『Abstract
Global change encompasses changes in the characteristics of inter-related
climate variables in space and time, and derived changes in terrestrial
processes, including human activities that affect the environment.
As such, projected global change includes groundwater systems.
Here, groundwater is defined as all subsurface water including
soil water. deeper vadose zone water, and unconfined and confined
aquifer waters. Potential effects of climate change combined with
land and water management on surface waters have been studied
in some detail. Equivalent studies of groundwater systems have
lagged behind these advances, but research and broader interest
in projected climate effects on groundwater have been accelerating
in recent years. In this paper, we provide an overview and synthesis
of the key aspects of subsurface hydrology, including water quantity
and quality, related to global change.
Adaptation to global change must include prudent management of
groundwater as a renewable, but slow-feedback resource in most
cases. Groundwater storage is already over-tapped in many regions,
yet available subsurface storage may be a key to meeting the combined
demands of agriculture, industry, municipal and domestic water
supply, and ecosystems during times of shortage. The future intensity
and frequency of dry periods combined with warming trends need
to addressed in the context of groundwater resources, even though
projections in space and time are fraught with uncertainty. Finally,
potential impacts of groundwater on the global climate system
are largely unknown. Research to improve our understanding of
the joint behaviors of climate and groundwater is needed, and
spin-off benefits on each discipline are likely.
Keywords: Adaptation; Climate change; Global change; Groundwater;
Soil water; Vadose zone』
Contents
1. Introduction
1.1. What is global change?
1.2. Rising interest in impacts of climate change on subsurface
water
1.3. Transboundary water resources
1.4. Global science and policy: international programs and projects
1.5. Trends in research publication and conferences
2. Global climate projections
2.1. Global climate models
2.2. Downscaling
2.2.1. Dynamic downscaling
2.2.2. Statistical downscaling
3. Hydrogeology of the subsurface
3.1. Precipitation, evapotranspiration, and surface water
3.2. Soil water and vadose zone hydrology
3.3. Saturated groundwater
3.3.1. Recharge
3.3.2. Discharge
3.3.3. Flow and storage
3.3.4. Groundwater quality
3.4. Surface-subsurface hydrological interactions
4. Observational methods for exploring subsurface global change
4.1. Age dating and chemical proxies
4.1.1. Age dating
4.1.2. Chemical proxies
4.2. Hydrogeophysical techniques
4.2.1. Electrical/electromagnetic methods
4.2.2. Subsurface temperature logging
4.2.3. Land-based gravity surveying
4.3. Remote sensing of space-time trends
5. Simulated assessments of subsurface hydrology
6. Schemes for adapting to climate change
7. Summary and future directions
Acknowledgments
Appendix A. Supplementary material
References