Groundwater for Sustainable Development最新文献

{"title":"Impact of coupled climate change and human exploitation on groundwater dynamics in agricultural intensive planting areas","authors":"Jiajun Li ,&nbsp;Bo Li ,&nbsp;Peng Qi ,&nbsp;Zhijun Li ,&nbsp;Yunfei Bai","doi":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101575","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101575","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Groundwater resources are essential for agricultural production, especially in areas of intensive agricultural. Using western Jilin Province, China, as a case study, this paper systematically evaluates groundwater dynamics under the combined impacts of climate change and human exploitation. Although extensive research has explored the effects of climate change on groundwater systems, the integration of climate models with groundwater-exploitation scenarios remains understudied. Accordingly, we used GMS–MODFLOW to construct a three-dimensional groundwater flow model. Using observed groundwater-level data from 10 observation wells, we simulated the groundwater flow field for 2007–2016 and validated the model. Building on this setup, we conducted scenario-based simulations to project the spatiotemporal dynamics of groundwater levels for 2021–2080, using six Global Climate Models (GCMs) and the four Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5), and imposing exploitation-rate adjustments of ±20 % relative to current levels. Results show that precipitation accounts for approximately 95 % of total recharge. Across all scenarios, groundwater discharge exceeds recharge, producing a long-term negative change in storage whose magnitude increases under higher-emissions forcing; the mean annual storage deficit rises from 1.20 × 10⁸ m³/yr (SSP1-2.6) to 2.20 × 10⁸ m³/yr (SSP5-8.5). The regional mean groundwater-level decline rate ranges from 1.68 to 3.00 cm/yr, yielding a cumulative drop of 0.98–1.80 m by 2080. However, a 20 % reduction in groundwater exploitation can partially mitigate this trend: relative to the +20 % exploitation scenario, the regional mean decline rate falls by about 50 %, hotspots of serve decline contract markedly, and exploitation-driven spatial heterogeneity is reduced. The analysis further indicates that higher-emissions scenarios exacerbate human impacts on groundwater, whereas lower-emissions scenarios help alleviate these effects. Our distinctive contribution is an integrated modeling framework that tightly couples climate-change projections with groundwater-abstraction scenarios, yielding actionable insights for groundwater management in agricultural regions, informing adaptive pumping strategies, and supporting long-term sustainable use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37879,"journal":{"name":"Groundwater for Sustainable Development","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101575"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enrichment characteristics of colloid−bound ammonium and phosphorus in groundwater systems: Insights into their sources and controls","authors":"Shuxin Huang ,&nbsp;Mingjian Gao ,&nbsp;Jiasen Li ,&nbsp;Ruihan Xiong ,&nbsp;Bing Liu ,&nbsp;Hengyi Wang ,&nbsp;Caixiang Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101573","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101573","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High levels of colloid−bound ammonium (C−NH₄⁺) and phosphorus (C−P) have been proved to exist in groundwater systems, which can pose a potential threat on human health and ecosystems. However, field−scale studies of their enrichment characteristics remain limited. In this study, high levels of C−NH₄⁺ (up to 19.7 mg/L) and C−P (up to 3.28 mg/L) were found in groundwater systems of Jianghan Plain, China. Among them, C−NH₄⁺ was mainly distributed in small molecular weight fraction (1 − 10 kDa), while C−P was mainly distributed in large and medium molecular weight fraction (10 kDa −0.45 μm). The release of C−NH₄⁺ (up to 105 mg/kg) and C−P (up to 652 mg/kg) from sediments could be a main source of colloids in groundwater. Moreover, correlation and principal component analysis (PCA) results indicated another source of anthropogenic input for C−NH₄⁺ and C−P. Importantly, the enrichment of C−NH₄⁺ was mainly regulated by colloidal Fe/Mn (C−Fe/Mn), whereas that of C−P was coupling controlled with C−Fe/Mn and dissolved organic matter. Fluorescence excitation−emission matrices with parallel factor analysis (EEM−PARAFAC) results revealed the terrestrial humic−like and tryptophan−like components of different colloidal fractions. Large and medium molecular weight C−P (10 kDa−0.45 μm) regulated by terrestrial humic−like dissolved organic matter (DOM) could form complex colloids through surface active sites (DOM−P binary complexes). Small molecular weight C−P (1−10 kDa) was closely related to the degradation or the release of internal proteinaceous substances (e.g., tryptophan) by microorganisms. This study provides new insights into the enrichment of C−NH₄⁺/P in groundwater systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37879,"journal":{"name":"Groundwater for Sustainable Development","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101573"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Groundwater hydrochemistry, pollution source analysis, and health risk in western Jilin, China","authors":"Tao Li ,&nbsp;Xinying Cui ,&nbsp;Dongmei Ruan ,&nbsp;Jianmin Bian","doi":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101560","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101560","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Groundwater (GW) components in western Jilin are shaped by natural geology and anthropogenic activities (particularly water projects), driving groundwater quality (GWQ) variations with health implications. Consequently, effective GW management requires accurate GW information including GWQ, pollution source identification, and human health risk assessment (HHRA).