InSAR-driven characterization of "ungauged" aquifer systems: Insights from the Gediz River Basin, Türkiye
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY, cilt.679, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 679
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136173
- Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Artic & Antarctic Regions, BIOSIS, Compendex, Environment Index, Geobase, INSPEC, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Engineering Source (EBSCO)
- Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Accurate characterization of key hydro-geomechanical properties, specifically hydraulic conductivity K and specific storage Ss, is essential for predicting the responses of aquifer systems to natural and anthropogenic stressors and ensuring sustainable groundwater management. However, such characterization remains partic ularly challenging in "ungauged" basins, i.e., where piezometric records, pumping test data, and information about production wells are sparse or unavailable. We propose an iterative framework based on coupling a threedimensional (3D) groundwater flow (GW) model with a 3D geomechanical (GM) model, using a nested inversion scheme. The workflow begins with calibrating the GW model against piezometric records to acquire an initial estimation of heterogeneous K distribution given a homogeneous Ss. The resulting hydraulic head changes are then fused with Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) measurements to estimate point-wise Ss values that are subsequently interpolated across the basin scale. This Ss field is validated using the GM model and fed back into the GW model for a next iteration of K calibration. This iterative cycle continues until the estimated parameters stabilize and further updates provide limited improvements in model performance. We apply this approach to the Gediz River Basin (GRB) in western T & uuml;rkiye, a region experiencing severe land subsidence from groundwater over-exploitation for irrigation. Our results reveal significant heterogeneity in aquifer properties, and the inferred K and Ss distributions allow for the reproduction of both hydraulic head evolution and land subsidence patterns, with a consistent modeling set-up.