Identifying the Major Hydrogeochemical Factors Governing Groundwater Chemistry in the Coastal Aquifers of Southwest Bangladesh Using Statistical Analysis
People in the southwestern (SW) coastal part of Bangladesh are suffering from a severe freshwater crisis due to saline groundwater at a shallow depth. Fresh groundwater below a 200 m depth is an option, but it is costly to construct deep tubewells for the local inhabitants. The processes of saliniza...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Hydrology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/9/2/20 |
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| author | Md. Mizanur Rahman Sarker Thomas Hermans Marc Van Camp Delwar Hossain Mazeda Islam Nasir Ahmed Md. Abdul Quaiyum Bhuiyan Md. Masud Karim Kristine Walraevens |
| author_facet | Md. Mizanur Rahman Sarker Thomas Hermans Marc Van Camp Delwar Hossain Mazeda Islam Nasir Ahmed Md. Abdul Quaiyum Bhuiyan Md. Masud Karim Kristine Walraevens |
| author_sort | Md. Mizanur Rahman Sarker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | People in the southwestern (SW) coastal part of Bangladesh are suffering from a severe freshwater crisis due to saline groundwater at a shallow depth. Fresh groundwater below a 200 m depth is an option, but it is costly to construct deep tubewells for the local inhabitants. The processes of salinization and freshening were previously identified using conventional methods. In this study, we brought new insight into these processes by analyzing existing datasets using multivariate statistics to identify the factors affecting groundwater chemistry. Cluster analysis (CA) revealed three major clusters. Cluster A corresponded to saline (NaCl-type) water. Cluster B was also saline (NaCl-type) water but showed mixing effects. Cluster C was fresh groundwater (NaHCO<sub>3</sub>-type) and isolated. The hydrochemical characteristics of clusters A, B and C compared remarkably well with the groundwaters from the upper shallow aquifer (USA), lower shallow aquifer (LSA) and deep aquifer (DA), respectively. Factor analysis (FA) showed that 75% of the total variance was influenced by evaporate dissolution, carbonate dissolution/precipitation, cation exchange and anthropogenic pollution to some extent. Therefore, the integrated approach showed the validity of applying multivariate statistical techniques to infer the dominant hydrochemistry and to characterize and understand a complicated hydrogeological system. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:47:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-14003a5632714ad6b96e6cbdd2de1c4d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2306-5338 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:47:01Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hydrology |
| spelling | doaj.art-14003a5632714ad6b96e6cbdd2de1c4d2023-11-23T20:13:35ZengMDPI AGHydrology2306-53382022-02-01922010.3390/hydrology9020020Identifying the Major Hydrogeochemical Factors Governing Groundwater Chemistry in the Coastal Aquifers of Southwest Bangladesh Using Statistical AnalysisMd. Mizanur Rahman Sarker0Thomas Hermans1Marc Van Camp2Delwar Hossain3Mazeda Islam4Nasir Ahmed5Md. Abdul Quaiyum Bhuiyan6Md. Masud Karim7Kristine Walraevens8Laboratory for Applied Geology and Hydrogeology, Department of Geology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, BelgiumLaboratory for Applied Geology and Hydrogeology, Department of Geology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, BelgiumLaboratory for Applied Geology and Hydrogeology, Department of Geology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, BelgiumDepartment of Geological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka 1342, BangladeshLaboratory for Applied Geology and Hydrogeology, Department of Geology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, BelgiumIsotope Hydrology Division, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, Dhaka 1349, BangladeshIsotope Hydrology Division, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, Dhaka 1349, BangladeshIsotope Hydrology Division, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, Dhaka 1349, BangladeshLaboratory for Applied Geology and Hydrogeology, Department of Geology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, BelgiumPeople in the southwestern (SW) coastal part of Bangladesh are suffering from a severe freshwater crisis due to saline groundwater at a shallow depth. Fresh groundwater below a 200 m depth is an option, but it is costly to construct deep tubewells for the local inhabitants. The processes of salinization and freshening were previously identified using conventional methods. In this study, we brought new insight into these processes by analyzing existing datasets using multivariate statistics to identify the factors affecting groundwater chemistry. Cluster analysis (CA) revealed three major clusters. Cluster A corresponded to saline (NaCl-type) water. Cluster B was also saline (NaCl-type) water but showed mixing effects. Cluster C was fresh groundwater (NaHCO<sub>3</sub>-type) and isolated. The hydrochemical characteristics of clusters A, B and C compared remarkably well with the groundwaters from the upper shallow aquifer (USA), lower shallow aquifer (LSA) and deep aquifer (DA), respectively. Factor analysis (FA) showed that 75% of the total variance was influenced by evaporate dissolution, carbonate dissolution/precipitation, cation exchange and anthropogenic pollution to some extent. Therefore, the integrated approach showed the validity of applying multivariate statistical techniques to infer the dominant hydrochemistry and to characterize and understand a complicated hydrogeological system.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/9/2/20hydrochemistryevaporite dissolutioncation exchangecluster analysisfactor analysis |
| spellingShingle | Md. Mizanur Rahman Sarker Thomas Hermans Marc Van Camp Delwar Hossain Mazeda Islam Nasir Ahmed Md. Abdul Quaiyum Bhuiyan Md. Masud Karim Kristine Walraevens Identifying the Major Hydrogeochemical Factors Governing Groundwater Chemistry in the Coastal Aquifers of Southwest Bangladesh Using Statistical Analysis Hydrology hydrochemistry evaporite dissolution cation exchange cluster analysis factor analysis |
| title | Identifying the Major Hydrogeochemical Factors Governing Groundwater Chemistry in the Coastal Aquifers of Southwest Bangladesh Using Statistical Analysis |
| title_full | Identifying the Major Hydrogeochemical Factors Governing Groundwater Chemistry in the Coastal Aquifers of Southwest Bangladesh Using Statistical Analysis |
| title_fullStr | Identifying the Major Hydrogeochemical Factors Governing Groundwater Chemistry in the Coastal Aquifers of Southwest Bangladesh Using Statistical Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identifying the Major Hydrogeochemical Factors Governing Groundwater Chemistry in the Coastal Aquifers of Southwest Bangladesh Using Statistical Analysis |
| title_short | Identifying the Major Hydrogeochemical Factors Governing Groundwater Chemistry in the Coastal Aquifers of Southwest Bangladesh Using Statistical Analysis |
| title_sort | identifying the major hydrogeochemical factors governing groundwater chemistry in the coastal aquifers of southwest bangladesh using statistical analysis |
| topic | hydrochemistry evaporite dissolution cation exchange cluster analysis factor analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/9/2/20 |
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