Groundwater modeling study central Dhofar, Oman

Thomas Mller1, Gerhard Strauch1

1Helmholtz

Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Department of Hydrogeology, Leipzig

HEADLINE ARIAL FETT 30pt

Subline Arial Roman 30pt

Dhofar

study
area

Page 2

Study Area

Study Area
Elevation
100-200m

1800 m

no DEM

main roads
surface water divide
borehole
DAWKAH

50

100 km

Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the SRTM Data (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission; USGS 2006)
Page 3

Town/ Village
main Wadi channels

Study goals
Goal I: Understanding the hydrogeological system
arid area and scarce data

Goal II: Quantification of the water budget components

precise determination of groundwater resources, recharge and
safe yield

Page 4

Goal I: Understanding the hydrogeological system

Our knowledge and our gaps
+ groundwater level, spring discharge hydrodynamics

+ isotope, water chemistry data origin, age, travel times

+ main weather systems input to the reservoir
- groundwater in- and outflows to the system?
- GW depletion localised or regional?
- present day recharge?
- groundwater reserve

Page 5

Climate and Rainfall

- considerable variations of climatic conditions between Salalah plain,
Dhofar Mountains and Najd
- main weather systems: Frontal System, Cyclones, Monsoon
Salalah plain

Dhofar Mountains

Salalah plain

Najd

Dhofar Mountains

Najd
- average temperature: 6.1C to 44.6C, grand mean 26,2C

Monsoon

70 mm/yr

300 mm/yr

- high ET rates
- rainfall amount low and irregular, average 49mm/yr

40 mm/yr

100 mm/yr
Dammam
RUS
Upper Umm Er Radhuma
Lower Umm Er Radhuma

Page 6

100 km

Climate and Rainfall > Groundwater Recharge

two recharge mechanism
2) interior Najd Cyclones, Frontal Systems

1) Dhofar Mountains - Monsoon

- direct recharge
[masl]

- causing large short term floods

increasing
spring discharge
2 to 5 weeks
after the monsoon

recharge
amount ?

recharge?

2) perched aquifers or
infiltration to the deeper ground?

250

500

750

1) present day recharge in

the Dhofar Mountains:
3 to 9 Mm/year

Cyclonic Storms

Monsoon

Arabian
Sea

Page 7

8000

16000

24000

32000

40000

48000

56000

64000

[m]

southern Dhofar
Spring Garsis [elevation 110 m a.ms.l.]
250.00

discahrge in l/s

200.00

150.00

100.00

50.00

0.00
14 Nov 1984

11 Aug 1987

07 Mai 1990

31 Jan 1993

28 Okt 1995

24 Jul 1998

date of observation

Page 8

19 Apr 2001

14 Jan 2004

10 Okt 2006

southern Dhofar
GW-monitoring point [elevation 132 m a.m.s.l.] 200 m upstream to Ayn Garsis
118

highest GW-levels in August/ September

GW-level m a.m.s.l.

116

114

112

110

108

106
25-Mai-79

14-Nov-84

07-Mai-90

28-Okt-95

date of observation

Page 9

19-Apr-01

10-Okt-06

01-Apr-12

Najd
Wadi Flow and Groundwater level approximately 60 km north of swd
4500000

566

monitoring well Aqu A

4000000

Wadi station Ghadun

565

wadi discharge [m/d]

3000000

564

2500000
563
2000000
1500000

562

1000000
561
500000
0
11.08.1987

07.05.1990

31.01.1993

28.10.1995

24.07.1998

19.04.2001

date of observation

Page 10

14.01.2004

10.10.2006

560
06.07.2009

GW level m a.m.s.l.

3500000

Najd

80

4.50E+06

70

4.00E+06
3.50E+06

wadi flow

3.00E+06

50
2.50E+06
40
2.00E+06
30
1.50E+06

rainfall
20

1.00E+06

10

5.00E+05

0.00E+00

31. Jan 93

28. Okt 95

24. Jul 98

19. Apr 01

14. Jan 04

date of observation

Page 11

10. Okt 06

06. Jul 09

Wadi flow [m/day]

rainfall [mm/day]

60

Page 12

Monitoring

Page 13

Isotopes and hydrochemistry

Use of:
noble gases
stable isotopes
and radionuclides
for origin and age dating of groundwater

see presentations Mr. Khalid Al-Mashaikhi and Mr. Christian Herb

Page 14

Water Demand
- first water boreholes drilled in the Najd in the beginning of the 1970,
since then more then 1000 boreholes were drilled
- increasing population >> increasing domestic, industrial, commercial
and municipal demand

- Agriculture major water consumer (~ 90%)

Page 15

Impact on groundwater resources

observation values Aqu A, B, C in central Dhofar

limit of artesian flow 1988 and 2003

335

Groundlevel

329

Groundwater Level [m.a.s.l.]

