Rajab Jafar Abu, Yogeshwar Pritam, Tezkan Bülent, Al-Halbouni Djamil
Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Prince El-Hassan Bin Talal Faculty for Natural Resources and Environment, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, 13133, Jordan.
Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Pohligstraße 3, 50969, Cologne, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 18;15(1):30250. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-15189-0.
The Dead Sea (DS) area faces critical environmental challenges, including saltwater intrusion (SWI), widespread sinkhole formation, and topographic changes, largely driven by declining DS water levels. These hazards adversely affect the region's stability, hydrosystems, and agricultural facilities. In particular, the Ghor Al-Haditha (GAH) region in southern DS has been severely affected by these challenges. This study focuses on imaging saltwater intrusion pathways and their relationship with structural and hydrological features in the GAH region using the transient electromagnetic (TEM) method. A total of 195 TEM soundings of single-turn loop were conducted, spatially covering an area of 4 × 3 km² with a focus along three key stream channel profiles. The data are interpreted using 1D Occam and Marquardt-Levenberg inversion methods. Results are presented as spatial resistivity models at various depths, complemented by interpreted cross-sections for detailed analysis. The derived subsurface resistivity models reveal a saltwater interface with resistivity values less than 1.0 Ωm, detected at 100 m depth and following subsurface stream channels in the area. The main SWI extends 1.75 km inland in the shallow aquifer, most clearly along a well-defined channel in the central part of the study area and serving as a proxy for illustrating the significance of known and hidden hydrogeological pathways in this region, where higher intrusion rates are observed. Additionally, minor anomalies near fault and concealed fault zones may suggest localized upwelling linked to deeper saltwater migration. At the scale of the geophysical survey, the SWI predominantly encompasses the sinkhole belt, while spatially, it appears to be constrained by two bounding stream systems to the north and south. The mid-region resistivity model highlights a stratified subsurface structure comprising freshwater, brackish, and brine zones, emphasizing the model's value in understanding aquifer vulnerability and guiding water management strategies in the GAH area.
死海地区面临着严峻的环境挑战，包括海水入侵、广泛的地陷形成和地形变化，这些主要是由死海水位下降所驱动的。这些危害对该地区的稳定性、水文系统和农业设施产生了不利影响。特别是死海南部的戈尔哈迪萨（GAH）地区受到了这些挑战的严重影响。本研究聚焦于利用瞬变电磁（TEM）方法对GAH地区的海水入侵路径及其与构造和水文特征的关系进行成像。共进行了195次单匝回线瞬变电磁测深，空间覆盖面积为4×3平方千米，重点沿着三条关键的河道剖面。数据采用一维奥卡姆和马夸特-列文伯格反演方法进行解释。结果以不同深度的空间电阻率模型呈现，并辅以解释性的剖面图进行详细分析。推导得出的地下电阻率模型显示，在100米深度处检测到一个电阻率值小于1.0Ωm的海水界面，该界面沿着该地区的地下河道延伸。主要的海水入侵在浅层含水层内向内陆延伸1.75千米，最明显的是沿着研究区域中部一条明确的河道，这有助于说明该地区已知和隐藏的水文地质路径的重要性，该区域观测到了较高的入侵速率。此外，断层和隐蔽断层带附近的微小异常可能表明与深层海水迁移相关的局部上升流。在地球物理勘测尺度上，海水入侵主要涵盖地陷带，而在空间上，它似乎受到北部和南部两条边界河流系统的限制。中部地区的电阻率模型突出了一个由淡水、微咸水和盐水带组成的分层地下结构，强调了该模型在理解含水层脆弱性和指导GAH地区水资源管理策略方面的价值。
