Estimating the specific yield of the Pampeano aquifer, Argentina, using superconducting gravimeter data
Specific yield is a key parameter for the sustainable management of unconfined aquifers, since it relates water-table fluctuations to aquifer storage-changes and thus impacts water supply. However, estimating specific yield is still a challenge due to theoretical and methodological limitations. Wate...
| Autores: | , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2020 |
| País: | Argentina |
| Institución: | Universidad Nacional de La Plata |
| Repositorio: | SEDICI (UNLP) |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:sedici.unlp.edu.ar:10915/140260 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/140260 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Ciencias Astronómicas Ciencias Exactas Specific yield Superconducting gravimeter Gravity variations Geophysical methods Argentina |
| Sumario: | Specific yield is a key parameter for the sustainable management of unconfined aquifers, since it relates water-table fluctuations to aquifer storage-changes and thus impacts water supply. However, estimating specific yield is still a challenge due to theoretical and methodological limitations. Water-storage changes in the aquifer and in the overlying unsaturated soil profile cause local changes in gravity that can be recorded by high-precision superconducting gravimeters. In this work, a novel methodology to estimate specific yield from superconducting gravimeter data is presented. The proposed methodology is based on a hydrogravimetric model that estimates the gravity response due to the loss and gain of water mass in the soil profile using rainfall, water-table and air-temperature data. The model is applied to a study site of the Pampeano aquifer in Argentina where a continuous 1-year record of superconducting gravimeter measurements is available. The specific yield value obtained using this methodology is 0.11 ± 0.039, which is validated by means of a long-term pumping test performed at the study site. The proposed method constitutes a promising alternative to the available tools for estimating specific yield, by taking advantage of superconducting gravity data. |
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