Proposal for a managed aquifer recharge feasibility index for southern Portugal using multi-criteria decision analysis

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Tiago N. Martins - , National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (Author)
  • Teresa E. Leitão - , National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (Author)
  • Manuel M. Oliveira - , National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (Author)
  • Constantinos F. Panagiotou - , ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence (Author)
  • Catalin Stefan - , Chair of Groundwater Systems, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Anis Chkirbene - , University of Carthage (Author)
  • Maria Manuela Portela - , University of Lisbon (Author)

Abstract

Water scarcity in the Mediterranean region requires the adoption of new and optimized water resources management tools that allow a progressive climate change adaptation, being one of the main drivers for the employment of alternative water storage measures such as Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). To promote the implementation of these measures, this study evaluates the application of a MAR feasibility index mapping to southern Portugal, employing Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). A participatory approach – developed within the AGREEMAR project – aims for the characterization of the intrinsic site suitability, water availability and demand, where the stakeholder inputs are embedded in the weighting computation process. The results obtained demonstrate prevalent moderate MAR feasibility across the entire region (78% of the area) with an increased percentage of the area corresponding to high MAR feasibility (22%) strongly related to highly suitable geological features. A comparative analysis with the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) showed minor high MAR feasibility areas (7%), and feasibility class transitions between the directly above or below classes. A sensitivity analysis, conducted based on a one-at-a-time (OAT) variation of the criteria weights, assessed the impact of the weighting methods on feasibility class changes. For the AGREEMAR method, changes in the weight of 10 of the 28 considered criteria resulted in negligible changes when compared to the original feasibility map, while for AHP 3 out of 28 produced minor changes. The remaining criteria showed important modifications in the feasibility maps, which underlined AGREEMAR method weights provided higher stability in the results. The study provides information about a MAR site selection process procedures, allowing replication. The dissemination of the results is expected to raise awareness of MAR among stakeholders and support scientifically-based water resources management decision-making.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number101280
JournalGroundwater for Sustainable Development
Volume26
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • AGREEMAR project, Analytical hierarchical process, Feasibility, GIS-MCDA, Managed aquifer recharge