Spatial and Temporal Groundwater Level Variation Geostatistical Modeling in the City of Konya, Turkey

Groundwater is one of the most important resources used for drinking and utility and irrigation purposes in the city of Konya, Turkey, as in many areas. The purpose of this study is to evaluate spatial and temporal changes in the level of groundwater by using geostatistical methods based on data from 91 groundwater wells during the period 1999 to 2003. Geostatistical methods have been used widely as a convenient tool to make decisions on the management of groundwater levels. To evaluate the spatial and temporal changes in the level of the groundwater, a vector-based geographic information system software package, ArcGIS 9.1 ( Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, California), was used for the application of an ordinary kriging method, with cross-validation leading to the estimation of groundwater levels. The average value of variogram (spherical model) for the spatial analysis was approximately 2150 m. Results of ordinary kriging for groundwater level drops were underestimated by 17%. Cross-validation errors were within an acceptable level. The kriging model also helps to detect risk-prone areas for groundwater abstraction. Water Environ. Res., 81, 2460 (2009).