Model Estimation of Depression-focused Groundwater Recharge and its Variability in the Canadian Prairies

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dc.contributor.advisorHayashi, Masaki
dc.contributor.authorUddin, Shihab
dc.contributor.committeememberCey, Edwin
dc.contributor.committeememberHe, Jianxun (Jennifer)
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-30T15:12:33Z
dc.date.available2024-08-30T15:12:33Z
dc.date.issued2024-08-28
dc.description.abstractThe Canadian Prairies is characterized by a cold, semiarid climate with topographical variations containing numerous depressions. These depressions play an important role in the hydrology of the prairie region by storing runoff water and replenishing groundwater through focused infiltration termed as depression-focused groundwater recharge. This study investigated the spatial distribution of depression-focused groundwater recharge in Alberta and Saskatchewan using a soil-water-balance model named Versatile Soil Moisture Budget-Depression Upland System (VSMB-DUS). Automated digital elevation model (DEM) analysis was used to identify topographical depressions across Alberta and Saskatchewan and to determine hydrologically relevant parameters. Hourly meteorological data of Alberta and Saskatchewan, along with land-use data collected from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, were used to run simulations using VSMB-DUS. A statistical approach was developed to distribute the simulated groundwater recharge across similar surficial geological settings. Simulations also incorporated the effects of different types of land use in the two prairie provinces. A chloride mass balance method was used to estimate regional-scale groundwater recharge for a comparison with model-simulated recharge. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine uncertainty in the recharge estimation. Results showed that depression-focused groundwater recharge ranges from 2 to 55 mm yr-1 in Alberta and Saskatchewan with an uncertainty of 3–15 mm yr-1. Simulated recharge was higher under managed grassland and cropland scenarios compared to unmanaged grassland, indicating the sensitivity of recharge to agricultural practices.
dc.identifier.citationUddin, S. (2024). Model estimation of depression-focused groundwater recharge and its variability in the Canadian Prairies (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1880/119553
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgary
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectgroundwater
dc.subjectrecharge
dc.subjectprairies
dc.subject.classificationHydrology
dc.titleModel Estimation of Depression-focused Groundwater Recharge and its Variability in the Canadian Prairies
dc.typemaster thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineGeoscience
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudentI do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.
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