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Simulation of groundwater evaporation and groundwater depth using SWAT in the irrigation district with shallow water table

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Abstract

In irrigation districts with shallow water table, groundwater evaporation (ETgw) and groundwater depth are important variables for the study of water balance. These variables are influenced by natural factors and human activity. In this study, a new method of simulating ETgw was used for SWAT, and the computing and output modules of groundwater depth were established. In addition, based on simulations, we analyzed the influences of irrigation schedules and soil types on ETgw and groundwater depth in the Irrigation Districts along the Lower Reach of Yellow River Basin. The applicabilities of the three methods (Hargreaves, Priestley–Taylor and Penman–Monteith) simulating potential evapotranspiration in SWAT 2000 were evaluated by the measured groundwater evaporation, and Hargreaves was applied in the simulation for irrigation district due to its smallest simulation error. The results presented that the mean groundwater depth decreased with the increase of irrigation amount. However, the changes of soil water storage in root zone and groundwater depth might have more complex effects on the variation of the mean groundwater evaporation. Loamy sand had the smallest annual mean groundwater depth and mean annual ETgw in the study area, while silt loam corresponded to the largest groundwater depth and groundwater evaporation. This study provides a new method for making simulations and analyses of the hydrological cycle in irrigation districts which has a shallow water table.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41301021), and the Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. CXJQ120109).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, College of Water Resource and Hydropower, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China

    Tiegang Liu

  2. North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450011, China

    Lei Liu

  3. Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), 11A Datun Road, Anwai Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China

    Yi Luo & Jianbin Lai

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  1. Tiegang Liu
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  2. Lei Liu
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  3. Yi Luo
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  4. Jianbin Lai
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Correspondence to Yi Luo.

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Liu, T., Liu, L., Luo, Y. et al. Simulation of groundwater evaporation and groundwater depth using SWAT in the irrigation district with shallow water table. Environ Earth Sci 74, 315–324 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4034-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4034-2

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