Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Groundwater Level, Flow Direction and Unit Hydrograph of the Kahorestan Plain AquiferAbstrac

In the ecosystem of dry and semi-dry areas such as Iran, groundwater is considered as the main source of water supply. Currently, excessive exploitation has put these vital resources at risk of destruction. Therefore, investigation the quantitative changes of groundwater resources in these areas seems necessary. For this reason, Kahorestam plain located in the northwest of Hormozgan province was selected to investigate the long-term unit hydrograph of Kahorestam aquifer, zoning of groundwater level and determination of groundwater flow direction. In this study, measured precipitation data and groundwater level during three five-year periods and one four-year period were used. The unit hydrograph of this aquifer showed a downward trend in the study area. The zoning map of groundwater level showed that the highest and lowest groundwater levels belong to the first and fourth periods, respectively. In each four periods, the highest and lowest groundwater levels were observed in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the aquifer, respectively. The flow direction maps showed that the dominant flow direction in this plain is from the northwestern area towards the southeastern part of the aquifer.