Groundwater storage loss calculation using InSAR and Hydromechanical equations
(2024) In TVVR 5000 VVRM01 20241Division of Water Resources Engineering
- Abstract
- This master thesis investigates groundwater storage loss in the Ararat Valley’s aquifer system, driven by intensive groundwater extraction and associated with subsidence risks. Using both InSAR data and hydromechanical analysis, this research shows coherent aquifer storage changes related to localized changes in ground deformations. Non-compliance with recommended well-spacing has exacerbated stress on the aquifer, resulting in hydrogeologic windows and an expanded cone of depression in the valley. Time series analysis reveals a correlation between water level changes and local subsidence and uplifts, indicating a direct impact of extraction on groundwater storage. However, measurement limitations, including basic piezometric devices and... (More)
- This master thesis investigates groundwater storage loss in the Ararat Valley’s aquifer system, driven by intensive groundwater extraction and associated with subsidence risks. Using both InSAR data and hydromechanical analysis, this research shows coherent aquifer storage changes related to localized changes in ground deformations. Non-compliance with recommended well-spacing has exacerbated stress on the aquifer, resulting in hydrogeologic windows and an expanded cone of depression in the valley. Time series analysis reveals a correlation between water level changes and local subsidence and uplifts, indicating a direct impact of extraction on groundwater storage. However, measurement limitations, including basic piezometric devices and inconsistent sampling intervals, introduce potential biases in the groundwater head time series, affecting dataset reliability. The findings underscore the need for improved monitoring standards, strict adherence to extraction thresholds to prevent further depletion, and the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the geology. This study provides potential insights for developing sustainable groundwater management strategies in the Ararat Valley, with implications for other high-stress aquifer systems. (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- Water is the cornerstone on which societies and civilizations are built. Access to clean water lays the foundations of public health and socioeconomic development, through agriculture, industry, and energy production. The Armenian side of the Ararat Valley is an agricultural hub of national importance, with soils of great fertility. Both farmers and local communities depend on groundwater to sustain their crops, homes and businesses.
Until recently, groundwater under pressure naturally surfaced from wells, but as intensive groundwater extraction grew (driven in part by the fish farming industry) the water table dropped, leaving some communities without reliable access to this essential resource. This depletion has also led to land... (More) - Water is the cornerstone on which societies and civilizations are built. Access to clean water lays the foundations of public health and socioeconomic development, through agriculture, industry, and energy production. The Armenian side of the Ararat Valley is an agricultural hub of national importance, with soils of great fertility. Both farmers and local communities depend on groundwater to sustain their crops, homes and businesses.
Until recently, groundwater under pressure naturally surfaced from wells, but as intensive groundwater extraction grew (driven in part by the fish farming industry) the water table dropped, leaving some communities without reliable access to this essential resource. This depletion has also led to land subsidence, with soil layers sinking and cracking due to compaction.
This study, a collaboration between the Division of Water Resources Engineering at Lund University in Sweden and the Acopian Center for Environment at the American University of Yerevan, aims to assess how much groundwater storage capacity may have been lost between 2018 and 2022. Using mathematical models, in-situ groundwater measurements, and satellite-based remote sensing (InSAR) to observe soil deformation from space, this research investigates the impacts of groundwater depletion on the groundwater reservoir, aiming to provide insights for sustainable water management and policies in the Ararat Valley and beyond. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9178381
- author
- Hafen, Théodore Louis LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- Beräkning av grundvattenförlust med hjälp av InSAR och hydromekaniska ekvationer
- course
- VVRM01 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- InSAR, subsidence, groundwater depletion, remote-sensing, hydromechanics
- publication/series
- TVVR 5000
- report number
- TVVR24/5011
- ISSN
- 1101-9824
- language
- English
- additional info
- Examiner: Kenneth M. Persson
- id
- 9178381
- date added to LUP
- 2025-01-16 14:02:14
- date last changed
- 2025-01-16 14:02:14
@misc{9178381,
abstract = {{This master thesis investigates groundwater storage loss in the Ararat Valley’s aquifer system, driven by intensive groundwater extraction and associated with subsidence risks. Using both InSAR data and hydromechanical analysis, this research shows coherent aquifer storage changes related to localized changes in ground deformations. Non-compliance with recommended well-spacing has exacerbated stress on the aquifer, resulting in hydrogeologic windows and an expanded cone of depression in the valley. Time series analysis reveals a correlation between water level changes and local subsidence and uplifts, indicating a direct impact of extraction on groundwater storage. However, measurement limitations, including basic piezometric devices and inconsistent sampling intervals, introduce potential biases in the groundwater head time series, affecting dataset reliability. The findings underscore the need for improved monitoring standards, strict adherence to extraction thresholds to prevent further depletion, and the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the geology. This study provides potential insights for developing sustainable groundwater management strategies in the Ararat Valley, with implications for other high-stress aquifer systems.}},
author = {{Hafen, Théodore Louis}},
issn = {{1101-9824}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{TVVR 5000}},
title = {{Groundwater storage loss calculation using InSAR and Hydromechanical equations}},
year = {{2024}},
}