Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Application of MODFLOW and geographic information system to groundwater flow simulation in North China Plain, China

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Geology

Abstract

MODFLOW is a groundwater modeling program. It can be compiled and remedied according to the practical applications. Because of its structure and fixed data format, MODFLOW can be integrated with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology for water resource management. The North China Plain (NCP), which is the politic, economic and cultural center of China, is facing with water resources shortage and water pollution. Groundwater is the main water resource for industrial, agricultural and domestic usage. It is necessary to evaluate the groundwater resources of the NCP as an entire aquifer system. With the development of computer and internet information technology it is also necessary to integrate the groundwater model with the GIS technology. Because the geological and hydrogeological data in the NCP was mainly in MAPGIS format, the powerful function of GIS of disposing of and analyzing spatial data and computer languages such as Visual C and Visual Basic were used to define the relationship between the original data and model data. After analyzing the geological and hydrogeological conditions of the NCP, the groundwater flow numerical simulation modeling was constructed with MODFLOW. On the basis of GIS, a dynamic evaluation system for groundwater resources under the internet circumstance was completed. During the process of constructing the groundwater model, a water budget was analyzed, which showed a negative budget in the NCP. The simulation period was from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2003. During this period, the total recharge of the groundwater system was 49,374 × 106 m3 and the total discharge was 56,530 × 106 m3 the budget deficit was −7,156 × 106 m3. In this integrated system, the original data including graphs and attribution data could be stored in the database. When the process of evaluating and predicting groundwater flow was started, these data were transformed into files that the core program of MODFLOW could read. The calculated water level and drawdown could be displayed and reviewed online.

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
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anon (2000) SSG Software. The Scientific Software Group, Washington http://www.scisoftware.com

  • Anon (2000) Visual MODFLOW V.2.8.2 User’s manual for professional applications in three-dimensional groundwater flow and contaminant transport modeling. Waterloo Hydrogeologic Inc, Ontario

    Google Scholar 

  • American National Standards Institute (1978) Programming language FORTRAN: ANSI X3.9-1978. AmericanNational Standards Institute, New York p369 variously paginated

    Google Scholar 

  • Banta ER (2000) Modflow-2000, the US Geological survey modular ground-water model—documentation of packages for simulating evapotranspiration with a segmented function (ets1) and drains with return flow (drt1). US Geological Survey Open-file Report 00–466

  • Brodie RS (1999) Integrating GIS and RDBMS technologies during construction of a regional groundwater model. Environ Model Softw 14:119–128

    Google Scholar 

  • Carrera-hernandez JJ, Gaskin SJ (2006) The groundwater modeling tool for GRASS (GMTG): open source groundwater flow modeling. Comput Geosci 32:339–351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiang, Wen-Hsing (2005) 3D-Groundwater modeling with PMWIN: a simulation system for modeling groundwater flow and transport processes. Springer, Heidelberg doi:10.1007/3-540-27592-4

    Google Scholar 

  • Diersch HJG (2005) WASY software FEFLOW, finite element subsurface flow and transport simulation system, user’s manual. Berlin, Germany

    Google Scholar 

  • Diersch HJG, Kolditz O (1998) Coupled groundwater flow and transport: thermohaline and 3D convection systems. Adv Water Resour 21:401–425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Facchi A, Ortuani B, Maggi D, Gandolfi C (2004) Coupled SVAT-groundwater model for water resources simulation in irrigated alluvial plains. Environ Model Softw 19:1053–1063

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flugel WA, Micht C (1995) Using MODFLOW/MODPATH combined with GIS analysis for groundwater modelling in the alluvial aquifer of the river Sieg, Germany. IAHS Publ. 227:117–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Fenske JP, Leake SA, Prudic DE (1996) Documentation of a computer program (res1) to simulate leakage from reservoirs using the modular finite-difference ground-water flow model (modflow). US Geological Survey Open-File Report 96-364

  • Harbaugh AW, McDonald MG (1996) User’s documentation for MODFLOW-96 an update to the USGeological Survey modular finite-difference groundwater flow model. US Geological Survey Open-file Report 96-485

  • Harbaugh AW, Banta ER, Hill MC, McDonald MG (2000) MODFLOW-2000, the US Geological Survey modular ground-water model—user guide to modularization concepts and the ground-water flow process. US Geological Survey Open-File Report 00-92

  • Heinzer T, Hansen DT (1999) Development of a graphical user interface in GIS Raster Format for the finite difference ground-water model code, MODFLOW. American Society for Testing and Materials 239–249

