Understanding groundwater droughts using detrended historical meteorological data and long-term groundwater modelling

Groundwater is a vital resource for various water users in the Netherlands. However, due to a changing climate, increasing water demand and changes in the water system, the country is increasingly exposed to groundwater droughts. Water managers use various indicators and statistics to identify groun...

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Main Authors: Wout A. Schutten, Michiel Pezij, Rick J. Hogeboom, U. Nicole Jungermann, Denie C.M. Augustijn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2024-01-01
Series:Netherlands Journal of Geosciences
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Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0016774624000222/type/journal_article
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author Wout A. Schutten
Michiel Pezij
Rick J. Hogeboom
U. Nicole Jungermann
Denie C.M. Augustijn
author_facet Wout A. Schutten
Michiel Pezij
Rick J. Hogeboom
U. Nicole Jungermann
Denie C.M. Augustijn
author_sort Wout A. Schutten
collection DOAJ
description Groundwater is a vital resource for various water users in the Netherlands. However, due to a changing climate, increasing water demand and changes in the water system, the country is increasingly exposed to groundwater droughts. Water managers use various indicators and statistics to identify groundwater droughts. These indicators characterise the drought for example in terms of intensity, duration and probability of occurrence. Often, these indicators require information on long-term average groundwater conditions and extreme situations that can occur over long periods. However, the availability of long-term groundwater observations of more than ten years in length is limited. Particularly, extreme groundwater drought events are ill-described and subject to large uncertainty in their characterisation. This study explores a novel method for obtaining long-term phreatic groundwater levels by combining a data-driven time series model using transfer function-noise modelling with detrended historical meteorological time series representing the current climate. The method is applied to an area in the Netherlands to generate groundwater levels for the period 1910–2022. Our results reveal differences in the characterisation of groundwater droughts when the extended groundwater time series are compared with observations of a limited duration (eight years). Using the 2018 summer drought event as an example, we find that the probability of this groundwater drought occurring is approximately once every twelve years, based on the eight-year observation period. However, this probability reduces to a once every 24-year event when using historically generated groundwater time series to characterise the groundwater drought. We conclude that characterising droughts with the extended groundwater time series based on historical meteorological data can provide a more comprehensive insight into the intensity and frequency of groundwater droughts, as well as the probability of occurrence of current groundwater levels. Hence, the proposed method supports water managers in establishing return period-based criteria for measures, such as deciding when to implement irrigation bans.
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spelling doaj-art-f7c93fffca854f67ab0d30dafadb85b32024-12-05T08:09:45ZengCambridge University PressNetherlands Journal of Geosciences0016-77461573-97082024-01-0110310.1017/njg.2024.22Understanding groundwater droughts using detrended historical meteorological data and long-term groundwater modellingWout A. Schutten0https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7058-4606Michiel Pezij1Rick J. Hogeboom2U. Nicole Jungermann3Denie C.M. Augustijn4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5841-5506University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands Royal Haskoning DHV, Amersfoort, the NetherlandsHKV Lijn in Water, Lelystad, the NetherlandsUniversity of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands Water Footprint Network, Enschede, the NetherlandsHKV Lijn in Water, Lelystad, the NetherlandsUniversity of Twente, Enschede, the NetherlandsGroundwater is a vital resource for various water users in the Netherlands. However, due to a changing climate, increasing water demand and changes in the water system, the country is increasingly exposed to groundwater droughts. Water managers use various indicators and statistics to identify groundwater droughts. These indicators characterise the drought for example in terms of intensity, duration and probability of occurrence. Often, these indicators require information on long-term average groundwater conditions and extreme situations that can occur over long periods. However, the availability of long-term groundwater observations of more than ten years in length is limited. Particularly, extreme groundwater drought events are ill-described and subject to large uncertainty in their characterisation. This study explores a novel method for obtaining long-term phreatic groundwater levels by combining a data-driven time series model using transfer function-noise modelling with detrended historical meteorological time series representing the current climate. The method is applied to an area in the Netherlands to generate groundwater levels for the period 1910–2022. Our results reveal differences in the characterisation of groundwater droughts when the extended groundwater time series are compared with observations of a limited duration (eight years). Using the 2018 summer drought event as an example, we find that the probability of this groundwater drought occurring is approximately once every twelve years, based on the eight-year observation period. However, this probability reduces to a once every 24-year event when using historically generated groundwater time series to characterise the groundwater drought. We conclude that characterising droughts with the extended groundwater time series based on historical meteorological data can provide a more comprehensive insight into the intensity and frequency of groundwater droughts, as well as the probability of occurrence of current groundwater levels. Hence, the proposed method supports water managers in establishing return period-based criteria for measures, such as deciding when to implement irrigation bans.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0016774624000222/type/journal_articleData-driven modellinggroundwater statisticsPastastransfer function-noise modellingwater resource management
spellingShingle Wout A. Schutten
Michiel Pezij
Rick J. Hogeboom
U. Nicole Jungermann
Denie C.M. Augustijn
Understanding groundwater droughts using detrended historical meteorological data and long-term groundwater modelling
Netherlands Journal of Geosciences
Data-driven modelling
groundwater statistics
Pastas
transfer function-noise modelling
water resource management
title Understanding groundwater droughts using detrended historical meteorological data and long-term groundwater modelling
title_full Understanding groundwater droughts using detrended historical meteorological data and long-term groundwater modelling
title_fullStr Understanding groundwater droughts using detrended historical meteorological data and long-term groundwater modelling
title_full_unstemmed Understanding groundwater droughts using detrended historical meteorological data and long-term groundwater modelling
title_short Understanding groundwater droughts using detrended historical meteorological data and long-term groundwater modelling
title_sort understanding groundwater droughts using detrended historical meteorological data and long term groundwater modelling
topic Data-driven modelling
groundwater statistics
Pastas
transfer function-noise modelling
water resource management
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0016774624000222/type/journal_article
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AT unicolejungermann understandinggroundwaterdroughtsusingdetrendedhistoricalmeteorologicaldataandlongtermgroundwatermodelling
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