GROUNDWATCH 2022-2024 MSC RESEARCH TOPIC

• Title
Assessing the impact of droughts on groundwater resources of Tagus-Sado
aquifer system

• Key Words
Drought; aquifer; precipitation; climate variability; mitigation.

• Background
In the Mediterranean region, drought events were found to increase substantially in summer. This
fact can have a greater effect on society than the long-term rise in the average temperature, since
the adaption to weather extremes has to be faster. These drier summer conditions have an impact
on the crop water requirement and, therefore, in irrigation water requirements. Moreover, the
groundwater resources availability needs to be evaluated, considering man activities but also,
ecosystems services.

• Problem statement
The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) states that for good management is necessary to ensure
a balance between abstraction and recharge of groundwater. One of the purposes of the WFD is to
contribute to the mitigation of the effect of droughts on groundwater bodies. Although the
development of a Drought Management Plan (DMP) is not mandatory under the WFD, the DMP is
an additional planning document that aims to prevent or minimize drought impacts.
Drafting DMP requires the selection of the most appropriate combination of long term and short
term actions with reference to the vulnerability of an agricultural system and the drought severity.

• Research Objectives
Enhancing drought resilience by establishing mitigation measures based on drought evolution in
terms of meteorological and agricultural variables and groundwater resource availability.
For that aim is necessary to establish:
- The best drought indices according to data availability and drought type;
- The indicators and thresholds to declare onset, ending, and drought levels;
- The impact of drought in groundwater levels according to drought level;
- The resilience of the aquifer;
- Mitigation measures.

• Methods
Meteorological, hydrological and agricultural data will be compiled and integrated in a GIS.
Assessment of the agricultural systems representative of the case study area and the variables that
characterize these systems (e.g. crop type and yield, irrigation water demand and farm income).
Several drought indices will be estimated and different types of droughts will be distinguished (i.e.
agricultural, meteorological and hydrological droughts). Groundwater quality status will be
assessed and statistical analysis will be compute.
A new methodology will be developed to predict the groundwater levels based on the RCP
scenarios.
• Proposed literature
http://www.droughtmanagement.info/literature/GWPCEE_Guidelines_Preparation_Drought_Ma
nagement_Plans_2015.pdf
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/3907MEDROPLAN%20guidelines_en
glish.pdf
http://spei.csic.es/

• Background
Students have to have some knowledge of R programming or Python.

• Partner institution
Associação do Instituto Superior Técnico para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento
Instituto Superior Técnico

• Supervisors
Maria Paula Sofio Silva Mendes
Rodrigo Proença de Oliveira
GROUNDWATCH 2021-2023 MSC RESEARCH TOPIC

● Title
Application and testing of groundwater sustainability indicators in stressed semi-arid regions

● Key Words
Groundwater, sustainability indicators, groundwater quality, vulnerability, water demand

● Background
The development of groundwater resources sustainability indicators is a process of scientific
approach that presents the different characteristics of the groundwater systems in a simplified
and understandable way. Although its use in such a system is relatively recent, their proper
selection provides a valid basis to support coordinated actions in the process of resource
operation, planning and management.
Since early 1960s, efforts have been underway to develop a meaningful set of indicators and
indices for groundwater resources. The early efforts of UNESCO’s International Hydrological
Decade, subsequent International Hydrology Programme (IHP) phases, FAO, IAEA and UNEP as
well as professional organizations have produced several important methodological guidelines
toward indicator development. Against this background, the UN-World Water Assessment
Programme (WWAP) has been mandated to select indicators and adopt a methodology for
further developing indicators by learning from previous initiatives. In the course of these efforts,
WWAP has learned that this is a long-term process where each previous milestone provides the
direction – or directions – to get to the next one. Amidst such complexity and tradeoffs, WWAP
presented a methodological approach, identified some indicators, carried out limited testing and
developed a better understanding and appreciation of the problems of indicator development.

● Problem statement
Some semi-arid regions of Portugal have been facing recurrent droughts which have led users
(from domestic to industrial) to search for alternative sources of water, including groundwater.
With the increase of abstractions and pressures the quantitative and qualitative status of
vulnerable and stressed groundwater bodies is quite threaten, as well as its sustainability in the
long term.
Adding to this, in the southern Portugal, a semi-arid region, the climate change will cause a
significant impact in the water resources availability, and consequently, a greater search and
pressure on the groundwater resources in a near future.
Up to this date, only indicators for the implementation of a public policy for water services have
been reported (ERSAR, 2016), based on the OECD principles (OECD, 2015), and for a national
scale. On the other hand, the River Basin Management Plans are also being reviewed in order to
respond to the main water issues and gaps in governance and management. Despite of this, no
study or work has been focused on the use of groundwater sustainability indicators at any scale in
the country.

