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Groundwater vulnerability assessment in a karst aquifer: a case study of western Iran

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Abstract

Conservation of the karst water resources is important in their management owing to the high vulnerability and responsiveness they show to contamination. Hence, vulnerability assessment for the groundwater resources can be a rather favorable and cost-effective way to identify the regions that are susceptible to contamination. This study aims to estimate the vulnerability of the Khoryn karst aquifer, Iran, to the propagation of contamination using the COP and EPIK models. Employing the COP model, 37.89%, 26.84%, 13.95%, and 21.32% of the study region were labeled as very low, low, moderately, and highly vulnerable, respectively. On the other hand, 23.38%, 14.56%, 35.31%, and 26.75% of the study area were similarly tagged under the same metric according to the results of the EPIK model. The areas labeled as low vulnerable corresponded to the regions without karst as well as the plains located within the outer parts of the mountains. The areas with the highest vulnerability coincided in both model maps. These highly vulnerable regions are thick-bedded Bisetun lime inscriptions with a low-density vegetation cover and the highest amount of precipitation. These regions normally lack soil and mainly include carbonate outcrops. According to the results, the feeding basins of Marab, Mir ahmad and Bi abr springs are expected to be more vulnerable.

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Acknowledgment

The authors wish to thank all who assisted in conducting this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    M. Ghadimi, S. Zangenehtabar & M. Kiani

  2. Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

    A. Malekian

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  1. M. Ghadimi
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  2. S. Zangenehtabar
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  3. A. Malekian
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  4. M. Kiani
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Correspondence to M. Ghadimi.

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Editorial responsibility: Samareh Mirkia.

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Ghadimi, M., Zangenehtabar, S., Malekian, A. et al. Groundwater vulnerability assessment in a karst aquifer: a case study of western Iran. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 19, 7503–7516 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-022-03956-9

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