Applied Water Science最新文献

{"title":"Dynamics of surface runoff and sedimentation leading to extensive transformation in land use land cover in Megech dam watershed of Ethiopia","authors":"Tadesse Shewandagn Wukaw,&nbsp;Bogale Gebremariam Neka,&nbsp;Abebe Temesgen Ayalew,&nbsp;Tarun Kumar Lohani,&nbsp;Ayalkie Belete Amsie","doi":"10.1007/s13201-025-02571-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13201-025-02571-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Land use land cover (LULC) modification affects the surface runoff and sediment output in the Megech dam watershed in Abay River Basin of Ethiopia. ERDAS Imagine 2015 with a supervised maximum likelihood classifier was used to perform the change analyses during 1985, 2000, and 2018. Stream flow had Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), square of regression coefficient (<i>R</i>²), observations standard deviation ratio (RSR), and percent bias (PBIAS) values of 0.70, 0.71, 0.54, and 11.7 during calibration and 0.72, 0.77, 0.83, and 14.4 during validation, respectively. NSE, <i>R</i>², RSR, and PBIAS values for sediment yield were 0.75, 0.78, 0.55, and − 9.60 during calibration and 0.79, 0.82, 0.46, and 13.6 during validation, respectively. Changes in land use from forest to agriculture and habitation between 1985 and 2018 contributed significantly to 14.95% rise in average annual surface runoff during the simulation period. Annual sediment yields assessed from land use maps increase by 25.46% between 1985 and 2018. The use of filter strips and terracing and sediment yield reduction in the mean annual base was 36.71% and 63.93%, respectively. Terracing was more effective than filter strip conservation methods for reducing sediment production. A program combined with runoff and sedimentation together on the dam site generated a novel approach to the research.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8374,"journal":{"name":"Applied Water Science","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13201-025-02571-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144893929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimized composition of banana peel-derived activated carbon modified with aluminum oxide and chitosan for enhanced adsorption of Pb(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II) in wastewater treatment","authors":"Van Thi Thanh Tran,&nbsp;Osamu Nakagoe,&nbsp;Hideaki Sano,&nbsp;Shuji Tanabe,&nbsp;Kai Kamada","doi":"10.1007/s13201-025-02592-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13201-025-02592-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study highlights the importance of utilizing banana peel, an abundant and low-cost agricultural waste, as a sustainable precursor material for producing activated carbon for removing heavy metals in wastewater treatment. Adsorption experiments were conducted with single-metal (Pb²⁺) and mixed-metal (Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Cu²⁺) solutions to evaluate the effects of synthetic sequences, weight ratios, and competitive adsorption. The results demonstrated that the activation sequence played a critical role in adsorption performance, with banana peel-derived activated carbon (BPAC) activated with ZnCl₂ after pyrolysis (BPAC(I)) achieving around 5% higher Pb²⁺ adsorption compared to activation before pyrolysis (BPAC(II)). BPAC(I) was modified with Al₂O₃ and chitosan to significantly enhance its adsorption capacity for heavy metal ions. Composite adsorbents with varying weight ratios of BPAC, Al₂O₃ and chitosan (4:2:1 (denoted as <i>421</i>), 3:2:1 (<i>321</i>), 3:1:2 (<i>312</i>) and 2:1:1 (<i>211</i>)) were synthesized and evaluated. Among all samples, <i>321</i> showed the highest adsorption performance, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 39.0 mg/g, reaching almost 100% Pb²⁺ removal after 24 h, suggesting that the increased weight ratio of hydrophilic Al₂O₃ with abundant surface –OH groups enhances the adsorption amount of Pb²⁺. A similar trend was also observed for other heavy metals in mixed solutions, with the adsorption percentage Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were 85.1%, 88.9% and 26.5%, respectively. The effects of different experimental parameters (including adsorbent mass, pH level, and initial concentration of the solution) on the adsorption of Pb²⁺ ions were studied. The adsorption isotherms revealed that BPAC(I) and <i>312</i> fitted both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models, with the latter providing a slightly better fit, suggesting heterogeneous surface adsorption. Regeneration tests found that the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent could be reduced to approximately one-third with four repeated adsorption–desorption cycles owing to irreversible adsorption and detachment of surface modifiers.