An AHP based approach to forecast groundwater level at potential recharge zones of Uckermark District, Brandenburg, Germany

Abstract

Uckermark, a district of the state Brandenburg, Germany is situated in one of the driest regions of Germany. The district is known for its agricultural activities and natural resources. But in recent times the district is being prone to groundwater deficit due to the dryness of its climate. In this research initiative, a GIS and Remote Sensing based approach has been made to detect the potential groundwater recharge zones of Uckermark district and observe the groundwater level condition over a period of 21 years (2000–2020). Analytic Hierarchy Process has been used to locate the potential groundwater recharge zones and later a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) based model has been developed to forecast the seasonal groundwater level for the upcoming five years in the potential groundwater recharge zones based on observation data from groundwater measurement points. This enabled us to see the groundwater condition of Uckermark in near future and point out the necessary steps to be taken.