● Research Objectives
To test the applicability of the groundwater indicators defined by the WWA on Groundwater
Indicators at different scales (regional/aquifer).
To assess the social and economic relevance of groundwater indicators.
To assess the availability and suitability of data from Portugal.
Apply the indicators in decision-making at the local scale.
Assess groundwater trends over time according to the identified threats.
 The indicators will allow for assessment of groundwater abundance in proportion to population
and water use, as well as its quality and vulnerability.

● Methods
The proposed groundwater indicators by the WWA are based on measurable and observable
data and provide information about groundwater quantity and quality (contemporary state
and trend) and focus on social (groundwater availability and use), economic (groundwater
development, abstraction and protection) and environmental (groundwater depletion and
pollution) aspects of groundwater resources policy and management. Particular attention is
given to sustainability aspects.

● Added values
●
● Proposed literature
Lavapuro M., Lipponen A., Artimo A., Katko T. (2008) Groundwater sustainability indicators:
testing with Finnish data. Boreal Environment Research 13: 381–402.

Perez M., Tujchneider O., Paris M., D’Elia M. (2015) Sustainability indicators of groundwater
resources in the central area of Santa Fe province, Argentina. Environ Earth Sci (2015) 73:2671–
2682. DOI 10.1007/s12665-014-3181-1

Vrba J., Hirata R., Girman J., Haei N., Lipponen A., Neupane B., Shah T., Wallin B. (2007)
Groundwater Resources Sustainability Indicators. Groundwater Indicators Working Group -
UNESCO, IAEA, IAH.

● Partner institution
ARH Algarve

● Other institutions involved

● Supervisor
Nuno Barreiras (IST) & Edite Reis (ARH Algarve)

● Pre-requisites
GROUNDWATCH 2021-2023 MSC RESEARCH TOPIC

● Title
Groundwater dependency in marine habitats under global changes aquifer pressures

● Key Words
Sandy and rocky habitats, biodiversity, cliff groundwater run-off

● Background
The groundwater discharge into coastal ecosystems such as estuaries, lagoons and sandy shores is a
key factor influencing their biological communities (Félix et al., 2015; Shapouri et al., 2016; Rodellas
et al., 2018). This freshwater input is important for setting ecotones by influencing parameters like
salinity, nutrient loading, sediment type or organic matter and even as a pollutant source (Capone
and Bautista, 1985; Nevill et al., 2010; Lewandowski et al., 2020; Connolly et al., 2020), making
aquatic coastal ecosystems potentially groundwater conditional.
Marine coastal communities are subject to various physical and chemical gradients that can affect
their growth and physiology, and groundwater discharge is one factor that contributes to these
environmental gradients in coastal waters (Lecher and Mackey, 2018). The identification of such
sensitive communities with associated environmental conditions makes it possible and effective to
predict and detect impacts from variations in groundwater discharge. Hence, this work represents a
pioneer assessment of the potential response of intertidal communities to the influence of
groundwater in southwest Europe. It will fill an important gap in the current state of the art by
validating the biological importance of this commonly overlooked local factor and open the path to
consider classifying shores as groundwater-dependent ecosystems.

● Problem statement
Groundwater discharge is an essential process in the functioning of coastal aquatic ecosystems due
to its significant role in nutrient cycling, geochemical mass balances and primary productivity.
However, the occurrence patterns, importance, and effects of this discharge on rocky shores
communities remain largely unknown.

● Research Objectives
1.Compare patterns of macroinvertebrate communities in sandy and rocky shores under
groundwater cliff runoff influence to assess habitat GW dependency levels
2.Categorize variations in cliff groundwater chemistry and volume by modelling aquifer historical
behaviour + in situ measurements
3.Propose environmental management actions to local city councils at the study sites

● Methods
1.Sampling of macroinvertebrates in the low tide zone of both rocky and shores of the Portuguese
West Coast with potential lab identification
2.Groundwater sampling in the study zones using water samples and data loggers
3. Modelling of the study areas aquifer in terms of potential variations in run off discharge potential
due to global changes and land use influence.

