Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

On the inclusion of ground-based gravity measurements to the calibration process of a global rainfall-discharge reservoir model: case of the Durzon karst system (Larzac, southern France)

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This work examines the relevance of the inclusion of ground-based gravity data in the calibration process of a global rainfall-discharge reservoir model. The analysis is performed for the Durzon karst system (Larzac, France). The first part of the study focuses on the hydrological interpretation of the ground-based gravity measurements. The second part of the study investigates further the information content of the gravity data with respect to water storage dynamics modelling. The gravity-derived information is found unable to either reduce equifinality of the single-objective, discharge-based model calibration process or enhance model performance through assimilation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Avias J (1995) Gestion active de l’exsurgence karstique de la source du Lez. Hydrogéologie 1:113–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakalowicz M (2005) Karst groundwater: a challenge for new resources. Hydrol J 13(1):148–160. doi:10.1007/s10040-004-0402-9

    Google Scholar 

  • Beven K (2006) A manifesto for the equifinality thesis. J Hydrol 320(1–2):18–36. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2005.07.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beven K, Binley A (1992) The future of distributed models: model calibration and uncertainty prediction. Hydrol Process 6(3):279–298. doi:10.1002/hyp.3360060305

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beven K, Freer J (2001) Equifinality, data assimilation, and uncertainty estimation in mechanistic modelling of complex environmental systems using the GLUE methodology. J Hydrol 249(19):11–29. doi:10.1016/S0022-1694(01)00421-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boucher M, Guyard H, Chalikakis K, Legtchenko A (2010) Suivi des variations temporelles du stock d’eau dans la zone non saturée du bassin versant karstique du Durzon (Larzac, Hérault-Aveyron) par la méthode RMP. Synthèse des 3 premières campagnes de mesure (2009–2010). Tech. rep., ANR HydroGéodésie-2

  • Bruxelles L (2001) Dé pots et altérites des plateaux du Larzac central: Causses de l’Hospitalet et de Campestre (Aveyron, Gard, Hérault). Évolution morphogénique, consequences géologiques et implications pour l’amenagement. PhD thesis, Université de Provence

  • Bruxelles L, Caubel A (1996) Lacs temporaires et circulations de surface sur le causse de l’Hospitalet du Larzac en 1996: Fonctionnement et implications géomorphologiques. Bulletin de la Société Languedocienne de Géographie (3–4):253–288. http://www.karstologie.com/lacs.html

  • Contractor DN, Jenson JW (2000) Simulated effect of vadose infiltration on water levels in the Northern Guam Lens Aquifer. J Hydrol 229(3–4):232–254. doi:10.1016/S0022-1694(00)00157-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creutzfeldt B, Güntner A, Vorogushyn S, Merz B (2010) The benefits of gravimeter observations for modelling water storage changes at the field scale. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 7(2):2221–2260. http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net/7/2221/2010/

  • Ebel BA, Loague K (2006) Physics-based hydrologic-response simulation: seeing through the fog of equifinality. Hydrol Process 20(13):2887–2900. doi:10.1002/hyp.6388

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El-Hakim M, Bakalowicz M (2007) Significance and origin of very large regulating power of some karst aquifers in the Middle East. Implication on karst aquifer classification. J Hydrol 333(2–4):329–339. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.09.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fleury P (2005) Sources sous-marines et aquifères karstiques c?tiers méditerranéens. Fonctionnement et caractérisation. PhD thesis, Université Paris VI, Pierre et Marie Curie. http://hydrologie.org/THE/FLEURY.pdf

  • Guinot V, Cappelaere B, Delenne C, Ruelland D (2011) Objective functions for conceptual hydrological model calibration: theoretical analysis of distance- and weak form-based functions. J Hydrol 401(1–2):1–13. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.02.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez-Santana V, Martinez-Fernandez J, Moran C, Cano A (2008) Response of Quercus pyrenaica (melojo oak) to soil water deficit: a case study in Spain. Eur J Forest Res 127(5):369–378. doi:10.1007/s10342-008-0214-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacob T (2009) Apport de la gravimétrie et de l’inclinométrie ? l’hydrologie karstique. PhD thesis, Université Montpellier II. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00404851/fr/

