Mapping Groundwater Potential (GWP) in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, Eastern Saudi Arabia Using Data-Driven GIS Techniques
Searching for new sources of water is becoming one of the most important aspects of scientific research, especially in areas prone to drought, like Saudi Arabia. The study aim was to delineate groundwater potential zones within the Oasis of Al-Ahsa, in Saudi Arabia’s eastern region, and to identify...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-01-01
|
| Series: | Water |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/2/194 |
| _version_ | 1797342393256640512 |
|---|---|
| author | Abdalhaleem Hassaballa Abdelrahim Salih |
| author_facet | Abdalhaleem Hassaballa Abdelrahim Salih |
| author_sort | Abdalhaleem Hassaballa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Searching for new sources of water is becoming one of the most important aspects of scientific research, especially in areas prone to drought, like Saudi Arabia. The study aim was to delineate groundwater potential zones within the Oasis of Al-Ahsa, in Saudi Arabia’s eastern region, and to identify the optimum factors that control the availability of groundwater zones. This was achieved through examining the effect of ten environmental variables on groundwater recharge, namely: slope, topographic wetness index (TWI), land cover (LC), elevation, lineament density (Ld), drainage density (Dd), rainfall, geology, and soil texture. The variables were prepared from a variety of data sources, including spatial data (i.e., DEM and Landsat-8 image), in addition to other complementing data sources for appropriate parameters extraction. Two weighted overlay methods were used, namely the simple additive weight (SAW) as well as the optimum index factor (OIF) in order to categorize the optimal set of parameters for computing GWP and identifying its zones. Two GWP maps were obtained and validated through comparison with the locations of existing wells at GWP zones. The study findings have assured the cogency of the SAW map, where it was found that nearly 45–48% of the resultant zones were characterized as in the “moderate” class, whereas around 21–37% of the entire zones area were classified within the “high” class. The soil texture parameter was determined as being the most influencing parameter for GWP mapping followed by the “geology” parameter; however, the “lineament density” (Ld) was the least important factor. Furthermore, the OIF method has facilitated the identification of the optimal parameter combination for delineating groundwater potential (GWP) zones, which included “Ld”, “land cover”, and “TWI”. The study findings and methodology can serve as a potential model for other similar regions, supporting sustainable water resource management locally as well as globally. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:32:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-96f7d9e746414faf8fd3f1cbac550ce3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:32:38Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-96f7d9e746414faf8fd3f1cbac550ce32024-01-26T18:49:07ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412024-01-0116219410.3390/w16020194Mapping Groundwater Potential (GWP) in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, Eastern Saudi Arabia Using Data-Driven GIS TechniquesAbdalhaleem Hassaballa0Abdelrahim Salih1Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa P.O. Box 420, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Geography, Faculty of Arts, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa P.O. Box 420, Saudi ArabiaSearching for new sources of water is becoming one of the most important aspects of scientific research, especially in areas prone to drought, like Saudi Arabia. The study aim was to delineate groundwater potential zones within the Oasis of Al-Ahsa, in Saudi Arabia’s eastern region, and to identify the optimum factors that control the availability of groundwater zones. This was achieved through examining the effect of ten environmental variables on groundwater recharge, namely: slope, topographic wetness index (TWI), land cover (LC), elevation, lineament density (Ld), drainage density (Dd), rainfall, geology, and soil texture. The variables were prepared from a variety of data sources, including spatial data (i.e., DEM and Landsat-8 image), in addition to other complementing data sources for appropriate parameters extraction. Two weighted overlay methods were used, namely the simple additive weight (SAW) as well as the optimum index factor (OIF) in order to categorize the optimal set of parameters for computing GWP and identifying its zones. Two GWP maps were obtained and validated through comparison with the locations of existing wells at GWP zones. The study findings have assured the cogency of the SAW map, where it was found that nearly 45–48% of the resultant zones were characterized as in the “moderate” class, whereas around 21–37% of the entire zones area were classified within the “high” class. The soil texture parameter was determined as being the most influencing parameter for GWP mapping followed by the “geology” parameter; however, the “lineament density” (Ld) was the least important factor. Furthermore, the OIF method has facilitated the identification of the optimal parameter combination for delineating groundwater potential (GWP) zones, which included “Ld”, “land cover”, and “TWI”. The study findings and methodology can serve as a potential model for other similar regions, supporting sustainable water resource management locally as well as globally.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/2/194Al-AhsaGISgroundwater potential zoneremote sensingspatial analysis |
| spellingShingle | Abdalhaleem Hassaballa Abdelrahim Salih Mapping Groundwater Potential (GWP) in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, Eastern Saudi Arabia Using Data-Driven GIS Techniques Water Al-Ahsa GIS groundwater potential zone remote sensing spatial analysis |
| title | Mapping Groundwater Potential (GWP) in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, Eastern Saudi Arabia Using Data-Driven GIS Techniques |
| title_full | Mapping Groundwater Potential (GWP) in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, Eastern Saudi Arabia Using Data-Driven GIS Techniques |
| title_fullStr | Mapping Groundwater Potential (GWP) in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, Eastern Saudi Arabia Using Data-Driven GIS Techniques |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mapping Groundwater Potential (GWP) in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, Eastern Saudi Arabia Using Data-Driven GIS Techniques |
| title_short | Mapping Groundwater Potential (GWP) in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, Eastern Saudi Arabia Using Data-Driven GIS Techniques |
| title_sort | mapping groundwater potential gwp in the al ahsa oasis eastern saudi arabia using data driven gis techniques |
| topic | Al-Ahsa GIS groundwater potential zone remote sensing spatial analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/2/194 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT abdalhaleemhassaballa mappinggroundwaterpotentialgwpinthealahsaoasiseasternsaudiarabiausingdatadrivengistechniques AT abdelrahimsalih mappinggroundwaterpotentialgwpinthealahsaoasiseasternsaudiarabiausingdatadrivengistechniques |