# Groundwater Depletion: Current Trends and Future Challenges to Mitigate the Phenomenon

Nerantzis Kazakis, Micol Mastrocicco, Konstantinos Chalikakis

<figure><img src="image_1.png" /></figure>

To cite this version:

Nerantzis Kazakis, Micol Mastrocicco, Konstantinos Chalikakis. Groundwater Depletion: Current Trends and Future Challenges to Mitigate the Phenomenon. Water, 2024, 16 (17), pp.2385-10.3390/w16172385. [https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-04709346](https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-04709346)

HAL Id: hal-04709346

https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-04709346v1

Submitted on 25 Sep 2024

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access
archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci-
entific research documents, whether they are pub-
lished or not. The documents may come from
teaching and research institutions in France or
abroad, or from public or private research centers.

L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est
destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents
scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non,
émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de
recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires
publics ou privés.

<figure><img src="image_2.png" /></figure>

Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
<figure><img src="image_3.png" /></figure>

Editorial

# Groundwater Depletion: Current Trends and Future Challenges to Mitigate the Phenomenon

Nerantzis Kazakis <fnref n="1" />,* D, Micol Mastrocicco <fnref n="2" /> D and Konstantinos Chalikakis <fnref n="3" /> D

Groundwater constitutes the primary source of drinking water for more than two billion people across the globe. Additionally, groundwater contributes to food and energy security, as well as human health and ecosystem preservation. However, groundwater depletion is a common phenomenon worldwide. This phenomenon appears when extraction surpasses the recharge of the aquifer, and it is triggered by the socioeconomic framework and controlled by the aquifer regime. Groundwater depletion can lead to seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers, a reduction in river base flow, upconing of deep geothermal water, and increased pumping costs. Groundwater depletion has been reported on both a global and regional scale. This Special Issue, entitled "Groundwater Depletion: Current Trends and Future Challenges to Mitigate the Phenomenon", attempts to highlight the efficiency and adequacy of global and regional strategies to mitigate the phenomenon and to promote the transition from regional to aquifer scale. Additionally, it is critically important to appraise the role of climate variability, management practices, and the monitoring of groundwater reserves. The Special Issue also provides the state-of-the-art of tools and methods to map, model, and forecast the phenomenon.

Particularly, this Special Issue includes 11 articles, providing all aspects of the ground-water depletion phenomenon in several different countries incorporating aquifers with different hydrogeological conditions. In an article by Papadopoulos et al. (Contribution 1), the fuzzy logic approach was used to develop a multi-criteria model for the selection of groundwater recharge sites. The model was developed for the aquifer system in the agricultural plain of the Prefecture of Xanthi in northeast Greece. In the unconfined aquifers of the Campania region in southern Italy, a simulation model was obtained in order to determine the dynamic and the impact of boundary conditions on groundwater budget. The non-uniform extinction depth is highlighted as the most influential in aquifer dynamics, while both sea level and rivers scarcely affect groundwater budgets (Contribution 2). Contribution 3 estimated the groundwater storage changes/anomalies (GWCs) in the Indus River Basin, using data from GRACE and the WaterGAP Hydrological Model. Ground-water storage is mainly triggered in the study area by climatic variations and increased pumping for irrigation.

Contribution 4 suggested the use of a closed-surface coal mine as lake to store water and use it for energy production, irrigation, and as a recreation park. Tzampoglou and Loupasakis (Contribution 5) used satellite and in situ data to provide evidence of the overexploitation of the aquifer in the Amyntaio basin, both by dewatering wells of an open-pit coal mine and irrigation wells. Contribution 6 introduced a comprehensive methodology for water resource management, including "framing", "mapping", "involvement", "co-production", and "sharing" phases. Contribution 7 suggested a nature-based solution for the restoration of groundwater level decline in the Gansu Province of China. Contribution 8

<figure><img src="image_4.png" /></figure>

check for
updates

**Citation:** Kazakis, N.; Mastrocicco, M.; Chalikakis, K. Groundwater Depletion: Current Trends and Future Challenges to Mitigate the Phenomenon. *Water* **2024**, *16*, 2385. https://doi.org/10.3390/w16172385

Received: 18 August 2024

Accepted: 22 August 2024

Published: 25 August 2024

<figure><img src="image_5.png" /></figure>

**Copyright:** © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

<footnote n="1">¹ Laboratory of Hydrogeology, Department of Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Patras, 26504 Rion, Greece</footnote>

<footnote n="2">² Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy; micol.mastrocicco@unicampania.it</footnote>

<footnote n="3">³ UMR 1114 EMMAH (AU-INRAE), Avignon Université, 84029 Avignon, France; konstantinos.chalikakis@univ-avignon.fr</footnote>

<footnote>* Correspondence: nkazakis@upatras.gr</footnote>
provided the results of the APLIS model for the estimation of groundwater recharge in Karst aquifers in southern Greece. The occurrence of microplastics was identified in the groundwater of SE Attica, Greece (Contribution 9). Contribution 10 highlighted the complementarity of long-term piezometric data combined with hydrogeophysics and fracture analysis to understand complex aquifer structure and groundwater dynamics. Groundwater flow dynamics were estimated using a numerical model (FEFLOW) in the Moghra desert of Egypt (Contribution 11).

