MODFLOW Model

There is strong evidence that groundwater in West Africa is largely underdeveloped. It is important that before development occurs rigorous studies are completed to demonstrate a sustainable withdrawal scheme. In addition to the two web hosted applications, GGST and GWDM, that have been developed as part of our project, we have also developed a groundwater model for the Goulbi Maradi aquifer, located within the Iullimeden Basin in Southern Niger. This model can be used by stakeholders to determine and maintain sustainable groundwater withdrawal plans in this region.

Model Details

The groundwater model is a two-layers, transient MODFLOW model developed using the GMS software. Since data in the region is scarce, we used innovative methods to develop the flow budget and conceptual model. The recharge was estimated using the Water Table Fluctuation method on seasonal groundwater storage variations derived from water storage change estimated provided by the NASA GRACE mission. Pumping rates at wells were unknown, but were back-calculated via an iterative process that balanced recharge and pumping again GRACE-derived groundwater storage changes in the region. We calulated to observed water levels from 2002 - 2009.

Using the Model as a Predictive Tool

To asssist groundwater scientists and stakeholders in the region to use the model as a predictive tools, we have prepared and provided the following resources on this website:

Model Files - A complete set of model files can be downloaded on the Model Files page.

Predictive Simulations - A detailed set of step-by-step instructions on how to modify the model inputs, run the model, and view the results can be found on the Predictive Simulations page.