Abstract
The Gaza Strip forms a transition zone between the semi-humid coastal zone in the north, the semi-arid zone in the east, and the Sinai desert in the south. Groundwater is the only water source for 1.94 million inhabitants, where the only fresh replenishment water for the aquifer comes from rainfall. This study focuses on testing a newly developed GIS tool to estimate the spatial and temporal distribution of runoff and recharge from rainfall. The estimation of surface runoff was made using the Soil Conservation Services Curve Number Method, while groundwater recharge was estimated using Thornthwaite and Mather’s Soil Moisture Balance approach. The new tool was applied to the Gaza aquifer for the year 1935 and for the period from 1973 to 2016. A comparison was made between the results obtained with the developed GIS tool and the frequently used Thiessen polygon method for rainfall distribution. Runoff and recharge were estimated for the year 1935 (prior to development) to compare with the current developed conditions. It was found that the built-up and sand dune areas stand in an inverse relationship, where the former is replacing the latter (built-up area expanded from 30.1 km2 in 1982 to 92.1 km2 in 2010). Recharge takes place in the sand dune area, whereas runoff increases in the built-up area. Due to development, runoff almost tripled from 9 million m3 in 1982 to 22.9 million m3 in 2010, while groundwater recharge was reduced from 27.3 million m3 in 1982 to 23 million m3 in 2010, even though the rainfall increased between 1982 and 2010 by 11%. Comparison between the newly developed GIS tool and the Thiessen polygon-based estimation shows that the former leads to higher values of runoff and recharge for dry years.
Highlights
The Gaza Strip is a coastal area along the eastern Mediterranean Sea and lies at latitude31◦ 250 5900 N and longitude 34◦ 220 3400 E
Comparison between the newly developed GIS tool and the Thiessen polygon-based estimation shows that the former leads to higher values of runoff and recharge for dry years
We focus on recharge from rainfall
Summary
The Gaza Strip is a coastal area along the eastern Mediterranean Sea and lies at latitude. 31◦ 250 5900 N and longitude 34◦ 220 3400 E It forms a transition zone between the semi-humid coastal zone in the north, the semi-arid zone in the east, and the Sinai desert in the south (Figure 1). Groundwater is the only water source for the Gaza people, where the only fresh replenishment water for the aquifer comes from rainfall. Other recharge components are not fresh, including agricultural return flow, eastern groundwater inflow (lateral flow), water and waste water network leakage, and leakage from partially treated wastewater retention basins before dumping into the Mediterranean Sea. The Gaza coastal aquifer consists of the Pleistocene age Kurkar Group [2] and the recent (Holocene age) sand dunes. The Kurkar Group includes marine and eolian calcareous sandstone, reddish
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