Impact of evaporation on groundwater salinity in the arid coastal aquifer, Western Saudi Arabia

[Display omitted] •Groundwater chemistry is predominantly regulated by the evaporation process.•RIE, mineral dissolution and wastewater infiltration also governed water chemistry.•High NO3− in this aquifer resulted from the agriculture and residential activities.•Non-saline sources are differentiated from saline sources by major and minor ions. Understanding groundwater salinization and pollution in the arid coastal aquifer is crucial due to complex geochemical processes and sources. This study intends to evaluate the impact of evaporation on groundwater salinity in the arid coastal aquifer, Al Lusub basin, Saudi Arabia using geochemical and multivariate statistical tools. Groundwater samples were collected (n = 52) and analysed for major and minor ions. Groundwater is brackish and shallow wells have higher salinity compared to deeper ones. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) classified the wells into three groups (CG1, CG2, CG3). In these cluster groups, salinity is in the order of CG1(1448 mg/l)