● Added values
-Training in experimental design to apply hypothesis testing research
-Training in Scientific writing
-Training in multivariate data analysis software
● Proposed literature
1. Intertidal and submarine groundwater discharge on the west coast of Ireland.Estuar. Coast
Shelf Sci., 92 (3) (2011), pp. 415-423, 10.1016/j.ecss.2011.01.019
2. Biogeochemical impact of submarine ground water discharge on coastal surface sands of the
southern Baltic Sea. Estuar. Coast Shelf Sci. (2017), 10.1016/j.ecss.2017.03.003
3. Local and temporal variations in nearshore macrobenthic communities associated with
submarine groundwater discharges. Mar. Ecol., 36 (4) (2015), pp. 926-941,
10.1111/maec.12186
4. Climate Change Impacts on Groundwater and Dependent Ecosystems (2013),
10.1016/j.jhydrol.2013.06.037
5. Estuarine biodiversity as an indicator of groundwater discharge. Estuar. Coast Shelf Sci., 97
(2012), pp. 38-43, https://10.1016/j.ecss.2011.11.006
6. Groundwater discharge locally shapes the rocky shore macroinvertebrate community in
South-Southwest Portugal,Marine Environmental Research, Volume 179, 2022,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105672.

● Partner institution
Câmara Municipal da Lourinhã (case studies municipal management entity)

● Other institutions involved

● Supervisor
Ana Silva and Teresa Melo

● Pre-requisites
Desirable: Previous experience or training in sampling macroinvertebrates.
Mandatory: Willingness to train in and handle biological sampling
GROUNDWATCH 2021-2023 MSC RESEARCH TOPIC

• Title
Impact of irrigation and fertilization practices on surface and ground water flow quality: a case study
in Roxo, southern Portugal

• Key Words
MOHID-Land; water quantity; water quality; irrigation; fertilization

• Background
The expansion of the irrigated area over the past century has provided the means for agricultural
production in regions of the world where scarcity prevails. In these regions mostly afflicted by arid,
semi-arid, and dry sub-humid climates, irrigation is fundamental to fulfill crop water requirements,
diversify crop production, increase food production, meet the growing food demand, ensure food
stability, and increase the prosperity of rural areas. This, most times, comes with costs to the
environment as the pressure on freshwater resources builds up. Irrigation is today responsible for 70%
of all freshwater withdrawals in the world and 90% in the least developed regions. Irrigation is also
considered a key source of land degradation, namely by contributing to the contamination or depletion
of water resources, promotion of soil erosion and soil salinization, being also associated with
biodiversity loss. Climate change only further exacerbates the scarcity issue and future uncertainty.

• Problem statement
Inefficient irrigation practices are usually responsible for promoting diffuse processes (runoff and
leaching) at the field scale, which end up transporting nutrient surpluses to downstream surface water
and groundwater bodies, contributing to their degradation. This research study aims to simulate
different irrigation and fertigation management scenarios at the regional scale using process-
distributed modeling to evaluate how different strategies can affect the quantity and quality of surface
water and groundwater bodies, answering the following question: how irrigation practices in
agricultural fields can impact the water quality of downstream water resources?

• Research Objectives
The main objectives of the study are:
o To simulate different irrigation and fertigation strategies at the Roxo irrigation district scale
(regional scale) using the process-distributed MOHID-Land model.
o To compare the soil water and mass balances obtained following the different modeling
approaches.
o Identify the best management strategies for reducing diffuse pollution processes in irrigation
areas.

• Methods
Considering the case study of Roxo irrigation district, which the domain is already implemented and
being simulated with MOHID-Land model, several scenarios will be considered through changes in
irrigation and fertilization scheduling. The impacts of these scenarios will be quantified in terms of
water quantity and quality and the results will be compared between scenarios to assess the impact
of those practices.

• Proposed literature
Canuto, N., Ramos, T.B., Oliveira, A.R., Simionesei, L., Basso, M., Neves, R., 2019.Influence of reservoir
management on Guadiana streamflow regime. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 25, 100628.
Oliveira, A.R., Ramos, T.B., Simionesei, L., Pinto, L., Neves, R., 2020. Sensitivity Analysis of the MOHID-
Land Hydrological Model: A Case Study of the Ulla River Basin. Water 12, 3258,
https://doi.org/10.3390/w12113258
Ramos, T.B., Simionesei, L., Jauch, E., Almeida, C., Neves, R., 2017. Modelling soil water and maize
growth dynamics influenced by shallow groundwater conditions in the Sorraia Valley region, Portugal.
Agricultural Water Management 185, 27-42, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2017.02.007.