  • Hill MC (1990) Preconditioned conjugate-gradient 2 (PCG2), a computer program for solving ground-water flow equations. U.S Geological Survey Open-File Report 96-364

  • Jia JS, Tian B, Liu CM (2003) Visual MODFLOW and its application on groundwater simulation—a case study on Luancheng county of Hebei province. J Agric Univ Hebei 26:71–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang ML, Lu MS (1999) The application of MAPGIS in hydrogeological map-making. Coal Geolog Explor 27:34–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Knab G, Rembe M, Wenske D, Boy S, et al (1998) A new autoCAD-based graphical interface to MODFLOW, MODPATH and MT3D including support for a new mass transport simulation algorithm (front limitation algorithm), MODFLOW’98 vol I Golden, Colorado October 4–8:175–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu CM (2003) Exploring an ecological benefit of south-to-north transfers for rehabilitating groundwater systems in The North China Plain. South-to-North Water Transfers and Water Science & Technology 1:17–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu CM, Yu JJ, Kendy E (2001) Groundwater exploitation and its impact on the environment in the North China Plain. Water Int 26:265–272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald MG, Harbaugh AW (1984) A modular three-dimensional finite-difference ground-water flow model. US Geological Survey Open-File report 83-528

  • McDonald MG, Harbaugh AW (1988) A modular three-dimensional finite-difference groundwater flow model. US Geological survey techniques of water-resources investigations, book 6, Chap. A1, US Geological Survey, Open-File report 83–875

  • San JC, Kolm KE (1996) Conceptualization, characterization and numerical modeling of the jackson hole alluvial aquifer using arc/info and modflow. Eng Geol 42:119–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sophocleous MA, Koelliker JK, Govindaraju RS, T. Birdie SRR, Perkins SP (1999) Integrated numerical modeling for basin-wide water management: the case of the Rattlesnake Creek basin in south-central Kansas. J Hydrol 214:179–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Srinivasan R, Engel BA (1991) GIS: a tool for visualization and analyzation. International Winter Meeting, sponsored by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers. Hyatt Regency Chicago, Chicago 17–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsou MS, Whittemore DO (2001) User interface for ground-water modeling: arcview extension. J Hydrol Engineer 6:251–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tim US, Jolly R (1994) Evaluating agricultural non-point source pollution using integrated geographic information system and hydrologic/water quality model. J Environ Qual 23:25–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watkins DW, McKinney DC, Maidment DR (1996) Use of geographic information systems in groundwater flow modeling. J Water Resour Plann Management 122:88–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wingle WL, Poeter EP, McKenna SA (1999) UNCERT: geostatistics, uncertainty analysis and contaminant transport modeling. Comput Geosci 25:365–376

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wei JH, Wang GQ, Li CJ, Shao JL (2003) Modeling of Groundwater Based on GIS. Geotech Investig Surveying 4:27–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Xue YQ (1997) Dynamics of groundwater. Geology Publishing House, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao C, Wang C, Chen X, Li B (2005) Simulation of the effects of groundwater level on vegetation change by combining FEFLOW software. Ecol Modell 187:341–351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang LZ, Zhang YB, Wu Q, Zhou XY, Huo ZB (2006) Groundwater quality evaluation based on the national geology grid. J T Singhua Univ (Sci & Tech) 46:797–800

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng Hongmei, Mingzhu L (2007) Application of Visual Modflow in groundwater numerical simulation in Tianjin city. J North China Inst Water Conserv Hydroelectr Power 28:8–11

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Financial support by the Project “Spatial Information Share Application Service Based on SIG Resource and Environment” of “863” Project in China (2022AA 104220) and the Project of China Geology Survey (200310400035-2) are acknowledged.We are grateful to the cooperation members of these two groups.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Shiqin Wang & Xianfang Song

  2. Academy of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, 10008, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Jingli Shao

  3. Institute of Hydrogeology and Environment Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 050061, Shi Jiazhuang, People’s Republic of China

    Yongbo Zhang, Zhibin Huo & Xiaoyuan Zhou

Authors
  1. Shiqin Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jingli Shao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xianfang Song
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yongbo Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Zhibin Huo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Xiaoyuan Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shiqin Wang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, S., Shao, J., Song, X. et al. Application of MODFLOW and geographic information system to groundwater flow simulation in North China Plain, China. Environ Geol 55, 1449–1462 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-1095-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-1095-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation