A System Dynamics Model of Natural Groundwater Flow in Malta

摘要

Groundwater is a valuable resource in a country such as Malta, with its typically dry southern Mediterranean climate. Devoid of mountains and rivers, Malta's potable water is derived mainly from underground sources and seawater desalination. The high expense of desalination makes groundwater management for optimal exploitation a matter of national importance. To assist in this process, we propose here a systems dynamics approach to the calculation of aquifer level and irrigation demand. We report on a model constructed using Powersim Constructor~(~R), which calculates potential and actual crop-specific evapotranspiration rates according to the Penman-Monteith equation. The difference between these rates generates irrigation demand, which also decreases the amount of groundwater available. Preliminary results have generated irrigation demand and aquifer levels in fundamental agreement with expected values. The model can therefore be used to assist and support water resource management.