• Shishir Gaur

Articles written in Journal of Earth System Science

• Groundwater modelling using an analytic element method and finite difference method: An insight into Lower Ganga river basin

Groundwater flow modelling provides the water flow dynamics for the estimation and prediction of groundwater movement and its condition in the aquifer. The modelling helps for the management of the groundwater resources under various hydrological and anthropogenic stresses. In this paper, a modelling exercise was performed using the analytic element method (AEM) and finite difference method (FDM) for the part of Ganga river basin which includes the Varanasi district. Further compression was performed to understand the limitations and benefits of both AEM and FDM based on ease of model development, data requirement and their performances. The groundwater model was developed for the transient state condition based on data for the year 2004–2017. The results show that for most of the observed wells, the difference between the observed head and the simulated head is found in the 90% confidence level. It is found that the AEM does not require a fixed boundary condition which makes the development of the conceptual model less complicated. In the FDM, pumping wells are approximately located and averaged over the cell which becomes a cause of the inaccurate location of the wells. It is found that model development in the AEM is less complicated compared to the FDM. It can be concluded that in some cases AEM-based modelling is more accurate as compared to FDM-based flow modelling. This study can be very helpful for groundwater professionals in deciding the best suitable method for their study area and to avoid the complexity of the model.

• Analysis of the groundwater scenario with respect to the crop water productivity for the Betwa–Dhasan river basin, Bundelkhand using remote sensing techniques

Excessive water use in the agricultural sector in the Betwa–Dhasan basin of the Bundelkhand region is becoming the cause of irrepressible drawdown in the groundwater level. These changing dynamics are becoming the cause of water scarcity in the basin and increasing difficulty in fulfilling the water demand ofthe area. For incorporating the water-saving agricultural practices in the region, it is essential to have a precise estimation of the crop water productivity (CWP) and evapotranspiration (ET) at the basin scale. In this analysis, the Kharif and Rabi seasons of 2004–2005, 2009–2010, and 2013–2014 have been included.The ET and CWP have been calculated for all the seasons. The MODIS satellite imageries have been used for calculating the ET using the surface energy balance algorithm for land (SEBAL) algorithm. The highest CWP has been recorded as 2.56 kg/m$^3$ for the Rabi season 2014. With the increase in the demand for water for irrigation and agricultural purposes, the groundwater gets depleted. The decadal groundwater Cuctuation map of the Rabi season (2005–2014) shows that groundwater gets depleted by more than 30 m within this period in some of the river basin regions situated in the Jhansi and Tikamgarh districts.

• # Journal of Earth System Science

Volume 131, 2022
All articles
Continuous Article Publishing mode

• # Editorial Note on Continuous Article Publication

Posted on July 25, 2019