• Partner institution
-

• Other institutions involved

-

• Supervisor
Tiago Ramos and Ana Oliveira

• Pre-requisites
Basic knowledge of MOHID-Land model
GROUNDWATCH 2021-2023 MSC RESEARCH TOPIC

● Title
Groundwater recharge and sustainability efforts in Southern Guatemala.

● Key Words
Groundwater recharge, modeling, soil water balance, chloride balance, field work, sustainability

● Background
In Guatemala there are three main drainage basins: the Pacific Ocean basin, the Caribbean Sea basin,
and the Gulf of Mexico basin. These three principal basins can be further divided into 34 lesser basins
that capture the significant streams of the country. There are 18 streams that discharge into the Pacific
Ocean, 6 streams that drain into the Caribbean Sea, and 10 that empty into the Gulf of Mexico. About
55 percent of the watersheds in the country are shared with neighboring countries but most of the
monitored streams are in the Pacific Ocean basin.

The Pacific Ocean basin is the smallest occupying a total extension of 23.990 km² which corresponds
to about 25 percent of the country. The basin has relatively straight streams with initially steep short
courses, originating in the upper elevations of the Sierra Madre where they abruptly level off and flow
south to the Pacific Ocean. The average length of the streams is 100 kilometers with the headwaters
starting at elevations of 2,000 to 3,000 m above sea level. They drain the heavy monsoon rain from
the volcanic highlands to the Pacific Ocean, with rapid changes in slope from steep to almost flat,
making the area prone to flash flooding.

Guatemala’s Pacific coast is a region where only a few small patches remain of the sprawling tropical
forests and natural plains that ruled from the shore to the mountains. It is nowadays a key region for
Guatemala in terms of energy and food production, mostly associated with the availability of water,
the fertility of the soil and the geomorphology of the area. It’s no coincidence that most of the
country’s agro-industrial production happens there, characterized by huge monocrop plantations of
African palms, sugarcane, and banana and rubber trees, along with livestock operations and the
processing plants that turn these raw resources into finished products.

● Problem statement
Monoculture plantations require large quantities of the water causing an enormous disparity in the
right to access the water, crucial to everyday life in communities throughout the coastal region. Adding
the effects of climate change and the lack of access to land for subsistence farming, water pollution
and scarcity in the coastal region have severe consequences, especially for the most vulnerable
communities. It also has consequences for key natural resources crucial to any future sustainable
development.

The need for water security for human supply, agribusiness and hydropower, requires the evaluation
of water resources sustainability and the investigation of precipitation distribution and groundwater
recharge. By studying rainfall patterns and partitioning, we expect to have a clearer picture of the
spatial and temporal distribution of runoff, infiltration ratios and groundwater recharge and the
delimitation of areas with high hydrogeological value for protection.

● Research Objectives
● Define areas of maximum infiltration
● Estimate groundwater recharge in 18 river basins of southern Guatemala
● Methods
Soil budget methods
Chloride mass balance
Model-Estimated Groundwater Recharge

● Proposed literature

● Partner institution
Instituto Superior Técnico

● Other institutions involved

Instituto Cambio Climático (ICC) Guatemala

● Mentors
Juan Francisco

● Supervisors
Teresa Melo/ Nuno Barreiras

● Pre-requisites
Preference to a student that speaks spanish/ portuguese (not mandatory), availability to
travel to Guatemala (1 month) and that preferably has GIS modelling and programming skills.
GROUNDWATCH 2021-2023 MSC RESEARCH TOPIC

● Title
Role of groundwater for wetland sustainability and carbon sequestration (Cabinda, Angola).

● Key Words
Wetlands, eutrophication, carbon sequestration, water resources sustainability, climate change

● Background
Cabinda Province is an enclave in northernmost Angola, covering an area of 7,270 km2, with the
Republic of the Congo to the north, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the east, and the Atlantic
Ocean to the west.

Cabinda region has plenty of water resources including surface and groundwater bodies. The Chiloango
River and other two main rivers running through the Cabinda Province are the major water sources of
agricultural and industrial production and domestic use. With the increasing deforestation,
industrialization and agriculture in the recent years, environmental pollution is impacting the water
quality of rivers, streams and aquifers which play a significant role in water supply for local populations,
severely undermining the safety of domestic water use.

