Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Development of a Simulation Model for Estimation of Potential Recharge in a Semi-arid Foothill Region

  • Published:
Water Resources Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The SMPR (Soil Moisture and Potential Recharge) model is developed to simulate soil moisture content and potential recharge under semi-arid conditions. In SMPR model, infiltration and soil moisture redistribution follow two successive stages. In stage (I), precipitation infiltrates and is distributed into the soil profile utilizing the soil moisture accounting fashion and in stage (II), moisture is redistributed using simplified Richards’ equation (neglecting matric-potential gradient). Liquid and vapor evaporation from bare soil are estimated based on Dual-Crop methodology [Ke and optimized Kcb (0.17)]. Two commonly applied unsaturated hydraulic conductivity functions [K(θ)] of B-C (Brooks and Corey) and V-G (van-Genuchten); and an Empirical Exponential (E-E) equation are locally calibrated and used for potential recharge estimation (as main simulation objective). Model performance (calibration/validation) is based on reasonable estimation of potential recharge and acceptable simulation of soil moisture, considering local lysimeter data. According to results, B-C, V-G an E-E equations produced acceptable simulation of soil moisture content (NRMSE < 30%), however, potential recharge was underestimated/overestimated, using K(θ) by B-C/V-G. The best estimation of potential recharge (based on absolute annual recharge error, ∆Q < 10%) was achieved by the SMPR model with K(θ) of E-E. Results of the relative simple SMPR model [K(θ) by E-E equation] compared favorably with HYDRUS-1D sophisticated model [using locally calibrated V-G equation of K(θ)].The proposed SMPR model requiring minimal data, can be used in regions with limited data.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen R, Pereira LS, Raes D, Smith M (1998) Crop evapotranspiration-guidelines for computing crop water requirements-FAO irrigation and drainage paper 56. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson MP, Woessner WW, Hunt RJ (2015) Applied groundwater modeling: simulation of flow and advective transport. Academic press

  • Banimahd SA, Zand-Parsa S (2013) Simulation of evaporation, coupled liquid water, water vapor and heat transport through the soil medium. Agric Water Manag 130:168–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Banimahd SA, Khalili D, Kamgar-Haghighi AA, Zand-Parsa S (2014) Evaluation of groundwater potential recharge models considering estimated bare soil evaporation, in a semi-arid foothill region. Hydrol Sci J 61(1):162–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Banimahd SA, Khalili D, Kamgar-Haghighi AA, Zand-Parsa S (2015) Evapotranspiration model selection for estimation of actual evaporation from bare soil, as required in annual potential groundwater recharge studies of a semi-arid foothill region. Arch Agron Soil Sci 61(10):1455–1472

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beven KJ (2011) Rainfall-runoff modelling: the primer. Wiley

  • Bresler E, Russo D, Miller RD (1978) Rapid estimate of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function. Soil Sci Soc Am J 42(1):170–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks RH, Corey AT (1964) Hydraulic properties of porous media. Colorado State University. 27 p

  • Carsel RF, Parrish RS (1988) Developing joint probability distributions of soil water retention characteristics. Water Resour Res 24:755–769

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper JD (2016) Soil water measurement: a practical handbook. Wiley

  • Herbst M, Fialkiewicz W, Chen T, Putz T, Thiery D, Mouvet C, Vachaud G, Vereecken H (2005) Intercomparison of flow and transport models applied to vertical drainage in cropped lysimeters. Vadose Zone J 4:240–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hillel D (1998) Environmental soil physics. Academic Press, London, 771 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Jamieson PD, Porter JD, Wilson DR (1991) A test of computer simulation model ARC-WHEAT1 on wheat crops grown in New Zealand. Field Crop Res 27:337–350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kendy E, Gérard-Marchant P, Walter MT, Zhang Y, Liu C, Steenhuis TS (2003) A soil-water-balance approach to quantify groundwater recharge from irrigated cropland in the North China Plain. Hydrol Process 17(10):2011–2031

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuo WL, Steenhuis TS, McCulloch CE, Mohler CL, Weinstein DA, DeGloria SD, Swaney DP (1999) Effect of grid size on runoff and soil moisture for a variable source area hydrology model. Water Resour Res 35(11):3419–3428

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuraz M, Mayer P, Pech P (2014) Solving the nonlinear Richards equation model with adaptive domain decomposition. J Comput Appl Math 270:2–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lerner DN, Issar AS, Simmers I (1990) Groundwater recharge. A guide to understanding and estimating natural recharge, international contributions to hydrogeology. Verlag Heinz Heise. 345 p

  • Loveday J (1974) Methods for Analysis of Irrigated Soils. Technical Communication 54, Commonwealth Bureau of Soils, Harpenden

  • Mahbod M, Zand-Parsa S (2010) Prediction of soil hydraulic parameters by inverse method using genetic algorithm optimization under field conditions. Arch Agron Soil Sci 56(1):13–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mathias SA, Skaggs TH, Quinn SA, Egan SN, Finch LE, Oldham CD (2015) A soil moisture accounting‐procedure with a Richards’ equation‐based soil texture‐dependent parameterization. Water Resour Res 51(1):506–523

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mualem Y (1976) A new model for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated porous media. Water Resour Res 12(3):513–522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollacco JAP, Ugald JAS, Angulo-Jaramillo R, Braud I, Saugier B (2008) A Linking Test to reduce the number of hydraulic parameters necessary to simulate groundwater recharge in unsaturated soils. Adv Water Resour 31:355–369

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rawls WJ, Brakensiek DL, Saxton KE (1982) Estimation of soil water properties. Trans ASAE 25(5):1316–1320

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russo D, Bresler E (1980) Scaling soil hydraulic properties of a heterogeneous field soil. Soil Sci Am J 44(4):681–684

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saito H, Simunek J, Mohanty BP (2006) Numerical analysis of coupled water, vapor, and heat transport in the vadose zone. Vadose Zone J 5:784–800

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanford W (2002) Recharge and groundwater models: an overview. Hydrogeol J 10(1):110–120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simunek J, van Genuchten MT, Sejna M (2005) The HYDRUS-1D software package for simulating the one-dimensional movement of water, heat, and multiple solutes in variably-saturated media. Univ Calif-Riverside Res Rep 3:1–240

    Google Scholar 

  • Theodossiou N (2016) Assessing the impacts of climate change on the sustainability of groundwater aquifers. Application in Moudania Aquifer in N. Greece. Environ Process 3(4):1045–1061

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Genuchten MT (1980) A closed-form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 44(5):892–898

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wechsler SP (2007) Uncertainties associated with digital elevation models for hydrologic applications: a review. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 11(4):1481–1500

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willmott CJ (1981) On the validation of models. Phys Geogr 2:184–194

    Google Scholar 

  • Zand-Parsa S, Majnooni-Herris A, Sepaskhah AR, Nazemosadat MJ (2011) Modification of angstrom model for estimation of global solar radiation in an Intermountain Region of Southern Iran. Energy Environ 22(7):911–924

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Water Engineering Department, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran

    Seyed Adib Banimahd, Davar Khalili, Shahrokh Zand-Parsa & Ali Akbar Kamgar-Haghighi

Authors
  1. Seyed Adib Banimahd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Davar Khalili
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shahrokh Zand-Parsa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ali Akbar Kamgar-Haghighi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seyed Adib Banimahd.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Banimahd, S.A., Khalili, D., Zand-Parsa, S. et al. Development of a Simulation Model for Estimation of Potential Recharge in a Semi-arid Foothill Region. Water Resour Manage 31, 1535–1556 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-017-1593-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-017-1593-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation