Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of variations in groundwater table height on foundation settlement behaviour in arid-zone soils, where evaporation, restricted recharge and anthropogenic groundwater extraction are the dominant hydrologic conditions.
Design/Methodology/Approach: This research integrates field monitoring, laboratory testing, and numerical modelling to quantify settlement behaviour in response to changing groundwater levels. At an actual site, seasonal groundwater table depths between 1.2 m and 2.8 m BGL have been measured and implemented in hydro-mechanical simulations with PLAXIS 2D for the three common arid-region soil types (fine-grained, expansive soils and silty sands).
Research Limitation: The research focuses only on general desert soil types and the level of groundwater fluctuation present at the chosen site. Long-term climatic variations and extreme pumping scenarios seeded into the models, as well as three-dimensional groundwater flow effects, were not considered explicitly and potentially alter settlement behaviour under different field conditions.
Findings: The results show that groundwater depletion decreases effective stress and increases consolidation settlements, whereas fine-grained and expansive soils exhibit settlement up to ~38 mm for a groundwater drawdown of 2–3 m, and silty sands respond rapidly with lower settlement magnitudes. At footing edges, maximum differential footing settlement was near the footing edges and increased with depth due to the localised pumping hydraulic gradient. Deep foundations produced the highest reduction in differential settlement among all mitigation measures (up to 65%); lime–cement stabilisation was the next best alternative (reduction of 42%); and groundwater control systems provided only moderate improvement at relatively lower incremental costs.
Practical Implication: The results have immediate implications for foundation design in arid regions, highlighting the leading role of groundwater oscillations in settlement behaviour.
Social Implication: Better detection and tracking of groundwater-induced settlements can avoid damage to buildings and infrastructure in arid areas, increasing public safety, decreasing maintenance costs, and supporting reliable groundwater management practices.
Originality / Value: The combination of field data with hydro-mechanical numerical modelling offers a unifying approach for improving the outcome of large foundation designs and a useful input to researchers and practitioners alike.
The behaviour of expansive clay soils is highly influenced by climatic variations that govern the hydric exchanges between the atmosphere and the ground surface. These fluctuations cause changes in soil suction, leading to significant volumetric variations in expansive soils and resulting in differential settlements of lightweight structures, which can induce structural damage. Despite the critical role of these hydroclimatic processes, few models are able to describe the evolution of soil suction under realistic boundary conditions. In this study, a two-dimensional diffusion model is proposed to simulate the temporal and spatial evolution of suction beneath a structure, considered as impermeable, under the influence of climatic fluctuations and over selected time steps. The model is based on the numerical solution of the diffusion equation in unsaturated porous medium, formulated in terms of suction. The boundary conditions incorporate a surface water balance accounting for infiltration and evaporation, using meteorological data from the Météo-France SIM2 model. Hydraulic soil parameters, such as unsaturated permeability and water retention curve expressing suction as a function of water content, are defined from empirical relationships reported in the literature. The model is applied to a clay soil whose parameters are derived from the Chaingy experimental site (France) using daily climatic data for the year 2025. The simulations highlight a strong seasonal variability of suction concentrated within the upper soil layers, while the presence of an impermeable surface zone representing the structure significantly attenuates suction fluctuations beneath the foundation and induces marked horizontal gradients during dry periods.
Mathilde Lefebvre, M. Morvan, A. Chateauneuf et al.· E3S Web of Conferences· 0 citations
Groundwater resources in the Guir Basin of Morocco are increasingly affected by climatic variability, particularly irregular precipitation and prolonged drought events. This study explores the relationship between these hydroclimatic factors and groundwater storage changes by integrating GRACE satellite observations with the Innovative Trend Analysis (ITA) technique. Compared with conventional statistical approaches, the ITA method provides improved capability for identifying temporal variations in groundwater behavior. The obtained results reveal a pronounced decline in groundwater reserves throughout the aquifer system. Approximately 40% of the investigated sites experienced noticeable reductions, while nearly 60% exhibited stronger negative tendencies, with annual depletion rates reaching up to −0.244 cm. These changes are mainly associated with intensive groundwater withdrawal and unsustainable irrigation practices, which contribute to rising salinity levels and degradation of surrounding ecosystems. Although satellite observations cannot fully capture local geological heterogeneity, they remain an effective source of large-scale hydrological information for monitoring aquifer conditions and supporting water-resource planning. The findings of this study highlight the importance of adopting sustainable groundwater management strategies to improve water security in vulnerable semi-arid environments such as the Guir Basin.
Hanane Marzouki, N. Nouayti, A. Nouayti et al.· E3S Web of Conferences· 0 citations
The overexploitation of groundwater resources is a significant concern due to the potential risks associated with a decline in freshwater availability. Future planning and policymaking should consider long-term groundwater availability and urban expansion patterns to understand urban growth. This study aims to investigate the impact of land cover change on groundwater depletion. Further, the land surface temperature (LST) and vegetation change using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index NDVI analysis have been performed to find the spatial spread of urbanization and its impact on surface temperature in the area. For groundwater assessment, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data have been used, while for land cover, NDVI, and LST assessment, Landsat data have been used. The GRACE-based groundwater storage (GWS) anomaly has been correlated with Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) data. An annual groundwater storage decline of ~7.01 mm/year was identified. Groundwater and land-cover changes were evaluated at five-year intervals from 1990 to 2025. The urban expansion from 838 to 1470 km2 coverage shows the rapid expansion and its impact on vegetation and groundwater recharge in the area. The results demonstrate a rapid increase in the urban area, which affected the vegetation and increased the surface temperature in the area. Urban expansion reduced vegetation cover and infiltration, contributing to elevated land surface temperature and groundwater depletion. This study focused on integrating the groundwater impacts due to other environmental variables, i.e., temperature increase and vegetation decrease. The temporal increase in urban expansion decreases the infiltration rate, which impacts the groundwater storage and depletion, as shown by the linear trend. These findings underscore the urgent need for effective groundwater management and vegetation management policies and integrated urban planning strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of freshwater resources.
Muhammad Zeeshan Ali, M. Benaafi, Mahfuzur Rahman et al.· Earth· 0 citations
Sustainable management of hydrogeological systems that supply water and exhibit high hydrologic complexity can be studied through pragmatic numerical modeling supported by field-constrained conceptualization. This study develops a local-scale three-dimensional groundwater flow numerical model using FEFLOW for the Barranca Lebrija settlement in Aguachica town, where the Lebrija River, the Musanda floodplain lake, and groundwater system converge. The numerical model incorporates: (i) the three-dimensional distribution of geological units and lithology; (ii) water level observations from the Musanda floodplain lake; (iii) stage records from the Lebrija River; (iv) boundary conditions and flux estimates inherited from a previous regional groundwater model; and (v) hydraulic heads from two monitoring wells and five community wells. Steady-state and transient conditions were calibrated, and a sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the parameters that most strongly control surface water–groundwater exchange. The simulations reproduce seasonal groundwater level trends and demonstrate the exchange pathways among the river, floodplain lake, and groundwater system. Results indicate dual behavior: during wet periods, flooding of the Musanda floodplain lake driven by high river levels seeps into the underlying aquifer, whereas in dry periods the floodplain lake reverses its role and becomes a principal discharge boundary. This local-scale, boundary-driven approach provides a computationally tractable framework to quantify SW–GW exchange in data-scarce tropical floodplains and supports monitoring design and water-supply management.
J. Pescador, Luis Silva, Boris Lora-Ariza et al.· Hydrology· 0 citations