</div><div>This paper presented integrated methods for comprehensive evaluation of these elements. From the GWQ perspective, SNWTM integrated groundwater quality evaluation methods (GWQEM) with TOPSIS to enhance accuracy, method interpretability, and overcome single-method limitations for diverse water samples. To accurately identify GW pollution sources, this study utilized Self-Organizing Map (SOM) and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF), whose integration provided complete pollution source characterization through combined qualitative-quantitative analysis, enabling targeted identification. In HHRA, this study developed a novel method for selecting the most probable value interval (TMPVI) in trapezoidal fuzzy numbers (TFN) and subsequently integrated with cloud model (CM) and Monte Carlo (MC) to establish TCM, that overcame data limitations and process uncertainty of conventional HHRA including the four-step method (TFM) and triangular stochastic (TSS).</div><div>SNWTM indicated higher GWQ in unconfined water (UW) versus confined water (CW). SOM (4 clusters) and PMF (6 factors) identified a geogenic–anthropogenic interaction, with geogenic Mn and the three-nitrogen species as the dominant contributors (maximum PMF shared 59.76 % and 62.67 %, respectively). TCM indicated that the risk was higher in UW versus CW, and higher for children than for adults. In 2022–2023, the UW-children 95th-percentile output was 1.26, exceeding the risk threshold.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37879,"journal":{"name":"Groundwater for Sustainable Development","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101560"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of groundwater management strategies by optimization under land subsidence constraints","authors":"Juan José Díaz-Nigenda ,&nbsp;Eric Morales-Casique ,&nbsp;Mauricio Carrillo-García ,&nbsp;Mario Alberto Vázquez-Peña ,&nbsp;Selene Olea-Olea","doi":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101569","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101569","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Land subsidence is one of the most critical consequences of groundwater depletion, underscoring the need for management tools capable of evaluating how extraction decisions affect both aquifer conditions and ground deformation. Computational optimization models provide a powerful means to support such decision-making; however, most groundwater management studies addressing subsidence-prone systems impose constraints solely on aquifer drawdown, without explicitly controlling land subsidence. Here we develop an optimization framework that integrates management constraints on both aquifer drawdown and land subsidence rate, enabling simultaneous control of hydraulic conditions and deformation. Three constraint strategies were defined and applied to a simulated aquifer–aquitard system to evaluate the coupled response between aquifer drawdown and aquitard compression. The methodology involved formulating optimization models with alternative constraints, simulating multi-year scenarios, and comparing their impacts on groundwater dynamics and land subsidence behavior. Results demonstrate that the choice of management constraints strongly influences aquifer depletion, aquitard response, and total land subsidence. When only drawdown is constrained, total settlement reaches roughly 10 % of the aquitard thickness. Introducing a subsidence-rate constraint limits settlement to about 1.25 %, while applying only a subsidence-rate constraint reduces settlement to 0.04 % of the aquitard thickness. However, a trade-off would arise between controlling land subsidence and supplying groundwater as the volume of water produced through the management period is also reduced. These outcomes highlight the effectiveness of integrated management constraints and illustrate how integrated constraints can inform groundwater management decisions in subsidence-prone settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37879,"journal":{"name":"Groundwater for Sustainable Development","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101569"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145840938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Locating nitrogen sources in high inorganic nitrogen zones of a shallow coastal aquifer using an integrated analytical framework","authors":"Qiaona Huang ,&nbsp;Ya Wang ,&nbsp;Shan Ye ,&nbsp;Bingfa Zhi ,&nbsp;Zhongzhong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101570","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101570","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Groundwater nitrogen contamination poses a critical global environmental challenge. To address this significant regional to global scale groundwater challenge, identifying the exact locations of nitrogen sources is essential for pollution source management and control. This study systematically analyzed 83 shallow groundwater samples from Zhuhai through an integrated analytical framework. This framework progressively follows the steps of qualitative identification of inorganic nitrogen pollution sources, spatial identification of pollution hotspots, and delineation of specific spatial boundaries of potential sources, by integrating multiple techniques such as isotopic analysis, hydrochemical characteristics, land use analysis, and hydrogeological features etc., ultimately achieving precise positioning of inorganic nitrogen emissions. Spatial interpolation indicated that elevated inorganic nitrogen predominantly occurred in the densely populated western agricultural and industrial region, where groundwater was highly vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts. Based on the qualitative identification of hotspot nitrogen sources, this study successfully constrained the specific locations of nitrogen sources through land use and groundwater flow field analysis to site scale with limited area. Pollution sites for three NH₄⁺-N hotspots of Zhuhai, which were dominantly influenced by cropland, domestic sewage, and local industrial wastewater were clearly identified. The NO₃⁻-N hotspot's nitrogen source was traced to anthropogenic wastewater within a 100 m radius to the southeast. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed integrated analytical framework, the results achieved is very convenient for pollution source management and control and could be applied to locate inorganic nitrogen pollution sources in other regions globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37879,"journal":{"name":"Groundwater for Sustainable Development","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101570"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145840939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deep and fossil aquifers in Morocco: A multidisciplinary assessment of groundwater dynamics and salinization","authors":"Ayoub Ayaou ,&nbsp;Yassine Ait Brahim ,&nbsp;Mohammed Hssaisoune ,&nbsp;Meryem Miftah ,&nbsp;Ahmed El-Azhari ,&nbsp;Lhoussaine Bouchaou","doi":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101566","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101566","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In Morocco, groundwater serves as a strategic water resource for drinking, domestic, agriculture, and industrial purposes due to the scarcity of surface water and high vulnerability to climate change. This dependency stems from the arid to semi-arid climate conditions where ecosystems depend on groundwater. Successive droughts, population growth, and economic development, particularly in agriculture, lead to the overexploitation of groundwater, especially shallow aquifers during the three last decades. This situation necessitates an investigation of these deep aquifers to manage this essential resource effectively. Hence, the aim of this study is to provide insights into deep aquifers, including their geometry, hydrodynamic, hydrochemical characteristics, recharge origins, geothermal potential, and residence times to determine which aquifers take longer to recharge and which should remain unexploited. The investigated deep aquifers exhibit a wide range of salinity, with electrical conductivity values ranging from 231 to 49 040 μs/cm, whereas pH values range from 5.64 to 10.76. The high salinity is primarily attributed to Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, Na⁺ and HCO₃⁻ with average concentrations of 829, 475, 463, and 316 mg/l, respectively. The recharge of the majority studied deep aquifers, particularly the Cretaceous ones (Souss, Essaouira, Ouarzazate, Tadla, Haouz, and Errachidia), is mainly from the High Atlas Mountains, except for the deep aquifers of Sahara where recharge is carried out during a specific context. The deep Jurassic aquifers, including the South Rifain Corridor, High and Middle Moulouya, High Plateaus, Horst Chain, Taourirt-Oujda Corridor, Beni-Bouyahi, and Bni-Znassen aquifers, are recharged from the Middle Atlas and North-Eastern Moroccan Mountains. Most investigated deep aquifers containing old waters are considered fossil or less renewable, with residence times exceeding 20 kiloannum before present (ka BP). The deep Sahara aquifers are the most significant groundwater potential reserves due to their lithologic composition, and their extensive area of approximately 90 000 km², but with very low groundwater replenishment rates dating back over 46.5 ka BP according to radiocarbon dating. Because of their variable mineralization related to their variable geological contexts and human activities, all the investigated systems show a high vulnerability mainly within their outcrops, which are mainly karstic or fissured areas. These deep aquifers require more stringent management and protection