The aim of this study was to identify potential sites for groundwater recharge in the Azraq basin in Jordan. Several research questions were answered in this study including how to utilize the views and opinions of multiple experts in the field of groundwater recharge within a spatial analysis framework to identify the suitable sites for groundwater recharge in the study area and check the consistency in these opinions and their spatial representation. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was modified in a novel approach to identify the potential sites for the groundwater recharge in the study area. First, the physical criteria that affect the groundwater recharge were identified based on an extensive literature review. Seventeen experts were then asked to evaluate the importance of each criterion. The consistency ratio between the experts opinions were evaluated using the pairwise comparison method and a final weight was computed for each criterion. A groundwater recharge suitability map was then generated following the weighted linear combination (WLC) method. The sites that are not suitable for groundwater recharge within the study area were identified and eliminated following the Boolean method, and a final groundwater recharge suitability map was generated. The outcome of the GIS analysis of this study was evaluated against field investigations carried out in the study area. Time Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) and Soil Texture Analysis were used on sixteen locations distributed in eight sites within the study area. The results acquired by the field investigation agreed well with the GIS acquired results. The knowledge generated by this analysis may provide information on potential recharge zones. Finally, the findings of this research can be used to assist in the efficient planning of the groundwater management to ensure a sustainable development of the groundwater in Jordan and in other areas suffering from water shortages.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:647099 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Al-shabeeb, Abdel Rahman Rakad |
| Contributors | Fisher, Peter; Tansey, Kevin |
| Publisher | University of Leicester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/2381/32042 |
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