A simulation/optimization study to assess seawater intrusion management strategies for the Gaza Strip coastal aquifer (Palestine)

Dentoni, Marta; Deidda, Roberto; Paniconi, Claudio; Qahman, Khalid; Lecca, Giuditta

A simulation/optimization study to assess seawater intrusion management strategies for the Gaza Strip coastal aquifer (Palestine) | Une étude de simulation/optimisation pour évaluer les stratégies de gestion de l’intrusion d’eau de mer pour l’aquifère côtier de la bande Gaza (Palestine) Un estudio de simulación/optimización para evaluar las estrategias de manejo de la intrusión de agua de mar en el acuífero costero de Gaza Strip (Palestina) 评价(巴勒斯坦)加沙地带沿海含水层海水入侵管理策略的模拟/最优化研究 HJUm estudo de simulação/otimização para avaliação de estratégias de gestão da intrusão salina para o aquífero costeiro da Faixa de Gaza (Palestina)

2015

Dentoni, Marta | Deidda, Roberto | Paniconi, Claudio | Qahman, Khalid | Lecca, Giuditta

Seawater intrusion is one of the major threats to freshwater resources in coastal areas, often exacerbated by groundwater overexploitation. Mitigation measures are needed to properly manage aquifers, and to restore groundwater quality. This study integrates three computational tools into a unified framework to investigate seawater intrusion in coastal areas and to assess strategies for managing groundwater resources under natural and human-induced stresses. The three components are a three-dimensional hydrogeological model for density-dependent variably saturated flow and miscible salt transport, an automatic calibration procedure that uses state variable outputs from the model to estimate selected model parameters, and an optimization module that couples a genetic algorithm with the simulation model. The computational system is used to rank alternative strategies for mitigation of seawater intrusion, taking into account conflicting objectives and problem constraints. It is applied to the Gaza Strip (Palestine) coastal aquifer to identify a feasible groundwater management strategy for the period 2011–2020. The optimized solution is able to: (1) keep overall future abstraction from municipal groundwater wells close to the user-defined maximum level, (2) increase the average groundwater heads, and (3) lower both the total mass of salt extracted and the extent of the areas affected by seawater intrusion.

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