Estimation of the impact of climate and hydrological changes on groundwater level in coastal aquifer

In most cases, groundwater in coastal aquifers is the most important source of fresh water. Changes in climate and hydrological variables can have a significant impact on coastal aquifers. In this study, the effect of climate change on the Bandar-e-Gaz coastal aquifer in northern Iran was studied using the scenarios of the fifth report of the IPCC. Also, changes in hydrological variables such as future changes of the sea level, recharge and discharge of the aquifer were also studied using a numerical model. The results indicate that the used numerical model is reliable. An examination of the optimistic scenario review confirms that significant changes will not be made in the future for studied coastal aquifer’s water resources. The results of the pessimistic scenario reveal that in the near future (2040) a relatively limited part of the aquifer will be affected by groundwater decrease, but in the mid future (2070) a large part of the aquifer will face this problem, and a drop of 3 to 7 meters will be experienced. In addition, in the far future (2100) the decrease of groundwater level in the middle parts of the aquifer will be in the range of 10 to 13 meters.