Water quality problems are also impacting wetlands and contributing for eutrophication. These
wetlands have a very important role for local ecosystem and carbon sequestration.

● Problem statement

In Cabinda Province, the Portuguese company Mota-Engil will implement a large agroforestry project
to produce biological cacao and to limit deforestation of endemic species. This project requires
irrigation with potential impact on the quantity and quality of water resources, and potential impacts
on the wetlands which need to be identified and quantified.

Surface-groundwater interactions are not quantified and neither is the role of groundwater for
wetland eutrophication and impact on groundwater dependent ecosystems.

● Research Objectives
- Investigate importance of surface-groundwater interactions and their role for wetland
sustainability;
- Characterize surface and groundwater quality
- Identify and quantify risk of eutrophication
- Evaluate the impact of the agroforest project on water resources
- Identify sources of irrigation
- Asses the importance of the wetlands for carbon sequestration
● Methods
Field work
Geochemical tracers
Ecological indicators
Modelling
● Proposed literature

● Partner institution
Instituto Superior Técnico

● Other institutions involved

Mota Engil

● Mentors
Ana Ribeiro

● Supervisors
Teresa Melo/ Cristina Antunes

● Pre-requisites
Preference to a student that speaks spanish/ portuguese (not mandatory), availability to
eventually travel to Angola (2 weeks; to be confirmed) and that preferably has GIS modelling
skills.
IST 7: Design of a monitoring network to follow groundwater use
Background
• In recent years, several agricultural projects have been approved in Comporta area,
leading to an increase of groundwater demand and a rising of conflicts
• Although Comporta is located over the highly productive Tagus-Sado Aquifer (left
bank), concerns about the sustainability of water use is rising.

Research objectives (and how they will be addressed)

• To compile existing piezometric data, water quality data and pumping tests data
and, if needed, to collect additional data by conducting pumping tests.
• To evaluate the sustainability of water use in Comporta, by developing a local
groundwater flow numerical model.
• To characterize and to quantify the uncertainty of the aquifer behaviour through
stochastic modelling.
• To identify the need for additional piezometers and to propose sites for their Contact person: Dr. João Nascimento
location. and Prof. Rodrigo Proença de Oliveira

Partner: ---

Requirements: Water modelling

capabilities
IST 8: Assessment of boreholes productivity reduction and
development of a mitigation strategy (i.e. what is happening in Mata de
Valverde?)
Background
• Águas Públicas do Alentejo (AgdA) is a Water Utility who uses the Tagus-Sado
Aquifer to supply Grandola Municipality.
• Mata Valverde boreholes, built in 2018 and 2019, are losing their productivity and
AgdA was forced to use of additional wells.
• AgdA has asked for help in analysing this problem.

Research objectives (and how they will be addressed)

• To gather existing piezometric data, water quality data and pumping tests data
and, if needed, to collect additional data by conducting pumping tests.
• To identify the causes for Mata Verde boreholes productivity loss and to confirm
the hypothesis by developing a local groundwater flow numerical model.
Contact person: Dr. João Nascimento
and Prof. Rodrigo Proença de Oliveira
• To use the model to optimize the boreholes operational rules.
• To provide recommendations to Águas Públicas do Alentejo. Partner: Águas Públicas do Alentejo

Requirements: Water modelling

capabilities
IST 9: Integrated Water Resources Management: a multi-criteria
approach
Background
• The Lower Tagus valley is an important agricultural area with high water
demands, which are satisfied by surface and groundwater bodies: The Tagus
River and three major aquifers.
• The Lower Tagus also supports other municipal and industrial uses, and is an
important ecosystem.
• The Lower Tagus flow regime is dependent on several upstream uses
• Economic drivers and climate change are rising concerns about the sustainability
of current and projected uses.

Research objectives (and how they will be addressed)

• To compile data on surface and ground water availability, water demand and
Contact person: Dr. João Nascimento
existing water development projects.
and Prof. Rodrigo Proença de Oliveira
• To characterize the current and future situation using a water allocation model
(e.g. AQUATOOL, Mike Hydro Basins, WEAP). Partner: WWF
• To identify and evaluate possible solutions to ensure the sustainability of water
use sustainability using a multi-criteria approach. Requirements: Water modelling
capabilities