Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Groundwater Characteristics and Pollution Assessment Using Integrated Hydrochemical Investigations GIS and Multivariate Geostatistical Techniques in Arid Areas

  • Published:
Water Resources Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In arid areas, groundwater quality is an important concern for human life and natural ecosystems. Rapid economic development impacts greatly on limited groundwater resources. This study examines the impacts of natural and anthropogenic contaminations on groundwater quality by integrating hydrochemical investigations, GIS and multivariate geostatistical techniques. Major and trace elements in groundwater were analyzed to evaluate the shallow alluvial aquifer connected to the fractured basement aquifer in the Jazan area of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Results show that the groundwater of the aquifer inland is generally under free conditions and is declining with time, while in the coastal areas, there is a disturbance of the groundwater balance resulting in upward leakage of deep saline water and seawater intrusion. Groundwater types are varied from calcium bicarbonate to sodium chloride, reflecting meteoric water recharge to seawater influence. The pollution risk is high, since the water table is shallow and the aquifers are highly permeable. Urbanization has put stress on groundwater quality due to wastewater contamination from pit latrines and leakage from the unrehabilitated sewage system. Chemical equilibrium and saturation indices were calculated, showing that most of the water samples were under-saturated with respect to anhydrate, aragonite, calcite, dolomite, gypsum and halite mineral phases. This affects carbonate and evaporite minerals in the aquifer, causing ground subsidence and sinkholes in the coastal area. Factor and cluster analyses were used to classify and examine the processes affecting groundwater quality. The main factors impacting on the groundwater hydrochemistry were identified as: dissolution of several minerals, evaporation, human impact, mixing between geothermal and other waters as well as rainfall recharge.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams S, Titus R, Pietersen K, Harris G (2001) Hydrochemical characteristics of aquifers near Sutherland in the Western Karoo, South Africa. J Hydrol 241(1–2):91–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alabdula’aly A, Al-Rehaili A, Al-Zarah A, Khan M (2010) Assessment of nitrate concentration in groundwater in Saudi Arabia. Environ Monit Assess 161(1–4):1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Amri A (1998) The application of geoelectrical vertical soundings in delineating the hydrostratigraphy of the southern Red Sea coastal area, Saudi Arabia. J King Abdul Aziz Univ 10:73–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Bassam A, Hussein M (2008) Combined geo-electrical and hydrochemical methods to detect salt water intrusions: a case study from southwestern Saudi Arabia. Manag Env Qual 19:179–193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Sharif A (1984) Geography of Saudi Arabia. Part II, “The South-west of Saudi Arabia. Mars publications, Riyadh

    Google Scholar 

  • Alshikh A (2011) Analysis of Heavy Metals and Organic Pollutants of Ground Water Samples of South Saudi. Life Sci J 8(4):438–441

    Google Scholar 

  • Alther G (1979) A Simplified Statistical Sequence Applied to Routine Water Quality Analysis: A Case History. Ground Water 17:556–561

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Assaf H, Saadeh M (2009) Geostatistical Assessment of Groundwater Nitrate Contamination with Reflection on DRASTIC Vulnerability Assessment: The Case of the Upper Litani Basin, Lebanon. Water Resour Manage 23:775–796

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Babiker I, Mohamed M, Hiyama T (2007) Assessing groundwater quality using GIS. Water Resour Manag 21:699–715

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Batayneh A, Elawadi E, Mogren S, Ibrahim E, Qaisy S (2012) Groundwater quality of the shallow alluvial aquifer of Wadi Jazan (Southwest Saudi Arabia) and its suitability for domestic and irrigation purpose. Sci Res Essays 7(3):352–364

    Google Scholar 

  • Belkhiri L, Narany T (2015) Using Multivariate Statistical Analysis, Geostatistical Techniques and Structural Equation Modeling to Identify Spatial Variability of Groundwater Quality. Water Resour Manage 29:2073–2089

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bengraine K, Marahaba T (2003) Principal component analysis to monitor spatial and temporal changes in water quality. J Hazard Mat B100:179–195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown C (1998) Applied Multivariate Statistics in Geohydrology and Related Sciences. Springer, Berlin

