TITLE:
Groundwater Quality Evaluation Using GIS Based Geostatistical Algorithms
AUTHORS:
Abdalkarim S. Gharbia, Salem S. Gharbia, Thaer Abushbak, Hisham Wafi, Adnan Aish, Martina Zelenakova, Francesco Pilla
KEYWORDS:
Groundwater, Water Quality, GIS, Geo-Statistics
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.4 No.2,
February
25,
2016
ABSTRACT: Groundwater
quality is a major environmental aspect which needs to be analyzed and managed
depending on its spatial distribution. Utilization of insufficient management
of groundwater resources in Gaza Strip, Palestine, produces not only a
reduction in quantity but also deterioration in quality of groundwater. The aim
of this study is to provide an overview for evaluation of groundwater quality
in the Gaza Strip area as a case study for applying spatially distributed by
using Geographic Information System (GIS) and geostatistical algorithms. The
groundwater quality parameters, pH, total dissolved solids, total hardness, alkalinity,
chloride, nitrate, sulfate, calcium, magnesium, and fluoride, were sampled and
analyzed from the existing municipal and agricultural wells in Gaza Strip; maps
of each parameter were created using geostatistical (Kriging) approach.
Experimental semivariogram values were tested for different ordinary Kriging
models to identify the best fitted for the ten water quality parameters and the
best models were selected on the basis of mean square error (MSE), root mean
square error (RMSE), average standard error (ASE), and root mean square
standardized error (RMSSE). Maps of 10 groundwater quality parameters were used
to calculate the groundwater quality index (GWQI) map using the index method.
In general, the results showed that this integrated method is a sufficient
assessment tool for environmental spatially distributed parameters.