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Title
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Introducing the risk aggregation problem to aquifers exposed to impacts of anthropogenic and geogenic origins on a modular basis using ‘risk cells’
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Type
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JournalPaper
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Keywords
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Aquifer risk indexing, Frameworks: OSPRC, DRASTIC, Risk indexing
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Abstract
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Proof-of-concept is presented in this paper to a methodology formulated for indexing risks to groundwater aquifers exposed to impacts of diffuse contaminations from anthropogenic and geogenic origins. The methodology is for mapping/indexing, which refers to relative values but not their absolute values. The innovations include: (i) making use of the Origins-Source-Pathways-Receptors-Consequences (OSPRC) framework; and (ii) dividing a study area into modular Risk (OSPRC) Cells to capture their idiosyncrasies with different origins. Field measurements are often sparse and comprise pollutants and water table, which are often costly; whereas supplementary data are general-purpose data, which are widely available. Risk mapping for each OSPRC cell is processed by dividing a study area into pixels and for each pixel, the risk from both anthropogenic and geogenic origins are indexed by using algorithms related to: (i) Vulnerability Indices (VI), which identify the potential for risk exposures at each pixel; and (ii) velocity gradient, which expresses the potency to risk exposures across the risk cell. The paper uses DRASTIC for anthropogenic VI but introduces a new framework for geogenic VI. The methodology has a generic architecture and is flexible to modularise risks involving any idiosyncrasies in a generic way in any site exposed to environmental pollution risks. Its application to a real study area provides evidence for the proof-of-concept for the methodology by a set of results that are fit-for-purpose and provides an insight into the study area together with the identification of its hotspots.
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Researchers
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Rahman Khatibi (Fourth Researcher), Elham Akbari (Fifth Researcher), Maryam Gharekhani (Third Researcher), Ata allah Nadiri (First Researcher), Sina Sadeghfam (Second Researcher)
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