Quantification of groundwater recharge is a crucial prerequisite for sustainable groundwater resource management, particularly in semi-arid areas where there are large demands for groundwater supplies. This research presents an alternative approach for recharge estimation based on the soil water balance technique. The purpose is to develop a model which provides a suitable balance between physical credibility and data which realistically can be gathered. A spreadsheet model was written based on the conceptual representation of the principal physical processes which actually affect recharge in a semi-arid area. Alternative procedures were included in order to represent: (a) the estimation of runoff, (b) the inclusion of the period with predominant bare soil evaporation and (c) the accounting for evapotranspiration following rainfall on dry soil. The model was tested using real data from a semi-arid region (Northeast Nigeria) making use of selected periods of days and years in order to illustrate the principal model characteristics. The results were presented in the form of diagrams and graphs helping to visualise the interactions between the physical components and the effect of the additional procedures on recharge estimation. The credibility of the model was investigated using an alternative concept of 'analysis of plausibility'. This concept makes use of as wide as possible a range of quantitative and qualitative information from the hydrological system in order to verify the robustness of the model when extensive datasets required by conventional validation techniques are not available. The results suggested that the modelled recharge is physically sound and it is in line with the overall determination of recharge in semi-arid areas by a range of methods. The soil water balance model was utilised to explore important aspects of recharge in semi-arid regions showing the effect of the field variability on the model's output. The preliminary results show that the developed concept reasonably represents the inherent field variability, thus corroborating the strength of the approach for recharge estimation in semi-arid regions.

Orientador: Chang Hung Kiang / Banca: Monica Ferreira do Amaral Porto / Banca: Cláudio Antonio de Mauro / Resumo: Sistemas de informações geográficas permitem a visualização, manipulação e análise de dados espaciais, que podem incorporar diversos modelos hidrológicos. Esta dissertação apresenta a aplicação de Sistemas de Informações Geográficas em Gestão de Recursos Hídricos Subterrâneos, desenvolvendo funcionalidades de análises que possibilitam consistir as coordenadas de implantação de um poço contra temas da base cartográfica da aplicação; consistir a profundidade projetada para a poço contra as espessuras das unidades hidroestratigráficas; analisar dentro de um raio de proximidade do poço projetado a existência de outros poços e as vazões outorgadas; calcular o raio de interferência do poço; calcular a vazão explorável em função do tempo de bombeamento; analisar espacialmente a sobreposição dos raios de interferências entre poços e cadastrar as análises efetuadas. Foi utilizado a software ArcGIS como plataforma de SIG. 0 banco de dados foi implementado em formato Personal Geodatabase. A documentação de desenvolvimento de software utilizada seguiu os padrões estabelecidos pelo RUP­Rational Unified Process. 0 sistema foi aplicado e testado na Unidade de Gerenciamento de Recursos Hídricos do Pontal do Paranapanema (UGHRI-22), no estado de São Paulo, tendo sido incorporadas as unidades hidroestratigráficas dos sistemas aqüíferos Bauru e Guarani. / Abstract: The geographic information systems (GIS) are capable of visualization, manipulation and analysis of georeferenced data, providing interface capability with different hydrological models. This dissertation focus on the application of geographic information systems in the context of groundwater management, proViding functionalities of analysis which allow to link and check the coordinates and the depths of a projected water well to the various thematic database. It analyzes within a range of the radius of influence of the projected well the number and total discharge of the existing wells. Furthermore, it calculates the interference radius of the well and the maximum rate of production as function of pumping time. It analyzes the overlapping of wells and records the results of the analysis. The dissertation uses the ArcGIS software system as working platform for GIS. The database was implemented in the Personal Geodatabase format. The documentation of software development followed the protocols established by RUP - Rational Unified Process. The system was applied and tested in the Water Resource Management Unit of Pontal do Paranapanema (UGHRI-22), in the state of Sao Paulo, incorporating hydrostratigraphical units of the Bauru and Guarani aquifer systems. / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-12-04Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:54:22Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 barbosa_sa_me_rcla_prot.pdf: 4243732 bytes, checksum: d8d48af38f82a7055a18d2daabc32e88 (MD5) / Sistemas de informações geográficas permitem a visualização, manipulação e análise de dados espaciais, que podem incorporar diversos modelos hidrológicos. Esta dissertação apresenta a aplicação de Sistemas de Informações Geográficas em Gestão de Recursos Hídricos Subterrâneos, desenvolvendo funcionalidades de análises que possibilitam consistir as coordenadas de implantação de um poço contra temas da base cartográfica da aplicação; consistir a profundidade projetada para a poço contra as espessuras das unidades hidroestratigráficas; analisar dentro de um raio de proximidade do poço projetado a existência de outros poços e as vazões outorgadas; calcular o raio de interferência do poço; calcular a vazão explorável em função do tempo de bombeamento; analisar espacialmente a sobreposição dos raios de interferências entre poços e cadastrar as análises efetuadas. Foi utilizado a software ArcGIS como plataforma de SIG. 0 banco de dados foi implementado em formato Personal Geodatabase. A documentação de desenvolvimento de software utilizada seguiu os padrões estabelecidos pelo RUP­Rational Unified Process. 0 sistema foi aplicado e testado na Unidade de Gerenciamento de Recursos Hídricos do Pontal do Paranapanema (UGHRI-22), no estado de São Paulo, tendo sido incorporadas as unidades hidroestratigráficas dos sistemas aqüíferos Bauru e Guarani. / The geographic information systems (GIS) are capable of visualization, manipulation and analysis of georeferenced data, providing interface capability with different hydrological models. This dissertation focus on the application of geographic information systems in the context of groundwater management, proViding functionalities of analysis which allow to link and check the coordinates and the depths of a projected water well to the various thematic database. It analyzes within a range of the radius of influence of the projected well the number and total discharge of the existing wells. Furthermore, it calculates the interference radius of the well and the maximum rate of production as function of pumping time. It analyzes the overlapping of wells and records the results of the analysis. The dissertation uses the ArcGIS software system as working platform for GIS. The database was implemented in the Personal Geodatabase format. The documentation of software development followed the protocols established by RUP - Rational Unified Process. The system was applied and tested in the Water Resource Management Unit of Pontal do Paranapanema (UGHRI-22), in the state of Sao Paulo, incorporating hydrostratigraphical units of the Bauru and Guarani aquifer systems.