due to arid climate and very low precipitation through all the investigated regions. The results provide key information on the functioning of Moroccan deep aquifers and highlight the need for careful management and conservation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37879,"journal":{"name":"Groundwater for Sustainable Development","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101566"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Isotope-hydrogeochemical delineation of recharge zones in the Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico","authors":"J.A. Ramos-Leal ,&nbsp;J. Moran-Ramirez ,&nbsp;Oscar Almanza Tovar ,&nbsp;Ana Elizabeth Marín Celestino ,&nbsp;Ana Beatriz Rubio Arellano ,&nbsp;Ulises Rodríguez Robles","doi":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101571","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101571","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aquifers in karst systems are highly complex, and understanding their hydrodynamics and geochemical evolution is a significant challenge. A clear example of this complexity is found in the Sierra Madre Oriental, where carbonate and sulfate rocks predominate. To study these systems, water-rock interactions and the isotopic composition of groundwater and meteoric water have been analyzed.</div><div>Through these investigations, three types of groundwater flow were identified and recharge zones were delineated in the region. Isotopic techniques made it possible to locate these zones, revealing that regional recharge occurs at altitudes up to 2,733 m above sea level, with an average of 1,342 m, while local recharge is recorded from 233 m above sea level. These data indicate that the recharge process is distributed along the entire altitudinal gradient of the Sierra Madre Oriental.</div><div>The results obtained provide key information on the geochemical controls that influence the evolution of spring water in the Huasteca. Among the most relevant processes are the dissolution and precipitation of minerals such as calcite and dolomite, as well as the mixing of groundwater within the system. These mechanisms are fundamental in shaping the region's characteristic karst landscape.</div><div>Finally, the recharge zones of the main springs were delineated using flow lines derived from equipotentials and isotopic recharge altitudes, allowing for a more precise characterization of the hydrogeological system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37879,"journal":{"name":"Groundwater for Sustainable Development","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101571"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fe-and Mg-functionalized chicken manure biochar immobilized Cd, Cr, and Pb in aged soil and decreased their leaching into groundwater","authors":"Yasir Hamid ,&nbsp;Qiang Lin ,&nbsp;Muhammad Saqib Rashid ,&nbsp;Muhammad Usman ,&nbsp;Yonglong Chen ,&nbsp;Esmat F. Ali ,&nbsp;Hamada Abdelrahman ,&nbsp;Temoor Ahmed ,&nbsp;Sabry M. Shaheen ,&nbsp;Sang Soo Lee ,&nbsp;Xiaoe Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101568","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101568","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The influence of functionalized biochar on the leachability and bioavailability of metal cations in contaminated soils remains insufficiently explored, particularly under aging conditions and multiple leaching cycles. This study investigated the performance of pristine, Mg-, and Fe-functionalized biochar in reducing the leachability of Cd, Cr, and Pb in co-contaminated soil. Preliminary screening revealed that pristine chicken manure biochar (CB), and Mg (MCB)-, and Fe (FCB)-functionalized biochars were more effective in decreasing metals leachability. Consequently, their effects on metals leachability, bioavailability, and fractionation were evaluated through nine leaching cycles and aging experiments (aged soil for 1, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 days). Addition of CB to the soil columns significantly decreased the metals concentrations in the leachate. Specifically, Cd concentration (mg L⁻¹) decreased from 5.84 in CK to 0.41 in FCB, 0.53 in MCB, and 0.52 in CB treatments; Pb concentration (mg L⁻¹) decreased from 114.2 in CK to 4.4 in FCB, 5.9 in MCB, and 10.5 in CB treatments; and Cr concentration (mg L⁻¹) decreased from 34.6 in CK to 1.6 in FCB, 1.8 in MCB, and 3.2 in CB treatments. The FCB and MCB redistributed the metals mobile fraction to the residual fraction thereby reducing their mobilization (CaCl₂-extrcated form) and availability (DTPA-extracted form) in the treated soil compared to CK soil. The immobilization effect of FCB and MCB remained stable during aging periods, leaching cycles, and under acidic pH, indicating their strong ability for metal capturing. However, long-term investigation of biochar-immobilized metals in aged soils is needed. These findings confirm that functionalizing CB with Fe and/or Mg effectively immobilized Cd, Cr, and Pb in aged soil, reducing the leaching of these toxic metals into groundwater, making this engineered biochar a viable option for soil remediation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37879,"journal":{"name":"Groundwater for Sustainable