Integrating GIS, Statistical, Hydrogeochemical Modeling and Graphical Approaches for Hydrogeochemical Evaluation of Ad-Dawadmi Ground Water, Saudi Arabia: Status and Implications of Evaporation and Rock–Water Interactions

Abstract

Ensuring sustainability of groundwater (GW) resources requires understanding the interplaying factors in the hydrogeochemical evolution of the system (cause and effect relationships), which is the subject of the current work concerning the groundwater resource in a hyperarid region, namely, AdDawadmi, Saudi Arabia. Integration of geographical information system (GIS), statistical, graphical, and geochemical modeling approaches are adopted to achieve the study’s design intentions. Slicing the study area on a spatial basis helped yield insights into major constituents’ variation trends using the graphical methods that lack spatial representation capabilities, such as Piper, radial, and Durov plots. Localities of higher salinities, NO3−, SO42−, Cl−, Na+, and Ca2+ are remarkable, indicating the effects of localized and point source activities and evaporation-driven concentrating processes rather than lithology supported by the largest regression and correlation coefficients for Cl−, Na+, and SO42. Many interacting processes are identified: evaporation, vicious salinization cycle (VSC), rock weathering, ion exchange, and geomorphological-driven flow. Hydrogeochemical modeling using the Visual MINTEQ program concludes that concentration-driven evaporation might lead to the precipitation of significant SO42− and Ca2+ along with CaCO3 saturation. Such processes, coupled with the ion exchange, would greatly impact the GW chemical composition and affect the aquifer and soil properties such as permeability. Human activities impact the GW system, necessitating remediation plans and protection policies to prevent overexploitation and brook the VSC. Finally, the integration of the adopted approaches was found useful, constraining the findings of one approach, reducing the associated uncertainties, enhancing the confidence level and reliability of the obtained conclusions, and obtaining useful information, enabling understanding of the internally interacting processes otherwise hidden.

Hydrogeochemical and GIS Analysis of Groundwater Quality for Drinking and Irrigation Purposes in Kuzhithuraiyar Sub-Basin, Kanniyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India

“…According to the spatial distribution map, ionic concentrations vary with proximity to the coastline, which impacts interactions between salinity and ions. Tese variations illustrate the region's diverse geologic settings and anthropogenic infuences, which may afect water quality [59,60]. In both premonsoon and postmonsoon periods, a proportion of samples exceed the recommended TDS limits.…”

Sustainability Evaluation of the Al-Qasab Playa by Integrating Hydrogeochemical and Graphical, ArcGIS Watershed, and Thermodynamic Geochemical Modeling Approaches

“…All hydrochemical analyses were conducted following the Standard Methods for Examining Water and Wastewater procedures [22]. Nitrate (NO 3 − ) ion concentration was determined spectrophotometrically at 410 nm wavelength following the modified phenol sulphonic acid method [23,24]. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was estimated spectrophotometrically at 254 nm and 275 nm wavelengths employing potassium hydrogen phthalate (PHP) as a proxy, with R 2 values higher than 0.99.…”