Long-term observatory of groundwater, soil moisture and rainfall in a French urban catchment

This paper presents hydrological data for an urban catchment in Nantes (France), describing the hydrological behaviour of a neighbourhood over a long period (~15 years) by continuously monitoring rainfall, soil moisture and piezometric levels. Knowledge of this type of data is extremely important for a better understanding of water flows at the soil-atmosphere interface in urban areas and the role of permeable and vegetated areas, which are increasingly present in cities thanks to changes in urban stormwater management, encouraging infiltration and stormwater source control. Knowing the water status of the soil is vital to ensure that green spaces are preserved, even without irrigation. This data can be used to gain a better understanding of seasonal changes in groundwater levels in a west Europe oceanic climate, and to evaluate distributed hydrological models to improve the design of urban developments, particularly those that encourage the stormwater infiltration.