We wish to extend our gratitude to the authors who contributed to this Special Issue, to the reviewers for their invaluable support, and to the organizers and staff of MDPI for their dedication in bringing this issue to completion and publication.

We believe that this work will stimulate researchers to quantify groundwater depletion at several sites worldwide and suggest strategies to mitigate the phenomenon at the aquifer scale.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.

**List of Contributions**

1. Papadopoulos, C.; Spiliotis, M.; Pliakas, F.; Gkiougkis, I.; Kazakis, N.; Papadopoulos, B. Hybrid Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Analysis for Selecting Discrete Preferable Groundwater Recharge Sites. *Water* **2022**, *14*, 107. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14010107.

2. Gaiolini, M.; Colombani, N.; Busico, G.; Rama, F.; Mastrocicco, M. Impact of Boundary Conditions Dynamics on Groundwater Budget in the Campania Region (Italy). *Water* **2022**, *14*, 2462. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14162462.

3. Mehmood, K.; Tischbein, B.; Flörke, M.; Usman, M. Spatiotemporal Analysis of Groundwater Storage Changes, Controlling Factors, and Management Options over the Transboundary Indus Basin. *Water* **2022**, *14*, 3254. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14203254.

4. Louloudis, G.; Roumpos, C.; Louloudis, E.; Mertiri, E.; Kasfikis, G. Repurposing of a Closed Surface Coal Mine with Respect to Pit Lake Development. *Water* **2022**, *14*, 3558. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213558.

5. Tzampoglou, P.; Loupasakis, C. Hydrogeological Hazards in Open Pit Coal Mines–Investigating Triggering Mechanisms by Validating the European Ground Motion Service Product with Ground Truth Data. *Water* **2023**, *15*, 1474. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15081474.

6. Malamataris, D.; Chatzi, A.; Babakos, K.; Pisinaras, V.; Hatzigiannakis, E.; Willaarts, B.A.; Bea, M.; Pagano, A.; Panagopoulos, A. A Participatory Approach to Exploring Nexus Challenges: A Case Study on the Pinios River Basin, Greece. *Water* **2023**, *15*, 3949. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15223949.

7. Liu, M.; Nie, Z.; Cao, L.; Wang, L.; Lu, H. Nature-Based Solutions for the Restoration of Groundwater Level and Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems in a Typical Inland Region in China. *Water* **2024**, *16*, 33. https://doi.org/10.3390/w16010033.

8. Nanou, E.-A.; Perdikaris, K.; Tserolas, P.; Zagana, E. Recharge Assessment in Greek Karst Systems: Methodological Considerations and Implications. *Water* **2024**, *16*, 568. https://doi.org/10.3390/w16040568.

9. Perraki, M.; Skliros, V.; Mecaj, P.; Vasileiou, E.; Salmas, C.; Papanikolaou, I.; Stamatis, G. Identification of Microplastics Using µ-Raman Spectroscopy in Surface and Groundwater Bodies of SE Attica, Greece. *Water* **2024**, *16*, 843. https://doi.org/10.3390/w16060843.

10. Bertrand, M.; Bertrand, C.; Mazzilli, N.; Gigleux, S.; Denimal, S.; Valois, R.; Girod, L.-M.; Cinkus, G.; Busquet, V.; Chalikakis, K. Advancing the Understanding of Complex Piezometric Information: A Methodological Approach Integrating Long-Term Piezometry, Surface Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, and Fracture Analysis Using Insights from the “Calcaires du Barrois” Series, France. *Water* **2024**, *16*, 1700. https://doi.org/10.3390/w16121700.

11. Shalby, A.; Zeidan, B.A.; Pietrucha-Urbanik, K.; Negm, A.M.; Armanuos, A.M. Modelling Approach for Assessment of Groundwater Potential of the Moghra Aquifer, Egypt, for Extensive Rural Development. *Water* **2024**, *16*, 1562. https://doi.org/10.3390/w16111562.

**Disclaimer/Publisher's Note:** The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.