The experience of southern Apulia (Italy) coastal karst aquifer: Indications for the management

Prediction of the salt water intrusion in coastal karst aquifers is a key issue in several regions of the world. Southern Apulia (Italy) hosts a huge aquifer of karstified lime-stones, that provides 90% of the water demand of this sub-region. The exploitation of the aquifer currently exceeds its natural recharge capacity. The groundwater in wide coastal areas of the sub-region underwent an increase of the salt content. Salinization of the groundwater in such an aquifer cannot be predicted by means of conventional models. An effective model for a quantitative prediction of the fluid flow and transport of solute in the aquifer, aimed at a better understanding of the phenomenon, is therefore needed. This model should account for the discrete nature of the aquifer. In this paper, several situations are reported in order to describe the importance of the inhomogeneities (fracture systems, fault zones, karst conduit, preferential flow levels) in the salinization process of the southern Apulia karst aquifer

Sinkhole hazard assessment in Lesina Marina area (Apulia, Italy).

In “Lesina Marina” area, located in the north-western part of the Apulia region (Italy), near the Adriatic coast, sinkhole phenomena are particularly widespread and constitute a risk for the built-up area. These phenomena are due to the structure of the evaporitic rocks located in the study area and to the groundwater regime, influenced by the presence of a channel that connects the sea to the lagoon. The complex sea-channel-lagoon system produces an inland flow towards the channel modulated by the tide with a variable width according to the rules of the coastal aquifer

Analysis of Fracture Mechanics Tests on Opalinus Clay

Many studies have recently been conducted to evaluate various mechanical characteristics of the Opalinus Clay (OPA) formation in view of its potential use as the hosting rock for the Swiss nuclear waste repositories. Its sedimentary bedding makes OPA a transversely isotropic rock and its directional mechanical properties need to be measured. This paper reports on an experimental and computational approach that was adopted to define the parallel-to-bedding fracture mechanics (FM) parameters of OPA in Mode-I. OPA cores from Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory (URL) were submitted to laboratory tests on notched semi-circular specimens under three-point bending (SCB). In these tests, crack propagation is forced along the notch direction. However, the 45° bedding inclination of the specimen axis frequently deviated the crack from the expected direction. An analysis of the SCB tests was performed by means of non-linear FM techniques and the pertinent Mode-I parameters along the bedding were estimate

Comportamento vegetativo e produtivo da videira e composição da uva em São Joaquim, Santa Catarina

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o comportamento vegetativo e produtivo das variedades de videira Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot e Sauvignon Blanc, e a composição da uva em São Joaquim, Santa Catarina. Foram avaliadas plantas de um vinhedo comercial, cultivado em espaldeira, a 1.293 m de altitude, durante os ciclos fenológicos 2005/2006 e 2006/2007. As variáveis meteorológicas, a fenologia, o desenvolvimento do dossel e a composição da uva na colheita foram comparados entre os ciclos. As temperaturas mais amenas influenciaram o ciclo fenológico das variedades Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot e Sauvignon Blanc, que é mais longo e tardio que nas outras regiões vitícolas do Brasil. Houve influência significativa da precipitação pluvial sobre a maturação da uva, no ciclo 2006/2007. Os índices de desenvolvimento indicam a necessidade de ajuste no manejo do dossel para um maior equilíbrio entre o crescimento vegetativo e a produção. As variedades Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot e Sauvignon Blanc apresentam elevada qualidade da uva no momento da colheita, sendo adequadas ao cultivo em São Joaquim, SC

GROUNDWATER PROTECTION IN KARST ENVIRONMENT

Protection of karstic groundwater quality can be successful only if it is based on reliable reconstructions of conceptual models of the karstic aquifers, which are normally of high complexity: this requires the integration of classical hydrogeological information with that obtainable by using natural tracers, according to multi-tracing methods. The definition of the conceptual model includes elements as the identification of recharge areas, their connection with discharge areas, the sequence of physical – chemical processes acting into the aquifer and the transport mechanisms. With reference to the identification of recharge areas, two casestudies are illustrated. The first deals with a continental karstic aquifer (Monti Simbruini, Central Italy) discharging through springs used for drinking purposes: it has been studied by using the stable deuterium and oxygen-18 isotopes according to the “mass-center” method coupled with the “inverse hydrogeological budget” method. The second regards a platform karstic aquifer (Murgia, Southern Italy), discharging through coastal brackish springs, which is exploited by wells for both drinking and agricultural purposes: for recognizing some elements of the conceptual model a multi-tracing approach has been adopted, which uses the crossverification of information coming from the interpretation of isotopic, chemical and physical tracers. Moreover, with the aim of outlining the factors that control the pollutant transport in karstic aquifers, two case-studies related to Murgia aquifer illustrate a first method for defining the hazard due to direct injection of effluents from treatment plants and a second approach for defining, through monitoring data, the transport mechanisms of pollutant released at land surface

Little Ice Age in the Taranto Area (Apulia, Southern Italy) [La piccola età glaciale nell'area di Taranto (Puglia, Italia)]

Nell’area di Taranto depositi marini terrazzati coprono i sedimenti fini di colmamento della Fossa Bradanica confinando l’acquifero carsico della Piattaforma carbonatica Apula. In tale contesto, le variazioni del livello del mare ed i suoi stazionamenti interagendo con i meccanismi idrogeologici, hanno contribuito a determinare dinamiche geomorfologiche ed idrogeologiche. Più in particolare, mentre gli studi geologici consentono una buona ricostruzione di tali processi nel lungo periodo, indagini storiche permettono un significativo riconoscimento di eventi determinati dalla Piccola Età Glaciale dello scorso millennio nell’area di interesse