Estimating Current and Future Groundwater Resources of the Maldives

The water resources of the atolls of the Republic of Maldives are under continual threat from climatic and anthropogenic stresses, including land surface pollution, increasing population, drought, and sea-level rise (SLR). These threats are particularly acute for groundwater resources due to the sma...

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Main Authors: Bailey, Ryan T., Khalil, Abedalrazq, Chatikavanij, Vansa
Format: Journal Article
Language:en_US
Published: Wiley 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24280
id okr-10986-24280
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-242802021-04-23T14:04:21Z Estimating Current and Future Groundwater Resources of the Maldives Bailey, Ryan T. Khalil, Abedalrazq Chatikavanij, Vansa groundwater hydrology water supply climate variability climate change drinking water The water resources of the atolls of the Republic of Maldives are under continual threat from climatic and anthropogenic stresses, including land surface pollution, increasing population, drought, and sea-level rise (SLR). These threats are particularly acute for groundwater resources due to the small land surface area and low elevation of each island. In this study, the groundwater resources, in terms of freshwater lens thickness, total volume of fresh groundwater, and safe yield are estimated for the 52 most populous islands of the Maldives for current conditions and for the year 2030, with the latter accounting for projected SLR and associated shoreline recession. An algebraic model, designed in previous studies to estimate the lens thickness of atoll islands, is expanded in this study to also estimate volume of groundwater. Results indicate that average current lens thickness, groundwater volume, and per capita safe yield are approximately 4.6 m, 1,300 million liters, and 300 l/day, and that these values will decrease by approximately 10, 11, and 34%, respectively, by the year 2030. Based on results, it is demonstrated that groundwater, in terms of quantity, is a viable source of water for the islands of the Maldives both now and in coming decades, particularly for islands with large surface area and low population. Study results can provide water resource managers and government officials with valuable data for consideration in water security measures. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions. http://olabout.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-820227.html 2016-05-17T19:35:29Z 2016-05-17T19:35:29Z 2015-02 Journal Article Journal of the American Water Resources Association http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24280 en_US CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/igo/ World Bank Wiley Publications & Research :: Journal Article Publications & Research Maldives
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language en_US
topic groundwater
hydrology
water supply
climate variability
climate change
drinking water
spellingShingle groundwater
hydrology
water supply
climate variability
climate change
drinking water
Bailey, Ryan T.
Khalil, Abedalrazq
Chatikavanij, Vansa
Estimating Current and Future Groundwater Resources of the Maldives
geographic_facet Maldives
description The water resources of the atolls of the Republic of Maldives are under continual threat from climatic and anthropogenic stresses, including land surface pollution, increasing population, drought, and sea-level rise (SLR). These threats are particularly acute for groundwater resources due to the small land surface area and low elevation of each island. In this study, the groundwater resources, in terms of freshwater lens thickness, total volume of fresh groundwater, and safe yield are estimated for the 52 most populous islands of the Maldives for current conditions and for the year 2030, with the latter accounting for projected SLR and associated shoreline recession. An algebraic model, designed in previous studies to estimate the lens thickness of atoll islands, is expanded in this study to also estimate volume of groundwater. Results indicate that average current lens thickness, groundwater volume, and per capita safe yield are approximately 4.6 m, 1,300 million liters, and 300 l/day, and that these values will decrease by approximately 10, 11, and 34%, respectively, by the year 2030. Based on results, it is demonstrated that groundwater, in terms of quantity, is a viable source of water for the islands of the Maldives both now and in coming decades, particularly for islands with large surface area and low population. Study results can provide water resource managers and government officials with valuable data for consideration in water security measures. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions. http://olabout.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-820227.html
format Journal Article
author Bailey, Ryan T.
Khalil, Abedalrazq
Chatikavanij, Vansa
author_facet Bailey, Ryan T.
Khalil, Abedalrazq
Chatikavanij, Vansa
author_sort Bailey, Ryan T.
title Estimating Current and Future Groundwater Resources of the Maldives
title_short Estimating Current and Future Groundwater Resources of the Maldives
title_full Estimating Current and Future Groundwater Resources of the Maldives
title_fullStr Estimating Current and Future Groundwater Resources of the Maldives
title_full_unstemmed Estimating Current and Future Groundwater Resources of the Maldives
title_sort estimating current and future groundwater resources of the maldives
publisher Wiley
publishDate 2016
url http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24280
_version_ 1764456313857769472