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

The 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.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Geoscience

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Uddin, Shihab

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Hayashi, Masaki

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Cey, Edwin
• He, Jianxun (Jennifer)

• groundwater
• recharge
• prairies

Statement dc:rights

• University 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.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/47164

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/119553