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8374,"journal":{"name":"Applied Water Science","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13201-025-02592-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144893935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-criteria pressure sensors placement in water distribution networks using fuzzy TOPSIS","authors":"Mohammad Mehdi Riyahi,&nbsp;Carlo Giudicianni,&nbsp;Amin E. Bakhshipour,&nbsp;Ali Haghighi,&nbsp;Enrico Creaco","doi":"10.1007/s13201-025-02583-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13201-025-02583-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Pressure data collection is essential to increase insight into the current condition of water distribution networks (WDNs). To this end, several methods have been proposed over the last decades for measurement site design (MSD). This research presents a novel method for designing measurement sites by using the k-means clustering algorithm as a pre-processing step, followed by utilizing a new optimization algorithm coupled with the fuzzy TOPSIS method as a processing step. The k-means clustering algorithm is employed to narrow down the search space and identify the most suitable candidate nodes. These candidate nodes are then fed into the new optimization algorithm, called the binary genetic-differential evolutionary algorithm (BGDE), to find the optimal nodes, which are then sorted using the fuzzy TOPSIS method. The BGDE considers sensitivity and entropy as objective functions, while the investment cost is taken into account as a constraint. Furthermore, the Bayesian model averaging (BMA) is employed to mitigate the uncertainties in pipe roughness and nodal demands in the hydraulic simulation model. To evaluate the efficiency of the novel method, two WDNs are tested— one from the literature and the other from a real-world case study. Results show that the proposed method reduces the search space, leading to a 70% faster execution, although the accuracy in finding optimal nodes is reduced by roughly 15% compared to the benchmark method.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8374,"journal":{"name":"Applied Water Science","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13201-025-02583-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144832085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hydrogeochemical sources and enrichment mechanisms of trace elements in river water of a typical endorheic headwater region on Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Jie Wang,&nbsp;Yong Xiao,&nbsp;Yuqing Zhang,&nbsp;Wenxu Hu,&nbsp;Zexue Qi,&nbsp;Xiangzhi You,&nbsp;Xiaofan Gu,&nbsp;Huizhu Chen,&nbsp;Jibin Han,&nbsp;Yongxing Zhang,&nbsp;Liwei Wang","doi":"10.1007/s13201-025-02586-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13201-025-02586-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Trace elements, such as lithium (Li) and boron (B), hold significant economic value for human community development and are commonly enriched in river water of the headwater regions of endorheic salt-lake basins. Understanding their sources and enrichment mechanisms is vital for both sustainable salt-lake resource exploitation and freshwater resource security. The Golmud River watershed, a typical hyper-arid endorheic basin on Tibetan Plateau, was investigated to explore the hydrogeochemical characteristics of river water in headwater regions of salt-lake basins, as well as the sources and enrichment mechanisms of trace elements. The results indicate that the hydrochemical types of river water in the headwater regions are predominantly HCO₃-Ca, Cl-Na, as well as their mixed types. River water hydrochemical components are primarily controlled by rock-water interactions, with minor influence from evaporation. The interacting substances include halite, sulfate minerals, and calcite, sourced from silicate rocks and evaporites. Li and B are highly enriched trace elements in river water of the watershed, exhibiting similar spatial distributions, with the same natural origin. Trace elements in the watershed derive primarily from three sources, including rock-water interactions in Quaternary sediments (PC1), deep magmatic inputs via geothermal fluids (PC2), and permafrost thawing (PC3). PC2 dominates trace element enrichment in river water of the headwater region (83.9%), controlling Sr, U, B, and Li. PC1 primarily governs Co, Ni, Cu, Ba, and W (11.1%), while PC3 regulates Cr and Pb (5.0%). This work elucidates key sources, contributions and enrichment processes of trace elements in river water of the headwater region of arid endorheic salt-lake basins.