ID:
publications-1707
Type:
Peer reviewed articles
Year:
2023
Authors:
M. O. Cuthbert; T. Gleeson; M. F. P. Bierkens; G. Ferguson; R. G. Taylor
Title:
Defining Renewable Groundwater Use and Its Relevance to Sustainable Groundwater Management
Venue/Journal:
Water Resources Research
DOI:
10.1029/2022wr032831
Research type:
Data Management & Analytics
Water System:
Uncategorized
Technical Focus:
Abstract:
AbstractGroundwater systems are commonly defined as renewable or nonârenewable based on natural fluxes of recharge or on estimates of aquifer storage and groundwater residence time. However, we show here that the principle of capture (i.e., how recharge and discharge change due to pumping) challenges simple definitions so that a groundwater system cannot be renewable or nonârenewable in and of itself, but only with reference to how the groundwater is being used. We develop and propose more hydraulically informed definitions for fluxârenewable and storageârenewable groundwater use, and a combined definition that encompasses both the fluxâbased and storageâbased perspectives such that: renewable groundwater use allows for dynamically stable reâequilibrium of groundwater levels and quality on human timescales. Further, we show how a matrix of combinations of (a) the ratio of pumping rate to the maximum rate of capture along with (b) the response or recovery timescales implicit in this definition, leads to a useful fourâquadrant framework for characterizing groundwater use, illustrated using case studies from aquifers around the world. Renewable groundwater use may inform pathways to groundwater sustainability, which encompasses a broader set of dimensions (e.g., socioâpolitical, economic, ecological and cultural) beyond the scope of groundwater science. We propose that separating physically robust definitions of renewable groundwater use from the inherently valueâbased language of sustainability, can help bring much needed clarity to wider discussions about sustainable groundwater management strategies, and the role of groundwater science and scientists in such endeavors.
Link with Projects:
101019185
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