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cattell R (1966) The scree test for the number of factors. Multivar Behav Res 1:245–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ceron J, Pulido-Bosch A, Bakalwicz M (1999) Application of principal components analysis to the study of CO2- rich thermomineral waters in the aquifer system of Alto Guadalentín (Spain). Hydrological Sci 44(6):929–942

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Custodio E, Bruggeman F (1987) Groundwater Problems in Coastal Areas; Studies and Reports in Hydrology No. 45. UNESCO Publications, Belgium

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalton M, Upchurch S (1978) Interpretation of Hydrochemical Facies by Factor Analyses. Ground Water 16:228–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis J (2002) Statistics and Data Analysis in Geology. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • dos Santos J, de Oliveira E, Bruns R, Gennari R (2004) Evaluation of the salt accumulation process during inundation in water resource of Contas river basin (Bahia–Brazil) applying principal component analysis. Water Res 38:1579–1585

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El Alfy M (2012) Integrated Geostatistics and GIS techniques for assessing groundwater contamination in Al-Arish area, Sinai, Egypt. Arab J Geosci 5(2):197–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El Alfy M (2013) Hydrochemical modeling and assessment of groundwater contamination in Northwest Sinai, Egypt. Water Environ Res 85(3):211–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El Alfy M, Merkel B (2006) Hydrochemical relationships and geochemical modeling of ground water in Al Arish area, North Sinai, Egypt. American Institute of Hydrology (AIH). Hydrological Sci Technol J 22(1–4):47–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Eweida A (1992) Groundwater Hydrochemistry of Wadi El-Arish Delta, North Sinai. Proceedings of the 3rd Conference on Geololgy of Sinai for Development; Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

  • Fallatah A (1994) Report on some soils, a subsidiary of Jazan agricultural development sites. Jazan Agricultural Development Company, Jizan

    Google Scholar 

  • Farnham I, Stetzenbach K, Singh A, Johannesson K (2000) Deciphering Groundwater Flow Systems in Oasis Valley, Nevada, Using Trace Element Geochemistry, Multivariate Statistics, and Geographical Information System. Math Geol 32:943–968

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeze R, Cherry A (1979) Groundwater; Prentice-Hall: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey

  • Furi W, Razack M, Abiye T, Kebede S, Legesse D (2012) Hydrochemical characterization of complex volcanic aquifer in a continental rifted zone: the Middle Awash basin, Ethiopia. Hydrogeol J 20:385–400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halim M, Sumayed M, Majumder K, Ahmed N, Rabbani A (2011) Study on groundwater, river water and tannery effluent quality in Southwestern Dhaka, Bangladesh: Insights from multivariate statistical analysis. J Natural Sci Sustainable Technol 5(3):125–147

    Google Scholar 

  • Hussein M, Ibrahim K (1997) Electric resistivity, geochemical and hydrogeologyical of wadi deposits, Western Saudi Arabia. J King Abdul Aziz Univ 9:55–72

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang Y, Wu Y, Groves C, Yuan D, Kambesis P (2009) Natural and anthropogenic factors affecting the groundwater quality Nandong karst underground river system in Yunan, China. J Contam Hydrol 109:49–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • JICA (2010) The study on master plan on renewable water resources development in the southwest region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ministry of Water and Electricity, final report, 294

  • Kaiser H (1958) The varimax criteria for analytical rotation in factor analysis. Psychometria 23:187–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lashin A, Al Arifi N (2014) Geothermal energy potential of southwestern of Saudi Arabia “exploration and possible power generation”: A case study at Al Khouba area- Jizan. Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev 30:771–789

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loska K, Wiechula D (2003) Application of principal component analysis for the estimation of source of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments from the Rybnik Reservoir. Chemosphere 51:723–733

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MAW (1994) Atlas of Land Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Water. Investment land management, Riyadh

