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Investigation of groundwater level fluctuations in the north of Iran

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Abstract

Groundwater is the main source of water supply for drinking and agriculture uses in Mazandaran province. In recent years, the rapid growth of population and the increased need for water and food has put its land and water resources under severe stress. The main objective of this study was to investigate the temporal trends in annual, seasonal and monthly groundwater level using the Mann–Kendall test and the Sen’s slope estimator in the area during 1985–2007. The results indicated a mix of negative and positive trends in the groundwater level series. However, the positive trends were much more than negative ones. The statistical tests detected a significant increasing trend in more than 28% of the wells. The stronger increasing trends were identified in the series in summer and spring compared with those in autumn and winter. Moreover, the highest numbers of wells with significant positive trends occurred in August and July, respectively. The results of spatial analysis showed that the significant positive trends were concentrated in the central parts of Mazandaran province where paddy fields are the major water demanders. Analysis of climatic parameters revealed that decreasing trend of relative humidity and increasing trends of minimum and maximum air temperature can be attributed to groundwater level fluctuations in the study region. The research will be helpful for planners and policy makers to allocate groundwater resources in different sectors including agriculture, drinking and industry.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Water Resources Management Organization (WRMO) and Islamic Republic of Iran Meteorological Organization (IRIMO) for providing the groundwater and climatic data. We are also grateful to valuable comments and suggestions given by the anonymous reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Irrigation, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, 65174, I. R. Iran

    Hossein Tabari

  2. Department of Irrigation, Faculty of Agriculture, Zanjan University, Zanjan, I. R. Iran

    Jaefar Nikbakht

  3. Department of Irrigation, Faculty of Agriculture, Zabol University, Zabol, I. R. Iran

    B. Shifteh Some’e

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  1. Hossein Tabari
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  2. Jaefar Nikbakht
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  3. B. Shifteh Some’e
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Correspondence to Hossein Tabari.

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Tabari, H., Nikbakht, J. & Shifteh Some’e, B. Investigation of groundwater level fluctuations in the north of Iran. Environ Earth Sci 66, 231–243 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1229-z

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