Numerical modeling groundwater recharge and its implication in water cycles of two interdunal valleys in the Sand Hills of Nebraska

The topography and geomorphology of the sand dunes and interdunal valleys in the Nebraska Sand Hills play important roles in regional water cycle by influencing groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration (ET). In this study, groundwater recharge, associated with precipitation and ET as well as soil hydraulics, and its spatial variations owing to the topography of dunes and valleys are examined. A method is developed to describe the recharge as a function of the storage capacity of dunes of various heights. After the method is tested using observations from a network of wells in the Sand Hills, it is used in the MODFLOW model to simulate and describe recharge effects on groundwater table depth at two different dune-valley sites. Analysis of modeled groundwater budget shows that the groundwater table depth in the interdunal valleys is critically influenced by vertical groundwater flows from surrounding dunes. At the site of higher dunes there are steadier and larger vertical groundwater flows in the dunes from their previous storage of precipitation. These vertical flows change to be horizontal converging groundwater flows and create upwelling in the interdunal valleys, where larger ET loss at the surface further enhances groundwater upwelling. Such interdunal valley is the major concentration area of the surface water and groundwater flow in the Sand Hills. At the site of shallow dunes and a broad interdunal valley the supply of groundwater from the dunes is trivial and inadequate to support upwelling of groundwater in the valley. The groundwater flows downward in the valley, and the valley surface is dry. Weak ET loss at the surface has a smaller effect on the groundwater storage than the precipitation recharge, making such area a source for groundwater.

► The monthly recharge is estimated by a function of the depth to groundwater table.
► Water cycle at interdunal valleys was investigated by numerical groundwater model.
► The vertical flows at higher dunes create upwelling in the interdunal valleys.