    Google Scholar 

  • Metwaly M, Elawadi E, Moustafa S, Al Arifi N, El Alfy M, Al Zaharani E (2014) Groundwater contamination assessment in the Al-Quwy’yia area of central Saudi Arabia using transient electromagnetic and 2D electrical resistivity tomography. Environ Earth Sci 71:827--835

  • Mogren S, Batayneh A, Elawadi E, Al-Bassam A, Ibrahim E, Qaisy S (2011) Aquifer boundaries explored by geoelectrical measurements in the Red Sea coastal plain of Jazan area, southwest Saudi Arabia. Int J Phys Sci 6:3768–3776

    Google Scholar 

  • Munn R (1979) Environmental Impact Assessment: Principles and Procedures. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • National Center for Atmospheric Research (2008) Improve understanding of the atmosphere, earth system, and sun. Annual report, Research application Laboratory. http://www.nar.ucar.edu/2008/RAL/goal_1/priority_2.php

  • Parkurst D, Appelo C (2011) User’s Guide to PHREEQC (Version2)-A Computer Program for Speciation, Batch-Reaction, One-Dimensional Transport, and Inverse Geochemical Calculations. U.S. Department of the Interior/U.S. Geological Survey, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanchez-Martoz F, Jime’nez E, Pulido B (2001) Mapping groundwater quality variables using PCA and geostatistics: a case study of Bajo Andarax, southeastern Spain. Hydrol Sci J 46(2):227–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sen Z (2008) Wadi Hydrology, Chapter 6. In: Groundwater management methods for arid regions (ed.). Taylor and Francis, London, pp 243–301

    Google Scholar 

  • Shakeri A, Moore F, Mohammadi Z, Raesi E (2009) Heavy metal contamination in the Shiraz industrial complex zone groundwater, South Shiraz, Iran. World Appl Sci J 7(4):522–530

    Google Scholar 

  • Subyani A (2004) Geostatistical study of annual and seasonal mean rainfall patterns in southwest Saudi Arabia. Hydrological Sci–J–des Sci Hydrologiques 49(5):803–817

    Google Scholar 

  • Suk H, Lee K (1999) Characterization of a groundwater Hydrochemical system through multivariate statistical analyses: clustering into groundwater zones. Groundwater 37(3):358–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick G, Fidell L (2006) Using Multivariate Statistics, 5th edn. Allyn & Bacon, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Usunoff J, Guzman A (1989) Multivariate analysis in hydrochemistry: an example of the use of factor and correspondence analyses. Groundwater 27(1):27–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uyan M, Cay T (2010) Geostatistical methods for mapping groundwater nitrate concentrations. 3rd International conference on cartography and GIS 15–20 June, 2010, Nessebar, Bulgaria

  • Wagner W (2011) Groundwater in the Arab Middle East. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, 443p

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Williams R (1982) Statistical Identification of Hydraulic Connections between the Surface of a Mountain and Internal Mineralized Zones. GroundWater 20:466–478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yidana M, Banoeng-Yakubo B, Akabzaa M (2010) Analysis of groundwater quality using multivariate and spatial analyses in the Keta basin, Ghana. J Afr Earth Sci 58(2):220–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors extend their sincere appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for its funding this research group NO. (RG-1435-070). We thank the reviewers, the associate editor and Dr. David Jalajel for their valuable comments and revision.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CPSIPW, Prince Sultan Institute for Environmental, Water and Desert Research, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed El Alfy

  2. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

    Mohamed El Alfy

  3. Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Aref Lashin

  4. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, Egypt

    Aref Lashin

  5. SGS, Geology and Geophysics Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed El Alfy, Aref Lashin, Nassir Al-Arifi & Abdulaziz Al-Bassam

Authors
  1. Mohamed El Alfy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Aref Lashin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nassir Al-Arifi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Abdulaziz Al-Bassam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohamed El Alfy.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

El Alfy, M., Lashin, A., Al-Arifi, N. et al. Groundwater Characteristics and Pollution Assessment Using Integrated Hydrochemical Investigations GIS and Multivariate Geostatistical Techniques in Arid Areas. Water Resour Manage 29, 5593–5612 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-015-1136-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-015-1136-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation