed information and practical advice, this volume will help decision-makers derive the most benefit from available assessment techniques. It offers: Three laws of ground water vulnerability. Six case studies of vulnerability assessment. Guidance for selecting vulnerability assessments and using the results. Reviews of the strengths and limitations of assessment methods. Information on available data bases, primarily at the federal level. This book will be indispensable to policymakers and resource managers, environmental professionals, researchers, faculty, and students involved in ground water issues, as well as investigators developing new assessment methods.

This book shows the effectiveness of DRASTIC model in a geographical setting for validation of vulnerable zones and presents the optimization of parameters for the development of precise maps highlighting several zones with varied contamination. Impact of vadose zone has also been assessed by considering every sub-surface layer. Exclusive title covering effectiveness of DRASTIC model for groundwater vulnerability assessment Reviews of the strengths and limitations of assessment methods Presents multi-criteria evaluation of hydro-geological and anthropogenic factors Discusses integration with geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) Includes application of groundwater governance framework with a case study study of a geographical setting

Since the need to protect ground water from pollution was recognized, researchers have made progress in understanding the vulnerability of ground water to contamination. Yet, there are substantial uncertainties in the vulnerability assessment methods now available. With a wealth of detailed information and practical advice, this volume will help decision-makers derive the most benefit from available assessment techniques. It offers: Three laws of ground water vulnerability. Six case studies of vulnerability assessment. Guidance for selecting vulnerability assessments and using the results. Reviews of the strengths and limitations of assessment methods. Information on available data bases, primarily at the federal level. This book will be indispensable to policymakers and resource managers, environmental professionals, researchers, faculty, and students involved in ground water issues, as well as investigators developing new assessment methods.

Climate and Land Use Impacts on Natural and Artificial Systems: Mitigation and Adaptation provides in-depth information on the linkages between climate change and land use, how they are related, how land use is shifting over time, and the major global regions at risk for climate and land use changes. This comprehensive resource discusses climatic factors and processes that impact natural and artificial systems, as well as the relationship between climate change and both natural and man-made hazards. The book includes case studies and original maps to provide real-life examples of climate change and land use over regions around the globe. In addition, the book presents future perspectives on mitigation and adaptation of the climate change impact. Summarizes current research on land use and climate change Provides future perspectives on climate change using climate models Includes case studies to provide real-life examples from various countries Incorporates high level graphics, images, and maps to support reviews and case studies

Approaches that rely on process-based models to assess groundwater vulnerability, as opposed to empirical relationships, have recently gained more attention as they have the potential to provide a general framework for all types of (re)source and stress relations. A comprehensive and sustainable management system is needed, based on integrated surface and groundwater models, for effective surface and groundwater protection on a scientific defensible basis. Using a process-based model, an approach to assess intrinsic groundwater vulnerability is proposed and demonstrated for the Saint-Charles River catchment, Québec. A fully integrated 2D surface and 3D groundwater flow model is implemented to simulate quasi steady-state flow in the catchment. Groundwater transit times, which represent an intrinsic system characteristic, are simulated with the flow model. They are then combined with future DPSIR (Driving forces - Pressures - State - Impact - Responses) vulnerability scenarios to assess the system sensitivity. Climate change (decreasing precipitation) and land use change (urbanization) scenarios are simulated. Sensitivity coefficients are calculated for multiple state variables and form the basis for the system vulnerability prediction, with system threshold values of well-being. The scenarios are then compared with a MCDA (Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis) framework, which provides a common evaluation basis, accounting for quantitative (e.g. highly vulnerable catchment percentage) and non-quantitative (scenario relevance and probability) criteria. The MCDA ranks vulnerability and response investigation for the urbanization scenario with highest priority. When combined, the physical and generic framework-based vulnerability approaches represent a powerful tool for analyzing human- environmental interactions and impacts. An integrated surface and groundwater consideration is essential because the vulnerability is a function of the nature and origin of pressure (i.e. scenario specific) and the state variable chosen. Most system changes and impacts can be measured, analyzed and validated within a calibrated model for (quasi) steady-state conditions. The reliability of predicted system vulnerabilities is mainly subject to conceptual and parameter uncertainties and can suffer from the non-unique model calibration issues. Future work should focus on improving the combined approach by providing a clear guidance for the vulnerability evaluation with a threshold rating system which classifies the system damage state in space and time.

This volume presents the contemporary issues surrounding groundwater pollution risk assessment and the application of vulnerability and risk assessment maps for the effective protection and management of aquifers. Numerous new and improved approaches to intrinsic and specific vulnerability assessment (modified DRASTIC, GOD, VULK, VURAAS) are descri

This book contains both practical and theoretical aspects of groundwater resources relating to geochemistry. Focusing on recent research in groundwater resources, this book helps readers to understand the hydrogeochemistry of groundwater resources. Dealing primarily with the sources of ions in groundwater, the book describes geogenic and anthropogenic input of ions into water. Different organic, inorganic and emerging contamination and salinity problems are described, along with pollution-related issues affecting groundwater. New trends in groundwater contamination remediation measures are included, which will be particularly useful to researchers working in the field of water conservation. The book also contains diverse groundwater modelling examples, enabling a better understanding of water-related issues and their management. Groundwater Geochemistry: Pollution and Remediation offers the reader: An understanding of the quantitative and qualitative challenges of groundwater resources An introduction to the environmental geochemistry of groundwater resources A survey of groundwater pollution-related issues Recent trends in groundwater conservation and remediation Mathematical and statistical modeling related to groundwater resources Students, lecturers and researchers working in the fields of hydrogeochemistry, water pollution and groundwater will find Groundwater Geochemistry an essential companion.

This book gathers together a set of chapters covering recent development in optimization methods that are inspired by nature. The first group of chapters describes in detail different meta-heuristic algorithms, and shows their applicability using some test or real-world problems. The second part of the book is especially focused on advanced applications and case studies. They span different engineering fields, including mechanical, electrical and civil engineering, and earth/environmental science, and covers topics such as robotics, water management, process optimization, among others. The book covers both basic concepts and advanced issues, offering a timely introduction to nature-inspired optimization method for newcomers and students, and a source of inspiration as well as important practical insights to engineers and researchers.