  • Jacob T, Bayer R, Chery J, Jourde H, Le Moigne N, Boy JP, Hinderer J, Luck B, Brunet P (2008) Absolute gravity monitoring of water storage variation in a karst aquifer on the Larzac plateau (Southern France). J Hydrol 359:105–117. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2008.06.020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacob T, Chery J, Bayer R, Le Moigne N, Boy JP, Vernant P, Boudin F (2009) Time-lapse surface to depth gravity measurements on a karst system reveal the dominant role of the epikarst as a water storage entity. Geophys J Int 177(2):347–360. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2009.04118.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacob T, Bayer R, Chery J, Le Moigne N (2010a) Time-lapse microgravity surveys reveal water storage heterogeneity of a karst aquifer. J Geophys Res 115(B6):B06,402. doi:10.1029/2009JB006616

  • Jacob T, Chéry J, Boudin F, Bayer R (2010b) Monitoring deformation from hydrologic processes in a karst aquifer using long-baseline tiltmeters. Water Resour Res 46(9): W09,542. doi:10.1029/2009WR008082

  • Jourde H, Roesch A, Guinot V, Bailly-Comte V (2007) Dynamics and contribution of karst groundwater to surface flow during mediterranean flood. Environ Geol 51:725–730. doi:10.1007/s00254-006-0386-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuczera G, Mroczkowski M (1998) Assessment of hydrologic parameter uncertainty and the worth of multiresponse data. Water Resour Res 34(6):1481–1489. doi:10.1029/98WR00496

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lastennet R, Mudry J (1997) Role of karstification and rainfall in the behavior of a heterogeneous karst system. Environ Geol 32(2):114–123. doi:10.1007/s002540050200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Legchenko A, Valla P (2002) A review of the basic principles for proton magnetic resonance sounding measurements. J Appl Geophys 50(1–2):3–19. doi:10.1016/S0926-9851(02)00127-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maillet E (1906) La vidange des systèmes de réservoirs. Annales Ponts et Chaussées, Mém et Doc 21

  • Mazzilli N, Guinot V, Jourde H (2012) Sensitivity analysis of conceptual model calibration to initialisation bias. Application to karst spring discharge models. Adv Water Resour. doi:10.1016/j.advwatres.2012.03.020

  • Nash J, Sutcliffe J (1970) River flow forecasting through conceptual models. Part I—a discussion of principles. J Hydrol 10(3):282–290. doi:10.1016/0022-1694(70)90255-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Otieno DO, Schmidt MWT, Kurz-Besson C, Do Vale RL, Pereira JS, Tenhunen JD (2007) Regulation of transpirational water loss in Quercus suber trees in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem. Tree Physiol 27(8):1179–1187. doi:10.1093/treephys/27.8.1179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oudin L, Michel C, Anctil F (2005) Which potential evapotranspiration input for a lumped rainfall-runoff model? Part 1—can rainfall-runoff models effectively handle detailed potential evapotranspiration inputs?. J Hydrol 303(1–4):275–289. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2004.08.025

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oudin L, Perrin C, Mathevet T, Andreassian V, Michel C (2006) Impact of biased and randomly corrupted inputs on the efficiency and the parameters of watershed models. J Hydrol 320(1–2):62–83. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2005.07.016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perrin C, Michel C, Andreassian V (2001) Does a large number of parameters enhance model performance? Comparative assessment of common catchment model structures on 429 catchments. J Hydrol 242(3–4):275–301. doi:10.1016/S0022-1694(00)00393-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perrin J, Jeannin PY, Zwahlen F (2003) Implications of the spatial variability of infiltration-water chemistry for the investigation of a karst aquifer: A field study at Milandre test site, Swiss Jura. Hydrol J 11(6):673–686. doi:10.1007/s10040-003-0281-5

    Google Scholar 

  • Pool DR, Eychaner JH (1995) Measurements of aquifer-storage change and specific yield using gravity surveys. Ground Water 33(3):425–432. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6584.1995.tb00299.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ricard J, Bakalowicz M (1996) Connaissance, aménagement et protection des ressources en eau du Larzac septentrional, Aveyron (France) Tech. Rep. R38953, BRGM. http://www.brgm.fr/Rapport?code=RR-38953-FR