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8374,"journal":{"name":"Applied Water Science","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13201-025-02586-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145163581","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of groundwater quality for drinking purposes using water quality index in volcanic rock areas of Axum, Northern Ethiopia","authors":"Haile Tadelle Abadi,&nbsp;Teka Asresie,&nbsp;Amdom Mihretu,&nbsp;Welday Gebrehiwot","doi":"10.1007/s13201-025-02564-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13201-025-02564-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Shallow groundwater serves as the primary drinking water source in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia’s arid to semi-arid regions. However, its quality is increasingly threatened by pollution. This study evaluates the suitability of groundwater for drinking and investigates the hydrogeochemical processes that influence water quality in the volcanic rock-dominated area of Axum, Ethiopia. A total of 25 groundwater samples were collected from domestic wells and analyzed according to American Public Health Association standards. Hydrogeochemical evolution was assessed using molar ratios, multivariate statistical analysis, and inverse modeling, while the Water Quality Index (WQI) was used to determine drinking water suitability. The Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method mapped the spatial distribution of physicochemical parameters. The dominant water facies identified were Ca–Mg–Na–HCO₃ and Mg–Ca–HCO₃, with moderately mineralized Na–Ca–Mg–HCO₃, Na–Mg–HCO₃, and Ca–Na–HCO₃ types evolving along the flow direction. Calcite, dolomite, gypsum, fluorite, and halite dissolution, along with ion exchange, controlled groundwater chemistry. Molar ratio analysis highlighted silicate and carbonate weathering, sulfate mineral dissolution, and anthropogenic influences as key factors affecting water chemistry. Several parameters, including electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, total hardness, alkalinity, major ions, and trace metals, exceeded the permissible limits set by the World Health Organization. According to the water quality index analysis, the samples were categorized as excellent (24%), good (44%), poor (20%), very poor (8%), and unsuitable (4%) for drinking purposes. The findings highlight the need for continuous groundwater quality monitoring and the implementation of effective management strategies to ensure safe drinking water.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8374,"journal":{"name":"Applied Water Science","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13201-025-02564-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145163304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of CdS QDs/MWCNTs-supported AgNPs heterojunction nanocomposites for enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial properties toward water remediation process","authors":"Mitra Malekkiani,&nbsp;Mehdi Dadmehr,&nbsp;Heiko Groiss,&nbsp;Reza Sharif","doi":"10.1007/s13201-025-02589-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13201-025-02589-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Heterojunction nanocomposites are considered as effective platforms for construction of photocatalysts. In this research, cadmium sulfide quantum dots (CdS QDs) and Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) simultaneously were synthesized and anchored on multi walled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) for the fabrication of Ag-CdS QDs/MWCNTs ternary nanocomposites as a novel heterojunction photocatalyst for water remediation. The obtained nanostructures were characterized through several analysis to confirm the successful synthesis. Multifarious parameters including dye dosage, photocatalyst dosage, pH, contact time, light source, different dyes, H₂O₂ dosage, scavenger effect and inorganic anions were investigated for optimization. The function of Ag-CdS QDs/MWCNTs was studied against photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) as the water pollutant model. In optimum conditions, 98.8% of RhB was photodegraded after 35 min while it was exposed to natural sunlight. The highest adsorption capacity measured by Langmuir fitting was 28.74 mg g⁻¹. Moreover, the adsorption kinetics corresponded with the first-order kinetic model and the amount of rate of constant for Ag-CdS QDs/MWCNTs was 1.38 × 10⁻² min⁻¹. On the basis of radical quenching experiments, the effect of oxidizing types in the photodegradation of RhB was ordered as <span>({}^cdottext{OH})</span> &gt; <span>({}^cdot{text{O}}_{2}^{-})</span> &gt; <span>({text{h}}^{+})</span>. After four catalyst reuse cycles, more than 82.4% RhB was removed, showing a cost-efficiency potential in the reusability of Ag-CdS QDs/MWCNTs. Furthermore, the ternary nanocomposite demonstrated noteworthy bactericidal activity against gram-positive (<i>S. aureus</i> and <i>B. subtilis</i>) and gram-negative (<i>E. coli</i>) bacteria strains.