Development","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101568"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early warning of soil and groundwater pollution by heavy metals: Progresses, perspectives and challenges","authors":"Enhao Huang ,&nbsp;Yunhao Li ,&nbsp;Yuanbo Ge ,&nbsp;Jun Dong ,&nbsp;Weihong Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101567","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101567","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pollution early warning (PEW) of soil and groundwater by heavy metals is critical for preventing irreversible damage to ecosystems and human health. This review provides a novel, data-driven synthesis of the field by uniquely combining a quantitative bibliometric analysis of over 1400 publications with a systematic technological evaluation. Our analysis reveals a substantial growth trend and identifies a clear three-stage technological evolution: from reliance on single-indicator assessment (1999–2015), to the rise of model-based prediction (2016–2019), and the current era of big data-driven intelligence (2020–present). We critically assess four major PEW categories and find that traditional monitoring and biological methods are constrained by poor selectivity, environmental susceptibility, and instability. In contrast, this review highlights that AI-driven models and multi-source data fusion are pivotal advancements, significantly enhancing predictive accuracy and timeliness. The primary challenge ahead is bridging the gap between sophisticated models and robust, real-time data acquisition. We conclude that future breakthroughs will depend on advancing sensor technology and multi-scale coupled models, fundamentally shifting the paradigm from reactive remediation to proactive prevention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37879,"journal":{"name":"Groundwater for Sustainable Development","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101567"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791126","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Groundwater vulnerability assessment of the Djibouti aquifer system (East Africa Rift System): A comparative study of DRASTIC, Hybrid-DRASTICs, and DRASTIC-based multi-objective evolutionary algorithm","authors":"Mohamed Osman Awaleh ,&nbsp;Golab Moussa Omar ,&nbsp;Abdi-Basid Ibrahim Adan ,&nbsp;Mohammad Najafzadeh ,&nbsp;Christelle Marlin ,&nbsp;Magued Al-Aghbary ,&nbsp;Mohamed Abdillahi Robleh ,&nbsp;Awaleh Djama Iltireh ,&nbsp;Jafar Al-Jawad ,&nbsp;Moussa Mohamed Waberi ,&nbsp;Rachid Robleh Ragueh ,&nbsp;Bahdon Elmi Ragueh ,&nbsp;Omar Assowe Dabar ,&nbsp;Moussa Mahdi Ahmed ,&nbsp;Mahamoud Ali Chirdon ,&nbsp;Abdillahi Elmi Adaneh ,&nbsp;Nasri Hassan Ibrahim ,&nbsp;Nima Moussa Egueh ,&nbsp;Ismail Abdillahi Guireh ,&nbsp;Omar Ibrahim Elmi","doi":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101564","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsd.2025.101564","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The comprehensive mapping of groundwater contamination zones is vital for sustainable water resource management, especially in underdeveloped countries facing urban and industrial pressures. This study investigates, for the first time, the groundwater vulnerability of the Djibouti aquifer system located in the north of the East Africa Rift System (EARS). This area, which is home to 72.8 % of the country's inhabitants, has been impacted by rapid urbanization including industrial activities and the discharge of untreated wastewater. This study compares multiple groundwater vulnerability modeling frameworks, including DRASTIC (Depth to groundwater, net Recharge, Aquifer media, Soil media, Topography, Impact of the vadose zone, and hydraulic Conductivity), DRASTIC–LULC (Land Use Land Cover), DRASTIC–AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), AHP–DRASTIC–LULC, DRASTIC–NSGA-II (Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II), and NSGA-II–DRASTIC–LULC. Spatial autocorrelation analysis (Moran's I &gt; 0.95) has been used to improve the reliability and interpretability of the vulnerability maps. Groundwater vulnerability maps indicate that high and very high vulnerability zones (13.59–47.47 % and 1.02–21.70 %, respectively) are primarily located in the eastern and northern sectors. Moderate to low vulnerability zones (30.81–56.45 %) are prevalent in the central part of the study area. Sensitivity analysis identified key parameters such as aquifer depth, vadose zone impact, and aquifer medium. The LULC factors significantly improved model sensitivity and enabled better identification of at risk zones. The NSGA-II–DRASTIC–LULC model outperformed other modified DRASTIC methods, achieving a correlation of 0.58, an AUC of 0.84, and an RMSE of 1.13. These findings may provide a critical scientific basis for Djibouti's policymakers to prioritize land-use zoning and implement targeted protection measures in the identified high-risk zones, thereby securing a sustainable water future for the region's growing population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37879,"journal":{"name":"Groundwater for Sustainable Development","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101564"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}