InhaltsangabePreface Abbreviations and dimensions Definitions 1 Introduction 2 The water cycle 2.1 Distribution of water on earth 2.2 The continental water cycle 2.2.1 The components of the Water Cycle 2.2.1.1 Characteristics of different climate zones 2.3 The vadose zone and its water balance for different climate zones 2.4 Rechargeable and fossil groundwater and water exploitation 2.5 The place of recharge in the water cycle 3 Mechanisms and processes of recharge 3.1 The input: precipitation and snowmelt 3.2 Wet and dry deposition at the interface atmosphere/lithosphere/biosphere 3.3 Overland-flow and infiltration 3.4 Matrix-flow and preferential-flow 3.5 Inter-flow 3.6 River-infiltration 3.7 Artificial recharge 3.8 Water vapor-fluxes in the subsurface 4 Research tools and methods in the study of recharge 4.1 Water balance estimates 4.1.1 Estimate of evapo-transpiration 4.1.2 Hydrograph analysis 4.1.3 Groundwater level fluctuations 4.2 Lysimeter studies 4.3 Hydraulic methods in the vadose zone 4.4 Isotope and chemical tracers 4.4.1 Stable and radioactive environmental isotopes 4.4.1.1 Preparation techniques 4.4.1.2 Measuring techniques 4.4.2 Environmental tracers for recharge determination 4.4.2.1 Environmental chloride 4.4.2.2 Environmental tritium 4.4.2.3 Environmental 2H and 18O 4.4.3 Artificial tracers 4.4.4 Application of tracers 4.5 Water sampling and sample conservation 4.6 Comparison between tracers and conventional techniques 5 Recharge under different climate regimes 5.1 Humid climates 5.1.1 Conceptual models 5.1.2 Water balance and separation of discharge components 5.2 Semi-arid climates 5.3 Arid climates 5.4 Cold climates 6 Man's impact on the groundwater recharge 6.1 Land use change: Agriculture 6.2 Land use change: Urban areas 6.3 Global changes and the water cycle 7 Literature survey Subject index