  • Seibert J, McDonnell JJ (2002) On the dialog between experimentalist and modeler in catchment hydrology: use of soft data for multicriteria model calibration. Water Resour Res 38(11):1241. doi:10.1029/2001WR000978

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel S (1956) Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. McGraw-Hill, New York

  • Strassberg G, Scanlon BR, Chambers D (2009) Evaluation of groundwater storage monitoring with the GRACE satellite: case study of the high plains aquifer, central United States. Water Resour Res 45:W05,410. doi:10.1029/2008WR006892

  • Thornthwaite C (1948) An approach toward a rational classification of climate. Geogr Rev 38(1):55–94. http://www.jstor.org/stable/210739

    Google Scholar 

  • Tritz S, Guinot V, Jourde H (2011) Modelling the behaviour of a karst system catchment using non linear hysteretic conceptual model. J Hydrol 397(3–4):250–262. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.12.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vache KB, McDonnell JJ (2006) Process-based strategies for model structural improvement and reduction of model prediction uncertainty. In: Predictions in ungauged basins: promise and progress. Proceedings of symposium S7 held during the 7th IAHS Scientific Assembly at Foz do Igua?u, Brazil (April 3–9, 2005), IAHS, vol 303, pp 30–37. http://iahs.info/redbooks/a303/303004.htm

  • Viterbo P, Beljaars ACM (1995) An improved land surface parameterization scheme in the ECMWF model and its validation. J Clim 8:2716–2748 doi:10.1175/1520-0442(1995)008<2716:AILSPS>2.0.CO;2

    Google Scholar 

  • Vrugt JA, Braak CJFt, Clark MP, Hyman JM, Robinson BA (2008) Treatment of input uncertainty in hydrologic modeling: Doing hydrology backward with Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation. Water Resour Res 44:W00B09. doi:10.1029/2007WR006720

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wagener T, Gupta H (2005) Model identification for hydrological forecasting under uncertainty. Stoch Env Res Risk Assess 19(6):378–387. doi:10.1007/s00477-005-0006-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werth S, Güntner A, Petrovic S, Schmidt R (2009) Integration of GRACE mass variations into a global hydrological model. Earth Planet Sci Lett 277(1–2):166–173. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2008.10.021

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a PhD grant from the French Ministère de l’Éducation Nationale et de la Recherche (allocation couplée number 30368-2008). Geodetic Data were monitored within the framework of a project funded by the Agence Nationale à à la Recherche (ANR), under the program ECCO Hydrologie et Géodésie driven by N. Florsch. The authors wish to thank the “Parc naturel régional des Grands Causses” for the discharge data monitored at the Durzon spring and Météo France for the rainfall data recorded at the “Le Caylar” meteorological station. Thanks are also addressed to Dr Bailly-Comte for its careful reading of the early draft of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. HydroSciences Montpellier, UMR CNRS/IRD/UM2 5569, Université Montpellier 2, CC MSE, 34095, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Naomi Mazzilli, Hervé Jourde & Vincent Guinot

  2. BRGM, 3 av. C. Guillemin, 45060, Orléans Cedex, France

    Thomas Jacob

  3. Laboratoire d’Étude des Transferts en Hydrologie et Environnement, UMR 5564 CNRS/G-INP/IRD/UJF, Grenoble, France

    Marie Boucher, Hélène Guyard & Anatoly Legtchenko

  4. Laboratoire d’Hydrogéologie d’Avignon, UMR 1114 UAPV/INRA, Avignon, France

    Konstantinos Chalikakis

  5. Géosciences Montpellier, UMR 5243 CNRS/UM2, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France

    Nicolas Le Moigne

Authors
  1. Naomi Mazzilli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hervé Jourde
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Thomas Jacob
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Vincent Guinot
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Nicolas Le Moigne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Marie Boucher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Konstantinos Chalikakis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Hélène Guyard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Anatoly Legtchenko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Naomi Mazzilli.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mazzilli, N., Jourde, H., Jacob, T. et al. On the inclusion of ground-based gravity measurements to the calibration process of a global rainfall-discharge reservoir model: case of the Durzon karst system (Larzac, southern France). Environ Earth Sci 68, 1631–1646 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1856-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1856-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation