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Groundwater flow model of the Pipiripau watershed, Federal District of Brazil

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Abstract

In order to understand the groundwater dynamics and to improve the management of water resources in the Federal District of Brazil, this research proposes a 3D groundwater flow model to represent the groundwater level and flow system. The selected test site was the Pipiripau catchment. The development of the model was based on available geological, hydrogeological, geomorphological, climatological and pedological data. Geological and hydrogeological data were used to generate the 3D groundwater flow model. The 3D mesh elements of the domain were generated through the Groundwater Modeling System software, based on the logs of the well materials. The numerical simulation of the finite element method was implemented in the framework of the scientific software OpenGeoSys. With the 3D mesh-appropriated boundary conditions, annual average infiltration data and hydrogeological parameters were incorporated. Afterwards, the steady-state model was calibrated by the PEST software using available data of the water level from wells. The results showed the distribution of the steady-state hydraulic heads in the model domain, where the highest values occurred in the east and west recharge areas and the lowest values were found in the southwest of the basin. The results of this study can be a used as initial condition for the transient groundwater flow simulation and to provide a scientific basis for water resource management.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their thanks to the CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) for the Scholarship 2009/2010. The authors extend their gratitude to the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) in the framework of the project “IWAS—International Water Research Alliance Saxony” (Grant 02WM1027 and 02WM1028) for supporting and funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of the Geosciences, University of Brasília, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, 70910-900, Brasília, Brazil

    Tatiana Diniz Gonçalves

  2. Department of Environmental Informatics, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany

    Thomas Fischer, Agnes Gräbe & Olaf Kolditz

  3. Department Groundwater Remediation, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany

    Holger Weiss

  4. Technical University of Dresden, Helmholtzstr. 10, 01069, Dresden, Germany

    Agnes Gräbe & Olaf Kolditz

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  1. Tatiana Diniz Gonçalves
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Correspondence to Tatiana Diniz Gonçalves.

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Gonçalves, T.D., Fischer, T., Gräbe, A. et al. Groundwater flow model of the Pipiripau watershed, Federal District of Brazil. Environ Earth Sci 69, 617–631 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2400-5

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