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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Claire Walsh
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2024 The AuthorsStudy area: Katar and Meki subbasins, Rift Valley Lakes Basin, Ethiopia.Study focus: This research was carried out to characterized the recharge mechanism and quantify the steady-state groundwater balance and its sensitivity to future climate change. A groundwater simulation model was constructed and calibrated using a hydro-geo spatial dataset. Three regional climate models were used to assess the potential impact of changes in future precipitation on the recharge rate and groundwater balance components.New Hydrogeological Insight: Groundwater potential assessment depends on accurate estimation of the recharge rate. Precipitation contributed 11.95% and 11.96% to groundwater recharge in the Katar and Meki subbasins, respectively. The steady-state numerical groundwater model was calibrated and the model performed in the ranges of R2: 0.95–0.99; RMSE: 16.17–25.18; and MAE: 12.69–24.55, demonstrating 'excellent' model performance. In particular, the model exhibited high sensitivity to changes in the recharge rate and horizontal hydraulic conductivity. Future change in precipitation caused a reduction in groundwater potential in the range of 6.24–40.32% by the 2040 s and 2070 s, respectively, in the Katar subbasin. Likewise, the Meki Subbasin will experience a reduction in groundwater potential in the range of 0.29–37.17% by the 2040 s and 2070 s, respectively. These results emphasize how crucial it is for future water resource development initiatives to take into account climate variability for sustainable groundwater development.
Author(s): Balcha SK, Hulluka TA, Awass AA, Bantider A, Ayele GT, Walsh CL
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
Year: 2024
Volume: 52
Print publication date: 01/04/2024
Online publication date: 14/03/2024
Acceptance date: 07/03/2024
Date deposited: 10/04/2024
ISSN (electronic): 2214-5818
Publisher: Elsevier B.V.
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2024.101733
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrh.2024.101733
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