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Contribution of multivariate statistical techniques in the hydrochemical evaluation of groundwater from the Ouargla phreatic aquifer in Algeria

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Abstract

A hydrochemical evaluation of the hydrogeological surface aquifer of Ouargla was conducted using 17 samples of water. The analysis of the samples focused on the determination of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, sulfate, bicarbonate, and nitrate, while electrical conductivity, temperature, and pH were measured on the ground. The obtained data are processed by multivariate techniques with a varimax rotation approach after standardization. The chemical data follow four factorial axes that provide a cumulative total variance explained by 67 %. Considering the EC as an additional variable, the matrix components after varimax rotation have identified a first axis related to NaCl, a second axis associated with CaSO4, a third axis of HCO3 and a fourth axis of NO3. These variables control a significant part of the chemistry of the groundwater in the region of Ouargla.

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Acknowledgments

This research by HS was supported by grants from KAKENHI (Grant-in-Aid for Exploratory Research).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Géologie Appliquée, Département de Science du Sol, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ENSA), Hassan Badi, El Harrach, 16200, Algiers, Algeria

    Ahcène Semar

  2. Laboratory of Exploration Geophysics, Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan

    Hakim Saibi

  3. Faculté des Sciences de la Terre, de Géographie et de l’Aménagement du Territoire, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediène, B.P.32, El Alia, Bab Ezzouar, 16111, Algiers, Algeria

    Abderrahmane Medjerab

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  1. Ahcène Semar
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  3. Abderrahmane Medjerab
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Correspondence to Hakim Saibi.

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Semar, A., Saibi, H. & Medjerab, A. Contribution of multivariate statistical techniques in the hydrochemical evaluation of groundwater from the Ouargla phreatic aquifer in Algeria. Arab J Geosci 6, 3427–3436 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-012-0616-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-012-0616-4

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