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Numerical simulation of groundwater flow and aquifer-system compaction using simulation and InSAR technique: Saveh basin, Iran

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Abstract

In this research, a multidisciplinary approach has been presented to evaluate land subsidence due to heavy groundwater withdrawal. Land subsidence in aquifers with complex stratigraphy was predicted using the Terzaghi’s 1D instantaneous compaction principle and was incorporated into a 3D groundwater flow model (MODFLOW). The integrated model was then calibrated for Saveh aquifer located in Iran to simulate observed hydraulic heads and compaction. In order to control the model results, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), a generated 3D geological model, monitoring wells, and available literature were used to predict land subsidence in Saveh aquifer and apply the results in the developed model. The results showed that the InSAR, extensometers, and numerical simulations closely agree in predicting the land subsidence. The simulation results show that the regional subsidence began in the mid-1990s and that the area has experienced up to 70 cm of subsidence, where heavy pumping and thick clay layers are found. The calibrated model indicates that if the pumping rate remains at the current level, the subsidence will reach as high as 170 cm over the next 5 years. The results show that the proposed approach which integrates various sources of data is useful in estimating land subsidence, especially in areas where field measurements are scarce and satellite radar images are available.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Iranian Water Research Institute and Qom Provincial Water Authority for supporting this research and providing data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Water Resources Research, Water Research Institute, Ministry of Energy, Tehran, Iran

    Fatemeh Jafari & Neamat Karimi

  2. Department of Water Engineering, College of Aburaihan, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Saman Javadi

  3. School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada

    Golmar Golmohammadi & Koroush Mohammadi

Authors
  1. Fatemeh Jafari
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  2. Saman Javadi
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  3. Golmar Golmohammadi
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  4. Neamat Karimi
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  5. Koroush Mohammadi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Saman Javadi.

Additional information

This article is a part of a Topical Collection in Environmental Earth Sciences on “Advances of Research in Soil, Water, Environment, and Geologic Hazards Along Silk Road” guest edited by Drs. Peiyue Li and Wanfang Zhou.

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Jafari, F., Javadi, S., Golmohammadi, G. et al. Numerical simulation of groundwater flow and aquifer-system compaction using simulation and InSAR technique: Saveh basin, Iran. Environ Earth Sci 75, 833 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5654-x

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