Evaluation of Regional Characteristics Using Time-series Data of Groundwater Level in Jeju Island

Abstract

Fluctuation patterns of groundwater level as a factor that reflects the characteristics of groundwater system can be categorized as the various types of aquifer with the time-series data. Time-series data on groundwater level obtained from 115 monitoring wells in Jeju Island were classified according to variation types, which were largely affected by rainfall(Dr), rainfall and pumping(Drp), and unknown cause(De). Analysis results indicate that 106 wells belong to Dr and Drp and the ratio of the wells with the wide range of fluctuation in the western and northern regions was higher than that in the eastern and southern regions. From the results that Drp is relatively higher than Dr in the western region which has the largest agricultural areas, groundwater level fluctuations may be affected significantly due to the intensive agricultural use. Non-parametric trend analysis results for 115 monitoring wells show that the increasing and decreasing trends as the ratio of groundwater levels were 14.8% and 22.6%, respectively, and groundwater levels revealed to be increased in the western, southern and northern regions excluding eastern region. Results of correlation analysis that cross-correlation coefficients and the time lags in the eastern and western regions are relatively high and short, respectively, indicate that the rainfall recharge effect in these regions is relatively larger due to the gentle slope of topography compared to that in the southern and northern regions.