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Remote Sensing Approaches to Groundwater Resource Assessment and Sustainable Management

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Remote Sensing in Geology, Geomorphology and Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2025) | Viewed by 6221

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Graduate Institute of Applied Geology, National Central University, No. 300, Zhongda Rd., Zhongli District, Taoyuan City 32001, Taiwan
Interests: groundwater modeling; hydraulic tests; stochastic hydrogeology; inverse problems; land subsidence; surface water and groundwater interactions; submarine groundwater discharge
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Guest Editor
Department of Real Estate and Built Environment, National Taipei University, No. 151, University Rd., Sanxia Dist., New Taipei City 237303, Taiwan
Interests: radar; global positioning system; global navigation satellite system; satellite geodesy; remote sensing of atmosphere; cadastral surveying

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Groundwater is an essential freshwater resource worldwide and plays an important role in resilience development. Sustainable groundwater resource use relies on understanding water storage and balance in an aquifer system. Many studies have recognized that the different types of near-surface water interactions and human activities can considerably influence the water balance of an aquifer system. An imbalance in the water budget of an aquifer might lead to local- or regional-scale groundwater-induced environmental problems. Traditional approaches to assessing groundwater resources and the associated environmental issues are restricted to limited point observations. In recent years, remote sensing has become an efficient technique for quantifying near-surface water interactions and the relevant environmental impacts.

Remote sensing applications in groundwater-relevant studies remain challenging and cover various technical and scientific disciplines. These challenges include sensors, data fusion, data validation, models, and investigations relevant to groundwater resource exploration, management, and associated groundwater-induced hazards, and environmental and ecological impacts. In this Special Issue, we encourage submissions that address advanced remote sensing and the associated analytical technologies to monitor, predict, and manage groundwater-relevant environmental issues. The submissions are expected to provide the community with the most recent advancements in all aspects of remote sensing technologies and applications, including but not limited to, the following:

  • Monitoring and management of groundwater resources;
  • Quantification of groundwater recharge and discharge;
  • Assessment of near-surface water interactions;
  • Evaluation of groundwater use and human activities;
  • Development of groundwater potential maps;
  • Monitoring of groundwater storage and water balance;
  • Quantification of near-surface water interactions by using integrated machine learning models and remote sensing data;
  • Development of vulnerability maps for water quality;
  • Fusion of remote sensing data for high-resolution environmental monitoring;
  • Land subsidence monitoring;
  • Groundwater and geohazards;
  • Groundwater-relevant ecological and environmental impacts;
  • Other topics on the applications of remote sensing technologies to groundwater resource assessment and management strategies.

Prof. Dr. Chuen-Fa Ni
Prof. Dr. Takang Yeh
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • groundwater resources
  • groundwater exploration
  • resilience development
  • groundwater management
  • groundwater recharge
  • water quality
  • machine learning
  • data fusion
  • data validation
  • modeling
  • land subsidence
  • vulnerability map
  • geohazards

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 8505 KiB  
Article
Mapping Groundwater Potential Zones in the Widyan Basin, Al Qassim, KSA: Analytical Hierarchy Process-Based Analysis Using Sentinel-2, ASTER-DEM, and Conventional Data
by Ragab A. El Sherbini, Hosni H. Ghazala, Mohammed A. Ahmed, Ismael M. Ibraheem, Hussain F. Al Ajmi and Mohamed A. Genedi
Remote Sens. 2025, 17(5), 766; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17050766 - 22 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 780
Abstract
Groundwater availability in semi-arid regions like the Widyan Basin, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a critical challenge due to climatic, topographic, and hydrological variations. The accurate identification of groundwater zones is essential for sustainable development. Therefore, this study combines remote-sensing datasets [...] Read more.
Groundwater availability in semi-arid regions like the Widyan Basin, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a critical challenge due to climatic, topographic, and hydrological variations. The accurate identification of groundwater zones is essential for sustainable development. Therefore, this study combines remote-sensing datasets (Sentinel-2 and ASTER-DEM) with conventional data using Geographic Information System (GIS) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) techniques to delineate groundwater potential zones (GWPZs). The basin’s geology includes Pre-Cambrian rock units of the Arabian Shield in the southwest and Cambrian–Ordovician units in the northeast, with the Saq Formation serving as the main groundwater aquifer. Six soil types were identified: Haplic and Calcic Yermosols, Calcaric Regosols, Cambic Arenosols, Orthic Solonchaks, and Lithosols. The topography varies from steep areas in the southwest and northwest to nearly flat terrain in the northeast. Hydrologically, the basin is divided into 28 sub-basins with four stream orders. Using GIS-based AHP and weighted overlay methods, the GWPZs were mapped, achieving a model consistency ratio of 0.0956. The zones were categorized as excellent (15.21%), good (40.85%), fair (43.94%), and poor (0%). The GWPZ model was validated by analyzing data from 48 water wells distributed in the study area. These wells range from fresh water to primary saline water, with water depths varying between 13.98 and 130 m. Nine wells—with an average total dissolved solids (TDS) value of 597.2 mg/L—fall within the excellent zone, twenty-one wells are categorized in the good zone, fifteen wells are classified in the fair zone, and the remaining wells fall into the poor zone, with TDS values reaching up to 2177 mg/L. The results indicate that the central zone of the study area is suitable for drilling new water wells. Full article
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20 pages, 7449 KiB  
Article
Study on the Relationship between Groundwater and Land Subsidence in Bangladesh Combining GRACE and InSAR
by Liu Ouyang, Zhifang Zhao, Dingyi Zhou, Jingyao Cao, Jingyi Qin, Yifan Cao and Yang He
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(19), 3715; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16193715 - 6 Oct 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2441
Abstract
Due to a heavy reliance on groundwater, Bangladesh is experiencing a severe decline in groundwater storage, with some areas even facing land subsidence. This study aims to investigate the relationship between groundwater storage changes and land subsidence in Bangladesh, utilizing a combination of [...] Read more.
Due to a heavy reliance on groundwater, Bangladesh is experiencing a severe decline in groundwater storage, with some areas even facing land subsidence. This study aims to investigate the relationship between groundwater storage changes and land subsidence in Bangladesh, utilizing a combination of GRACE and InSAR technologies. To clarify this relationship from a macro perspective, the study employs GRACE data merged with GLDAS to analyze changes in groundwater storage and SBAS-InSAR technology to assess land subsidence. The Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) method calculates the similarity between groundwater storage and land subsidence time series, incorporating precipitation and land cover types into the data analysis. The findings reveal the following: (1) Groundwater storage in Bangladesh is declining at an average rate of −5.55 mm/year, with the most significant declines occurring in Rangpur, Mymensingh, and Rajshahi. Notably, subsidence areas closely match regions with deeper groundwater levels; (2) The similarity coefficient between the time series of groundwater storage and land subsidence changes exceeds 0.85. Additionally, land subsidence in different regions shows an average lagged response of 2 to 6 months to changes in groundwater storage. This study confirms a connection between groundwater dynamics and land subsidence in Bangladesh, providing essential knowledge and theoretical support for further research. Full article
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31 pages, 14098 KiB  
Article
Cost-Effective Groundwater Potential Mapping by Integrating Multiple Remote Sensing Data and the Index–Overlay Method
by Lamtupa Nainggolan, Chuen-Fa Ni, Yahya Darmawan, Wei-Cheng Lo, I-Hsian Lee, Chi-Ping Lin and Nguyen Hoang Hiep
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(3), 502; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16030502 - 28 Jan 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2089
Abstract
The Choushui River groundwater basin (CRGB) in Yunlin County, Taiwan, is a significant groundwater source for the western part of the region. However, increasing groundwater demand and human activities have triggered a potential crisis due to overexploitation. Therefore, groundwater potential zone (GWPZ) maps [...] Read more.
The Choushui River groundwater basin (CRGB) in Yunlin County, Taiwan, is a significant groundwater source for the western part of the region. However, increasing groundwater demand and human activities have triggered a potential crisis due to overexploitation. Therefore, groundwater potential zone (GWPZ) maps are crucial for mapping groundwater resources and water resource management. This study employs the normalized index–overlay method and fuzzy extended analytical hierarchy process (FE-AHP) to map GWPZs cost-effectively. The methodology objectively incorporates weightings from various thematic layers by normalizing and correlating parameters with observed groundwater availability (GA). Site-specific observations, including aquifer thickness, depth to the groundwater level, and porosity, inform GA calculations. Seven comprehensive layers derived from remote sensing (RS) data are processed to obtain weightings and ratings for the groundwater potential index (GWPI) in the CRGB. Selected parameters are categorized into hydrological processes, human interventions, geological, and surface profiles. Hydrological processes include precipitation, modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI), and drainage density. Human interventions consist of the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and normalized difference building index (NDBI). Surface profiles encompass the terrain ruggedness index (TRI) and slope, enhancing the study’s multi-criteria approach. The observed GA validates the GWPZ accuracy, classifying zones into five categories. According to the GWPI of FE-AHP, about 59.56% of the CRGB area can be categorized as “moderate” to “very good” potential groundwater recharge zones. Pearson’s correlation coefficient between GWPI and GA, based on FE-AHP, outperforms the conventional AHP. This RS-based approach efficiently evaluates GA in aquifers with limited wells, highlighting crucial zones in CRGB’s proximal-fan and southeastern mid-fan for informed groundwater management strategies. Full article
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