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8374,"journal":{"name":"Applied Water Science","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13201-025-02589-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145163582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Groundwater sustainability assessment and desertification susceptibility mapping in semi arid Bangladesh using integrated remote sensing and logistic regression modeling","authors":"Ragib Mahmood Shuvo,&nbsp;Radwan Rahman Chowdhury,&nbsp;Sanchoy Chakroborty,&nbsp;Anutosh Das,&nbsp;Abdulla Al Kafy,&nbsp;Hamad Ahmed Altuwaijri,&nbsp;Tekalign Ketema Bahiru","doi":"10.1007/s13201-025-02584-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13201-025-02584-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Groundwater depletion poses a serious threat to water security in arid regions worldwide, risking sustainable water resources and agricultural stability. This study examines groundwater dynamics and water resource sustainability in the arid Barind Tract of Northwest Bangladesh using integrated remote sensing techniques and logistic regression modeling. It employed three key indices to assess water resource vulnerability: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Topsoil Grain Size Index, and Aridity Index, integrating them through logistic regression to evaluate desertification susceptibility and water sustainability. The regression model boasts an ROC value of 96.22% and R² of 0.3893, indicating good classification performance with acceptable class variance. Results show that 82.66% of the area faces significant water resource challenges, with 6.27% (103.26 km²) at very high risk, 10.80% (177.89 km²) at high risk, and 28.17% (464.05 km²) at moderate risk. The northern regions, especially Porsha, Gomastapur, and Nachole Upazillas, are the most vulnerable to water depletion. The study recommends sustainable water management strategies, including surface water use through floating pontoons and rubber dams, emphasizing the urgent need for integrated water resource management to ensure long-term water security. Additionally, the research analyzed soil-vegetation feedback using rain use efficiency and found a negative loop in highly desertification-prone areas like Porsha and Nachole, indicating the need for regulation-based cropping practices and improved water governance in zones at risk of desertification to reduce crop-water redundancy. This research offers valuable insights for water resource planning and management in arid regions, supporting sustainable water governance and locally-led adaptation strategies for water-stressed environments.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8374,"journal":{"name":"Applied Water Science","volume":"15 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13201-025-02584-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145142368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Magnetite–graphene nanocomposites to treat contaminated water: a review","authors":"Richa Jain","doi":"10.1007/s13201-025-02486-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13201-025-02486-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Water resources are contaminated by heavy metals and other pollutants from both natural sources and industrial emissions. Therefore, innovative solutions are needed to alleviate the growing pollution and poisoning of water resources, which is a major global issue known as the water crisis. Nanotechnology offers promising opportunities to develop efficient and sustainable water treatment technologies. Magnetic separation has shown exceptional performance in removing contaminants from water. Surface-modified magnetite nanoparticles can be used as adsorbents to treat water. Graphene-based nanocomposites also have shown an effective adsorbing property, but take a long time to process and not cost-effective. However, magnetite–graphene nanocomposites have revealed excellent adsorbing properties and could be used as a good absorbent to remove pollutants from water effectively. These nanocomposites are biodegradable in nature. This review provides an overview of the potential and approaches of magnetite–graphene nanocomposites to treat contaminated water and remove unwanted metal ions, toxic organic impurities, and radioactive ions. </p></div>","PeriodicalId":8374,"journal":{"name":"Applied Water Science","volume":"15 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13201-025-02486-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145142423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Learning from multiple frameworks for aquifer vulnerability mapping and multiple modelling practices in groundwater vulnerability mapping studies","authors":"Ata Allah