Research Article

Recharge estimation of a small karstic aquifer in a semiarid Mediterranean region (southeastern Spain) using a hydrological model

  1. I. Touhami1,*,
  2. J. M. Andreu2,
  3. E. Chirino3,
  4. J. R. Sánchez1,
  5. H. Moutahir1,
  6. A. Pulido-Bosch4,
  7. P. Martínez-Santos5,
  8. J. Bellot1

Article first published online: 21 FEB 2012

DOI: 10.1002/hyp.9200

Issue

Hydrological Processes

Hydrological Processes

Volume 27, Issue 2, pages 165–174, 15 January 2013

Additional Information

How to Cite

Touhami, I., Andreu, J. M., Chirino, E., Sánchez, J. R., Moutahir, H., Pulido-Bosch, A., Martínez-Santos, P. and Bellot, J. (2013), Recharge estimation of a small karstic aquifer in a semiarid Mediterranean region (southeastern Spain) using a hydrological model. Hydrol. Process., 27: 165–174. doi: 10.1002/hyp.9200

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Ecology, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain

  2. 2

    Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain

  3. 3

    Mediterranean Center for Environmental Studies (Foundation CEAM), CEAM–Department of Ecology, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain

  4. 4

    Department of Hydrogeology and Analytical Chemistry, University of Almería, Spain

  5. 5

    Faculty of Geological Sciences, Department of Geodynamics, C/ José Antonio Novais, 2., Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

* Issam Touhami, Department of Ecology, University of Alicante, Apdo. 99. 03080, Alicante, Spain.
E-mail: issam_touhami@yahoo.fr

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 9 JAN 2013
  2. Article first published online: 21 FEB 2012
  3. Accepted manuscript online: 16 JAN 2012 10:09PM EST
  4. Manuscript Accepted: 13 JAN 2012
  5. Manuscript Received: 9 JUL 2011

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Keywords:

  • water resources;
  • groundwater recharge;
  • soil water balance;
  • karstic aquifers;
  • semiarid regions

Abstract

Mediterranean aquifers are frequently subject to the joint effect of intensive exploitation and low recharge values. Besides, groundwater is the only available water resource in many Mediterranean regions. Groundwater recharge studies are therefore necessary to underpin water management practices. This manuscript presents a methodology to estimate groundwater recharge in a small limestone aquifer of southeastern Spain. The HYDROBAL model is used to calculate daily soil water balances on the basis of hydrological and soil data as well as on vegetation cover. Deep drainage model outputs are converted into water table variations using a lumped model add-on. The adjustment between observed and calculated water table levels is in the order of r2 = 0.87. This correlation coefficient suggests that HYDROBAL is a useful tool to estimate groundwater recharge in the region. In addition, differences in groundwater recharge rates are observed for dry, average and wet years. Estimated recharge rates range between 0% and 18% of the mean annual rainfall, which corresponds to a net recharge of 0 to 59 mm year−1. Recharge rates increase proportionally with precipitation (r2 = 0.90). Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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