Multivariate Statistical Analyses of Groundwater Hydrochemical Data of Tirnavos Sub-basin (Central Greece)

Abstract

Abstract. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) were applied in the groundwater hydrochemical parameters dataset of the Tirnavos alluvial sub basin-central Greece. PCA results suggest occurrence of four principal components both for dry and wet periods. Results of HCA application enabled to divide groundwater samples into two major groups with a large disparity in the number of samples for both periods. Implementation of these methods and spatial distribution of their corresponding results assist revealing key hydrodynamic evolution patterns and hydrochemical dependencies to anthropogenic and geogenic factors.

A Participatory Approach to Exploring Nexus Challenges: A Case Study on the Pinios River Basin, Greece

“…The concentration of nitrates in the regional aquifers is expected to increase in the future, mainly due to the decrease in groundwater recharge and increase in water abstraction for several uses [73]. In the past decade, signs of reductions in documented groundwater heads, leading to declining trends and small-scale reversal trends, have been noticed as a result of the rationalisation of the practiced irrigation, the reduction in irrigated land, and the shift to less water-demanding crops [74]. The persistent groundwater deficit underscores the urgent need to develop collective irrigation networks to reduce the excessive reliance on private wells and promote sustainable groundwater resource management [75].…”