Nadiri,&nbsp;Zeynab Abdollahi,&nbsp;Zahra Sedghi,&nbsp;Rahman Khatibi,&nbsp;Rahim Barzegar","doi":"10.1007/s13201-025-02573-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13201-025-02573-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Learning from multiple frameworks (MF) in vulnerability mapping of aquifers and from multiple models (MM) is a novel research case tested in this paper by inclusive multiple modelling (IMM) practices. Each framework relates to multiple consensually selected data layers with an appropriate scoring system, which reflects intrinsic variances in the data layers and MF is particularly appropriate to shallow and patchy study areas. The IMM strategy is implemented at three levels: At Level 1, three frameworks (e.g., DRASTIC, SINTACS and GODS) are selected to map the vulnerability of a study area; At Level 2: inclusivity is achieved by employing the modelled output from Level 1 models as inputs for two additional machine learning models (e..g, support vector machine and multilayer perceptron) at Level 2. At Level 3: the outputs from these two models are combined using another model (e.g., random forest). The findings provide evidence that the Level 3 model produces more ‘defensible’ performance metrics by extracting information from all the models at Levels 1 and 2 with a better potential for learning from each output. The modelling results at Level 1 are ‘fit-for-purpose’, those at Level 3 are defensible and those at 2 are in between. For the patchy and shallow study area, the vulnerability maps at the higher level of the strategy are found to be more defensible than those at lower levels.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8374,"journal":{"name":"Applied Water Science","volume":"15 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13201-025-02573-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145142677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Geoinformatics and hydrogeophysical-based delineation of groundwater potential zone through surface and subsurface indicators","authors":"Usman Basharat,&nbsp;Wenjing Zhang,&nbsp;Arshad Abbasi,&nbsp;Sehrish Mahroof,&nbsp;Abrar Niaz,&nbsp;Shoukat Husain Khan","doi":"10.1007/s13201-025-02580-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13201-025-02580-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Groundwater is one of the world’s most essential and valuable natural resources, important to a country’s growth development; regions like Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, face unique challenges from rapid urbanization and climate variability, highlighting the need for detailed assessments of groundwater potential and recharge dynamics. The complexity of groundwater systems complicates the identification of potential and recharge zones. This study focuses on these issues in the Bagh region, which has distinct hydrogeological characteristics and a critical need for sustainable groundwater management. This study used geomatics and hydrogeophysical technologies to delineate the groundwater potential zone in the study area. This multidisciplinary method improves the precision and reliability of groundwater potential zone mapping. Groundwater potential zones were delineated by integrating the thematic layers created from the digital elevation model, sentinel 2, geophysical investigations, pre-existing maps, and field survey data into a GIS context. Different parameters were determined, reclassified, and standardized to shared ranges with weights. These parameters included rainfall, geology, slope, lineament density, drainage density, aspect, Topographic wetness index, Normalized difference vegetation index, Normalized difference water index, elevation, slope aquifer resistivity, and lithology. The analytical hierarchy process evaluation method developed the groundwater potential zonation map. The index was divided into three zones: High (33%) are located in areas with favorable conditions such as high rainfall, low slope, and permeable lithology, making them ideal for groundwater extraction; moderate (46%) have intermediate conditions; and low (21%) are characterized by steep slopes, low rainfall, and less permeable lithology, indicating limited groundwater availability. The generated map was validated using data from 30 existing water wells and springs and 50 geophysical data points derived from vertical electrical sounding. The validation results demonstrated moderate to good agreement with the evidence obtained, as indicated by an area under curve value of 79.6%.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8374,"journal":{"name":"Applied Water Science","volume":"15 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s13201-025-02580-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145141950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}