Assessment of Seawater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers Using Multivariate Statistical Analyses and Hydrochemical Facies Evolution-Based Model

Soumaya Hajji, Nabila Allouche, Salem Bouri, Awad M. Aljuaid and Wafik Hachicha
Additional contact information
Soumaya Hajji: Laboratory of Water, Energy and Environment, National School of Engineers of Sfax, University of Sfax, B.P. 1173, Sfax 3083, Tunisia
Nabila Allouche: Laboratory of Water, Energy and Environment, National School of Engineers of Sfax, University of Sfax, B.P. 1173, Sfax 3083, Tunisia
Salem Bouri: Laboratory of Water, Energy and Environment, National School of Engineers of Sfax, University of Sfax, B.P. 1173, Sfax 3083, Tunisia
Awad M. Aljuaid: Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 19, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Groundwater (GW) studies have been conducted worldwide with regard to several pressures, including climate change, seawater intrusion, and water overexploitation. GW quality is a very important sector for several countries in the world, in particular for Tunisia. The shallow coastal aquifer of Sfax (located in Tunisia) was found to be under the combined conditions of continuous drop in GW and further deterioration of the groundwater quality (GWQ). This study was conducted to identify the processes that control GWQ mainly in relation to mineralization sources in the shallow Sfax coastal aquifer. To perform this task, 37 wells are considered. Data include 10 physico-chemical properties of groundwater analyzed in water samples: pH, EC, calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), chloride (Cl), sulfate (SO 4 ), bicarbonate (HCO 3 ), and nitrate (NO 3 ), i.e., investigation was based on a database of 370 observations. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hydrochemical facies evolution (HFE) were conducted to extract the main factors affecting GW chemistry. The results obtained using the PCA model show that GWQ is mainly controlled by either natural factors (rock–water interactions) or anthropogenic ones (agricultural and domestic activities). Indeed, the GW overexploitation generated not only the GWQ degradation but also the SWI. The inverse distance weighted (IDW) method, integrated in a geographic information system (GIS), is employed to achieve spatial mapping of seawater intrusion locations. Hydrochemical facies evolution (HFE) results corroborate the seawater intrusion and its spatial distribution. Furthermore, the mixing ratio showed that Jebeniana and Chaffar–Mahares localities are characterized by high SWI hazard. This research should be done to better manage GW resources and help to develop a suitable plan for the exploitation and protection of water resources.

Keywords: groundwater quality; coastal aquifer; hydrochemistry; water resource sustainability; seawater intrusion; principal component analysis (PCA); hydrochemical facies evolution (HFE) model; geographical information system (GIS); Sfax; Tunisia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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