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Estimation of geohydraulic parameters in coastal aquifers based on VES transformed to ERT profiles

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Abstract

In this study, the geohydraulic parameters of aquifers in the Sahel Doukkala region, western Morocco were estimated using a geostatistical method to transform vertical electrical soundings (VES) data into electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) profiles. The resulting ERT profiles covered a larger area than the original VES data, allowing for a more comprehensive analysis. The obtained results indicated that the apparent and inverted resistivities range from 16 to 1558 Ohm.m and from 4 to 6980 Ohm.m, respectively, with a low inversion error (RMS) of 6.1–13.1%, demonstrating the reliability of the proposed approach. Using the inverted resistivities, the estimated hydraulic conductivity, effective porosity, and transmissivity ranged from 0.2 to > 103.7 m/day, 11.6% to > 45.8%, and 1.7 to > 2028.6 m2/day, respectively. These values reflect the sand, clayey sand, and limestone lithology prevalent in the study area, with medium to high aquifer potential. The validation of our results with pumping test data showed that the estimated geohydraulic parameters are representative of the geological formations in the study area. In addition to providing a rapid interpretation of the data, the present study offers fundamental insights for future research, contributing to better planning and management of groundwater resources.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [Ahmed FADILI], upon reasonable request.

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No financial resources have been assigned to support this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Polydisciplinary Faculty of Ouarzazate (FPO), Ibnou Zohr University, 45000, Ouarzazate, Morocco

    Ahmed Fadili & Abdel-Ali Kharis

  2. Polydisciplinary Faculty of Khouribga (FPK), Sultan Moulay Slimane University, 25000, Khouribga, Morocco

    Saliha Najib & Khalid Mehdi

  3. Team of Geosciences and Environment, Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Ibnou Zohr University, B.P. 8106, Agadir, Morocco

    Othmane Boualla

  4. Team of Environmental Management and Civil Engineering (GEGC), National School of Applied Sciences (ENSAH), Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tetouan, Morocco

    Abdelhadi Makan

  5. Marine Geosciences and Soil Sciences Laboratory (LGMSS), Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Chouaïb Doukkali University, El Jadida, Morocco

    Khalid Mehdi

Authors
  1. Ahmed Fadili
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  2. Saliha Najib
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  3. Othmane Boualla
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  4. Abdelhadi Makan
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Contributions

Study conception and design, Acquisition of data, Drafting of manuscript, Analysis and interpretation Ahmed FADILI, Saliha NAJIB, Othmane BOUALLA Critical revision, Analysis and interpretation Abdelhadi MAKAN, Khalid MEHDI, Abdel-Ali KHARIS

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Correspondence to Ahmed Fadili.

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Fadili, A., Najib, S., Boualla, O. et al. Estimation of geohydraulic parameters in coastal aquifers based on VES transformed to ERT profiles. Environ Earth Sci 82, 404 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-023-11091-y

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