A WEAP-MODFLOW surface water-groundwater model for the irrigated Miyandoab plain, Urmia lake basin, Iran: Multi-objective calibration and quantification of historical drought impacts

Amir Hossein Dehghanipour*, Bagher Zahabiyoun, Gerrit Schoups, Hossein Babazadeh

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

37 Citations (Scopus)
322 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This study develops and applies the first coupled surface water-groundwater (SW-GW) flow model for the irrigated Miyandoab plain located in the Urmia basin, in the northwest of Iran. The model is implemented using a dynamic coupling between MODFLOW and WEAP and consists of spatially distributed monthly water balances for the aquifer, root-zone, rivers, canals, and reservoirs. Multi-objective calibration of the model using river discharge and GW level data yields accurate simulation of historical conditions, and results in better constrained parameters compared to using either data source alone. Model simulations show that crop water demand cannot be met during droughts due to limited GW pumping capacity, and that increased GW pumping has a relatively strong impact on GW levels due to the small specific yield of the aquifer. The SW-GW model provides a unique tool for exploring management options that sustain agricultural production and downstream flow to the shrinking Urmia Lake.
Original languageEnglish
Article number105704
Number of pages21
JournalAgricultural Water Management
Volume223
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Bibliographical note

Accepted author manuscript

Keywords

  • MODFLOW
  • Multi-objective calibration
  • Soil moisture method
  • Surface water-groundwater
  • Urmia lake basin
  • WEAP

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