Water resource management in a growing world has arisen as one of the major pillars of future development, economic stability, and environmental sustainability. Within this framework, groundwater plays a key role in providing the necessary water for urban, industrial, and, most importantly, agricultural uses. One of the tools used for managing water resources and planning future developments is groundwater models; the use of this resource has expanded since the 1990s. In Greece, the application of groundwater models has spanned for almost three decades, with a variety of applications developed for many of the geologically complex areas around the country. The present study aims to fill a gap in present scholarship by presenting an exhaustive review of case studies identified in the literature by collecting and reviewing the available research that involves the development of groundwater models, highlighting their primary foci, the numerical tools used, and their expected implications for future developments. This review shows that most applications focus on seawater intrusion processes in coastal areas, where agricultural activities have added significant stress on local groundwater resources. Additionally, many studies also involve pumping optimization methodologies, aiming for the sustainable management of coastal aquifers. Groundwater models can provide answers to these questions and assist in the sustainable management of water resources.
Christos Pouliaris (Wed,) studied this question.