Assessment of the effects of climate change on the exploitation of surface water resources and aquifers (Study area: Dehloran study area)

Pourahmad, Ali; Solimani Babarsad, Mohsen; Eslami, Hossein; Khoshnavaz Komeleh, Saeb; Jazayeri Moghaddas, Mahmoud

doi:10.22059/ije.2025.403140.1885

Assessment of the effects of climate change on the exploitation of surface water resources and aquifers (Study area: Dehloran study area)

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

¹ Phd student, Department of Water Sciences, Shushtar Branch, Islamic Azad University

² Assistant professor of hydraulic science, Department of Water Sciences, Shushtar Branch, Islamic Azad university

10.22059/ije.2025.403140.1885

Abstract

Research Topic: Climate change and its effects on components influencing the groundwater balance are critically important for sustainable water resource management under conditions of water supply instability.
Objective: Investigating the exploitation of groundwater resources as a sustainable resource in climate change conditions.
Method: Among 14 climate models, the most suitable models for simulating precipitation and temperature were selected based on statistical indicators. Considering the importance of precipitation in groundwater recharge, surface water behavior was estimated through regression relationships.
Results: Climate simulation results identified the AWI-CM-1-1-MR model as the best for future precipitation projections and HadGEM3-GC31-MM for temperature projections. In contrast, temperature is expected to increase across all three scenarios. Based on regression relationships between precipitation and streamflow at three hydrometric stations, two components—recharge from surface runoff and aquifer drainage—were calculated for the groundwater balance. Groundwater inflow and outflow were estimated numerically in relation to aquifer water level changes.
Conclusions: Climate change significantly affects the quantitative dynamics of the aquifer, particularly due to the high sensitivity of groundwater outflow and water table levels. Moreover, the findings reveal that groundwater abstraction has a relatively smaller impact compared to climate change effects, suggesting that well-planned abstraction policies could lead to effective adaptation strategies under future climate scenarios.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Water Resources Management in Natural Ecosystems

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