Abstract
The analyses of 180 groundwater samples of Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia, recorded that most groundwaters are unsuitable for drinking uses due to high salinity; however, they can be used for irrigation with some restriction. The electric conductivity of studied groundwater ranged between 1.05 and 10.15 dS m−1 with an average of 3.0 dS m−1. Nitrate was also found in high concentration in some groundwater. Piper diagrams revealed that the majority of water samples are magnesium–calcium/sulfate–chloride water type. The Gibbs’s diagram revealed that the chemical weathering of rock-forming minerals and evaporation are influencing the groundwater chemistry. A kriging method was used for predicting spatial distribution of salinity (EC dS m−1) and NO3− (mg L−1) in Al-Kharj’s groundwater using data of 180 different locations. After normalization of data, variogram was drawn, for selecting suitable model for fitness on experimental variogram, less residual sum of squares value was used. Then cross-validation and root mean square error were used to select the best method for interpolation. The kriging method was found suitable methods for groundwater interpolation and management using either GS+ or ArcGIS.
Highlights
The increased exploitation of groundwater resources throughout the world especially in arid and semi-arid regions causes water quality deterioration and contamination (Aly et al 2016)
The piper diagram reveals that the majority of Al-Kharj groundwater is calcium– magnesium/sulfate–chloride water types
It may be seen that there is a predominance of sodium and magnesium/calcium which influences the tendencies towards the chloride/sulfate–sodium/magnesium and calcium facies (Al-Omran et al 2016)
Summary
The increased exploitation of groundwater resources throughout the world especially in arid and semi-arid regions causes water quality deterioration and contamination (Aly et al 2016). The groundwater in KSA is considered the main source for irrigation. The groundwater is subjected to over exploitation reaching 17 billion m3 year-1, and deterioration (Al-Omran et al 2016). The groundwater spatial variability in KSA requires further investigations to allow better management and conservation (Al-Omran et al 2016). Al-Kharj, located east of Riyadh city in KSA, is an agroecosystem depend mostly on groundwater as a main source of drinking and irrigation purposes. Like other agroecosystem in KSA, the Al-Kharj agriculture areas have been deteriorated rapidly due to groundwater salinization (Aly et al 2016). It is necessary to find a simple approach can predict spatial distribution of
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