Earth surface water balance for area of Wroclaw based on WetSpass model simulations

• Main Authors: Joanna Katarzyna Kajewska-Szkudlarek, Ireneusz Kajewski, Irena Otop
• Format: Article
• Language: Polish
• Published: Polish Society of Ecological Engineering (PTIE) 2018-12-01
• Series: Inżynieria Ekologiczna
• Subjects: water balance of urban areas; groundwater recharge; WetSpass simulation model; land use
• Online Access: http://www.journalssystem.com/ie/BILANS-WODNY-POWIERZCHNI-ZIEMI-NA-OBSZARZE-WROCLAWIA-NA-PODSTAWIE-BADAN-SYMULACYJNYCH,95276,0,2.html
• ISSN: 2081-139X; 2392-0629

Booming urbanization has negative impact on hydrological processes at different scales, which occurring both on and below the earth surface. However, there is still a question of how modifications in the land use affect the regional water balance and searching the tools that will enable it. In the current work, a simulation WetSpass model was used to assess the water balance structure in the city of Wroclaw (total area 295 km2, with significant share, amounting 40%, of typical rural areas). The relationship between land use and components of the water balance (groundwater recharge, actual evapotranspiration, surface runoff) for the entire urban agglomeration as well as individual historical districts has been presented. The average annual groundwater recharge in Wroclaw in the years 1981-2010 was only 16.5 mm/year (3% mean annual precipitation), evapotranspiration 443.7 mm/year, and surface runoff 79.3 mm/year. A similarity was observed between the Stare Miasto and the Śródmieście districts, where the values of evapotranspiration equal to approx. 410 mm and surface runoff of about 110 mm and between Psie Pole and Fabryczna districts with higher evapotranspiration (450 mm) and lower surface runoff (70 mm) were calculated.