The prediction of aquifer groundwater level based on spatial clustering approach using machine learning

Water resources management requires a proper understanding of the status of available and exploitable water. One of the useful management tools is the use of simulation models that are highly efficient in spite of the complex problems in the groundwater sector. In the present study, three data-based models, namely, group method of data handling (GMDH), Bayesian network (BN), and artificial neural network (ANN), have been investigated to simulate the groundwater levels and assess the quantitative status of aquifers. Five observation wells were selected in Birjand aquifer using spatial clustering to analyze and evaluate the aquifer. To determine the effective variables in predicting groundwater level, 10 scenarios were developed by combining several variables, including groundwater level in the previous month, aquifer exploitation, surface recharge, precipitation, temperature, and evaporation. Results showed that the GMDH model with three input variables, i.e., the groundwater level in the previous month, aquifer exploitation, and precipitation, had the highest prediction performance, RMSE, NASH, MAPE, and R 2 of which were obtained equal to 0.074, 0.97, 0.0037, and 0.97, respectively. Furthermore, Taylor’s diagram showed that the predicted values using the GMDH model had the highest correlation with the observational data. Hydrograph simulation was performed for 6 years to analyze the condition of the aquifer. The results showed that the groundwater level is in critical condition in this aquifer, and a 1.2-m groundwater loss was predicted for this aquifer. The findings of this study show that the management of the studied aquifer is necessary to improve its current situation.