Regional-scale assessment of groundwater recharge and the water balance for Austria
Study Region: The study area covers Austria (83 900km2) and neighboring regions with transboundary river basins. Study Focus: Knowledge of regional groundwater recharge patterns is essential for sustainable water resource management. Currently, Austria lacks fully spatially distributed groundwater r...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581825001211 |
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| Summary: | Study Region: The study area covers Austria (83 900km2) and neighboring regions with transboundary river basins. Study Focus: Knowledge of regional groundwater recharge patterns is essential for sustainable water resource management. Currently, Austria lacks fully spatially distributed groundwater recharge maps. The study’s aim was to develop a nationwide hydrological model that predicts groundwater recharge and the water balance components runoff, and evapotranspiration.We implemented the rainfall-runoff model COSERO with a 1km2 spatial and monthly temporal resolution. In model calibration, four objective functions were evaluated to determine the most suitable one for our modeling purpose. Additionally, a two-stage calibration procedure was integrated to capture both water balance dynamics and low-flow characteristics. Model results were verified against independent studies. New Hydrological Insights for the Region: This study provides the first Austria-wide, fully spatially distributed groundwater recharge map for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reference period 1991–2020, along with updated water balance maps. We set up a consistent model framework, serving as a valuable resource for future climate change impact assessments.The model simulations yielded a long-term average groundwater recharge rate in the magnitude of 373mmyear−1, 650mmyear−1 runoff, and 538mmyear−1 actual evapotranspiration. |
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| ISSN: | 2214-5818 |