Integrating geospatial, hydrogeological, and geophysical data to identify groundwater recharge potential zones in the Sulaymaniyah basin, NE of Iraq

Groundwater is a critical resource for sustaining human activities, particularly in urban areas, where its importance is exaggerated by growing water demands, urban expansion, and industrial activities. Ensuring future water security necessitates an in-depth understanding of groundwater recharge dynamics, which are often complex and influenced by rapid urbanization. The alarming decline in groundwater resources in both urban and rural regions underscore the urgency for advanced groundwater management strategies. However, identifying and evaluating groundwater recharge potential zones (GWPZs) remains a challenge due to the dynamic interplay of hydrogeological and urban development factors. This study employs an integrated approach combining geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing, and multi-criteria decision analysis using the analytical hierarchy process (MCDA-AHP) to delineate GWPZs in the Sulaymaniyah Basin (SB). The methodology is further supported by hydrogeological data and validated through geophysical investigation using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data. For the MCDA-AHP, six thematic layers including rainfall, geology, lineament density, slope, drainage density, and land use/land cover were derived from satellite imagery, geological surveys, and well data. These layers were ranked based on their relative influence on groundwater recharge and integrated using GIS-based weighted overlay analysis to generate groundwater potential maps. The results identified three potential zones for groundwater recharge: low (11.26%), moderate (45.51%), and high (43.23%). Validation using ERT data and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis revealed strong agreement, with an area under the curve (AUC) accuracy of 86%. These findings demonstrate the robustness of the integrated approach, providing a reliable tool for minimizing hydrogeophysical exploration costs and reducing the number of unsuccessful boreholes.