Water balance investigations of groundwater depletion in Asia : information needs and uncertainty analysis

Irrigated agriculture is an essential component of global food production. In many regions of the world, and Asia in particular, groundwater is a major source of irrigation water. Over-pumping of groundwater aquifers has depleted storage in some areas. Quantification of the degree to which groundwater is being used unsustainably is critical to our understanding of the stability of irrigated agriculture. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of estimating groundwater storage changes using the water balance equation and currently available sources of global data. We employ multiple measurements of each water balance component and a constrained least squares estimation method in order to reduce uncertainties. Global datasets of precipitation, evapotranspiration, and runoff were obtained and evaluated for suitability for use in the water balance. In order to fill gaps in the existing data, we developed a new estimate of evapotranspiration based on NDVI measurements and land use information. Results are presented for the continental U.S. and for our study region in Asia. We also show that multiple regression of runoff against basin characteristics can provide additional runoff information in ungaged basins. The water balance can be used as a screening tool for poor quality data, and we are able to identify problematic basins in Asia. In addition, the least squares water balance estimator can be used to reduce the uncertainty in estimates of each component of the water balance.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2002

Author dc:creator

• Kiang, Julie E. (Julie Ega), 1971-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Dennis McLaughlin.

• Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/29896

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/29896