325

315

305

Aqu C

25 km

2003

295

1988
285

Aqu B
275

Aqu A

265
1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 2004 2005 2006

Time

> groundwater depletion

> use of fossil water
Page 16

Study goals
Goal I: Understanding the hydrogeological system
arid area and scarce data

Goal II: Quantification of the water budget components

precise determination of groundwater resources, recharge and safe yield

Page 17

Approach > Groundwater modeling

short term simulation

long term simulation

local groundwater model

regional groundwater model

groundwater levels maintained by present-day

recharge

changing gradients due to changing climate

conditions

fine model mesh

vertical discretisation

rough model mesh

one model layer

steady state calibration

Isotopes and Chemistry

predevelopment state

2H, 18O, C14, C13, noble gases

transient calibration

transient calibration

modeling period 1970 to 2010

along flow paths

calibrated and validated local

groundwater model

innovative tool for Assessment, Prognoses, Planning and

Management of water resources

Page 18

750

[masl]

Geology

Upper
Umm Er Radhuma
UUER

500

250

Lower
Umm Er Radhuma
LUER

Arabian
Sea

Tertiary
Sediments
(Fars
Group)
8000
16000

cretaceous
sediments
24000

32000

40000

48000

56000

64000

[m]

Page 19

Tertiary
Sediments
(Hadramout
Group)

DAM
RUS

100 km

Hydrogeology
Lithology

Dammam
(DAM)

Limestone,
with Marl

RUS
Formation

Breccia, Marl,
laminated
gypsum

mean aquifer mean storage

mean
thickness
coefficient Transmissivity
(m)
(m/day)

750

[masl]

Formation

500

Lower
Umm Er Radhuma
LUER

DAM
RUS
direction of
groundwater flow

Aqu B

Upper UER

Aqu C

upper part of
Lower UER

Aqu D

lower part of
Lower UER

grey to brown
dolomitic
limestone

21

3.2e-06

485

16

1.0e-06

680

23

1.5e-04

556

73

1.4e-05

13

Upper
Umm Er Radhuma
UUER

250

Aqu A

16000

24000

32000

40000

48000

56000

64000

[m]

olive, sparry
limestone with
shale

(GRC 2008)

- Aqu A (Central Najd) and Aqu B (Eastern Najd) have more local significance
- Aqu C and Aqu D are the most important sources of Groundwater
for domestic and agricultural use in the Najd

Page 20

Conceptual model Najd Aquifer System

Page 21

Conceptual model Najd Aquifer System

Page 22

Conceptual model Najd Aquifer System

Page 23

Groundwater Model

calibration
initial values + boundary conditions

3-D body
boreholes
Page 24

Pre-development state
GW-level
Aquifer C and D in m amsl

Page 25

Present situation
GW-level
Aquifer C and D in m amsl

Page 26

Groundwater discharge
Heelat

Hanfeet

As Safa
Farm
Thumrait

- no monitoring of groundwater abstraction

- use of satellite imagery for agricultural areas
- assumptions for municipal and industrial demand
Page 27

Outlook
short-term modeling
- transient model for the period 1970 to 2010
- defining discharge areas and discharge amount
- calibration of the transient model for the period 1996 to 2008
- comparison of monitored and simulated values with increasing drawdown

long-term modeling
- developing model
- including water chemistry and Isotopes

Page 28

Acknowledgments
Thanks

for support and cooperation to the Ministry of Regional

Municipality and Water Resources, Sultanate of Oman
to the BMBF for funding the IPSWaT Scholarship
and to my colleagues from the Department of
Hydrogeology and Environmental Informatics

Page 29

Thank you very much for your attention!

Using a large scale groundwater model to quantify

water resources availability in an arid area
Thomas Mller1, Gerhard Strauch1
1Helmholtz

Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Department of Hydrogeology, Leipzig