Hydrogeological typologies of the Indo-Gangetic basin alluvial aquifer, South Asia

The Indo-Gangetic aquifer is one of the world’s most important transboundary water resources, and the most heavily exploited aquifer in the world. To better understand the aquifer system, typologies have been characterized for the aquifer, which integrate existing datasets across the Indo-Gangetic c...

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Main Authors: Bonsor, H., MacDonald, A., Ahmed, K., Burgess, W., Basharat, M., Calow, R., Dixit, A., Foster, S., Gopal, K., Lapworth, D., Moench, M., Mukherjee, Abhijit, Rao, M., Shamsudduha, M., Smith, L., Taylor, R., Tucker, J., van Steenbergen, F., Yadav, S., Zahid, A.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2017
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/68180
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author Bonsor, H.
MacDonald, A.
Ahmed, K.
Burgess, W.
Basharat, M.
Calow, R.
Dixit, A.
Foster, S.
Gopal, K.
Lapworth, D.
Moench, M.
Mukherjee, Abhijit
Rao, M.
Shamsudduha, M.
Smith, L.
Taylor, R.
Tucker, J.
van Steenbergen, F.
Yadav, S.
Zahid, A.
author_facet Bonsor, H.
MacDonald, A.
Ahmed, K.
Burgess, W.
Basharat, M.
Calow, R.
Dixit, A.
Foster, S.
Gopal, K.
Lapworth, D.
Moench, M.
Mukherjee, Abhijit
Rao, M.
Shamsudduha, M.
Smith, L.
Taylor, R.
Tucker, J.
van Steenbergen, F.
Yadav, S.
Zahid, A.
author_sort Bonsor, H.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The Indo-Gangetic aquifer is one of the world’s most important transboundary water resources, and the most heavily exploited aquifer in the world. To better understand the aquifer system, typologies have been characterized for the aquifer, which integrate existing datasets across the Indo-Gangetic catchment basin at a transboundary scale for the first time, and provide an alternative conceptualization of this aquifer system. Traditionally considered and mapped as a single homogenous aquifer of comparable aquifer properties and groundwater resource at a transboundary scale, the typologies illuminate significant spatial differences in recharge, permeability, storage, and groundwater chemistry across the aquifer system at this transboundary scale. These changes are shown to be systematic, concurrent with large-scale changes in sedimentology of the Pleistocene and Holocene alluvial aquifer, climate, and recent irrigation practices. Seven typologies of the aquifer are presented, each having a distinct set of challenges and opportunities for groundwater development and a different resilience to abstraction and climate change. The seven typologies are: (1) the piedmont margin, (2) the Upper Indus and Upper-Mid Ganges, (3) the Lower Ganges and Mid Brahmaputra, (4) the fluvially influenced deltaic area of the Bengal Basin, (5) the Middle Indus and Upper Ganges, (6) the Lower Indus, and (7) the marine-influenced deltaic areas.
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format Journal Article
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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last_indexed 2025-11-14T10:36:51Z
publishDate 2017
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-681802018-10-01T03:28:57Z Hydrogeological typologies of the Indo-Gangetic basin alluvial aquifer, South Asia Bonsor, H. MacDonald, A. Ahmed, K. Burgess, W. Basharat, M. Calow, R. Dixit, A. Foster, S. Gopal, K. Lapworth, D. Moench, M. Mukherjee, Abhijit Rao, M. Shamsudduha, M. Smith, L. Taylor, R. Tucker, J. van Steenbergen, F. Yadav, S. Zahid, A. The Indo-Gangetic aquifer is one of the world’s most important transboundary water resources, and the most heavily exploited aquifer in the world. To better understand the aquifer system, typologies have been characterized for the aquifer, which integrate existing datasets across the Indo-Gangetic catchment basin at a transboundary scale for the first time, and provide an alternative conceptualization of this aquifer system. Traditionally considered and mapped as a single homogenous aquifer of comparable aquifer properties and groundwater resource at a transboundary scale, the typologies illuminate significant spatial differences in recharge, permeability, storage, and groundwater chemistry across the aquifer system at this transboundary scale. These changes are shown to be systematic, concurrent with large-scale changes in sedimentology of the Pleistocene and Holocene alluvial aquifer, climate, and recent irrigation practices. Seven typologies of the aquifer are presented, each having a distinct set of challenges and opportunities for groundwater development and a different resilience to abstraction and climate change. The seven typologies are: (1) the piedmont margin, (2) the Upper Indus and Upper-Mid Ganges, (3) the Lower Ganges and Mid Brahmaputra, (4) the fluvially influenced deltaic area of the Bengal Basin, (5) the Middle Indus and Upper Ganges, (6) the Lower Indus, and (7) the marine-influenced deltaic areas. 2017 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/68180 10.1007/s10040-017-1550-z http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ fulltext
spellingShingle Bonsor, H.
MacDonald, A.
Ahmed, K.
Burgess, W.
Basharat, M.
Calow, R.
Dixit, A.
Foster, S.
Gopal, K.
Lapworth, D.
Moench, M.
Mukherjee, Abhijit
Rao, M.
Shamsudduha, M.
Smith, L.
Taylor, R.
Tucker, J.
van Steenbergen, F.
Yadav, S.
Zahid, A.
Hydrogeological typologies of the Indo-Gangetic basin alluvial aquifer, South Asia
title Hydrogeological typologies of the Indo-Gangetic basin alluvial aquifer, South Asia
title_full Hydrogeological typologies of the Indo-Gangetic basin alluvial aquifer, South Asia
title_fullStr Hydrogeological typologies of the Indo-Gangetic basin alluvial aquifer, South Asia
title_full_unstemmed Hydrogeological typologies of the Indo-Gangetic basin alluvial aquifer, South Asia
title_short Hydrogeological typologies of the Indo-Gangetic basin alluvial aquifer, South Asia
title_sort hydrogeological typologies of the indo-gangetic basin alluvial aquifer, south asia
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/68180