Groundwater recharge: Accurately representing evapotranspiration

Abstract

Groundwater recharge is the basis for accurate estimation of groundwater resources, for determining the modes of water allocation and groundwater resource susceptibility to climate change. Accurate estimations of groundwater recharge with models depend on the accuracy of the input data used. In this study a field trial was established at a site which exhibits groundwater recharge through vertical fluxes in the soil profile (Riverlands Nature Reserve in the Western Cape). The main aim of this investigation is to develop improved process-based estimations of groundwater recharge by accurately quantifying the ET component using scintillometry.