Calibration of groundwater seepage against the spatial distribution of the stream network to assess catchment-scale hydraulic properties

Abstract K T K/R, where R K/R by minimizing the relative distances between the observed and the simulated stream network generated from groundwater seepage zones. By deploying the methodology in 24 selected headwater catchments located in northwestern France, we demonstrate that the method successfully predicts the stream network extent for 80 % of the cases. Results show a high sensitivity of K/R to the extension of the low-order streams and limited impacts of the DEM resolution as long the DEM remains consistent with the stream network observations. By assuming an average recharge rate, we found that effective K 1.0 × 10 - 5 and 1.1 × 10 - 4  m s- 1, in agreement with local estimates derived from hydraulic tests and independent calibrated groundwater model. With the emergence of global remote-sensing databases compiling information on high-resolution DEM and stream networks, this approach provides new opportunities to assess hydraulic properties of unconfined aquifers in ungauged basins.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Calibration of groundwater seepage against the spatial distribution of the stream network to assess catchment-scale hydraulic properties ; volume:27 ; number:17 ; year:2023 ; pages:3221-3239 ; extent:19 ; Hydrology and earth system sciences ; 27, Heft 17 (2023), 3221-3239 (gesamt 19)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Abhervé, Ronan ; Roques, Clément ; Gauvain, Alexandre ; Longuevergne, Laurent ; Louaisil, Stéphane ; Aquilina, Luc ; de Dreuzy, Jean-Raynald

Further information

• DOI: 10.5194/hess-27-3221-2023
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2023091404283241220702
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:46 AM CEST