干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Groundwater is acknowledged to be a reliable source for agricultural activities in arid and semi-arid regions. An assessment of the suitability of groundwater for agricultural usage was carried out on the Amol-Babol Plain, Iran, where agriculture is the dominant economic activity. Groundwater samples were collected from 154 wells during the wet and dry seasons in 2009. The sodium percentage, sodium adsorption ratio, residual sodium carbonate, magnesium hazard, and Kelly’s ratios were used as indicators for the water quality. Geostatistical technique of ordinary kriging method was used to create spatial distribution maps. The thematic maps of salinity hazard, sodium adsorption ratio, and sodium percentage indicated an increasing trend of concentration from the western and southern areas to the east and north-east of the plain. The maps also show that the groundwater quality decreases gradually from the west and south sides to the northeastern side. There is also no significant change in seasonal variation of water quality parameters.