Il clima e la disponibilità di acque sotterranee in Puglia: effetti recenti e novità in tema di ricarica controllata

Le acque sotterranee pugliesi costituiscono la risorsa idrica preminente per lo sviluppo socio-economico regionale in virtù della scarsa presenza di risorse superficiali, disponibili solo nel Tavoliere. La penuria idrica, sin da epoca storica, ha fortemente condizionato la vita umana, ad esempio favorendo l'ubicazione di villaggi, oggi prosperose città, soprattutto lontano dalla costa, in luoghi in cui le di acque sotterranee risultavano facilmente estraibili. Nel corso del tempo, soprattutto a causa delle modificazioni climatiche, osservate in particolare dal 1980 in poi in tutta l'Italia meridionale (Cotecchia et al. 2004), si è registrato un importante calo della ricarica che, posto in relazione al crescente utilizzo delle risorse, ha determinato condizioni di sovrasfruttamento (2011)

Groundwater resources at salinisation risk: effects of climate and utilisation changes in the case of Apulian coastal aquifers (Southeastern Italy)

Seawater intrusion is the main cause of groundwater salinisation in Italy. The largest coastal aquifers, highly vulnerable to salinisation, are in Apulia. For these aquifers, main changes in terms of climate change and utilisation are discussed together with piezometric trends, as the latter are relevant triggering factors for upconing and lateral seawater intrusion. For this purpose, time series from 1921 to 2016 concerning climate (rainfall and temperature), from 1965 to 2016 concerning groundwater availability (piezometric values), and recent periodic data on potable utilisation are discussed. Climate and groundwater availability trends at 2016 are compared with trends previously assessed, using the same dataset (1921-2001 for rainfall and temperature). The negative characteristic of rainfall 1921-2001 trend improved in the next years up to disappear in the assessment of rainfall 1921-2016 trend. Notwithstanding the improving of rainfall trend and the reduction of groundwater utilisation, both observed at 2016, the improvement of piezometric trends at 2016 is not enough to remove a prevailing decreasing trend, previously observed. The increases of temperature and effective evapotranspiration should be considered a relevant explanation of groundwater availability reduction. The consequence of these results should be quickly considered in the management of groundwater resources

A hydrogeological study to support the optimized management of the main sea level aquifer of the island of Malta

Management groundwater resources, coastal aquifer, seawater intrusion, safe-yield, Malta

Do hydrodynamic changes affect abundances of the striped Venus clam? A preliminary analysis in the Southern Adriatic Sea.

The striped venus clam (Chamelea gallina Linnaeus, 1758) is one of the most important commercially valuable bivalves distributed in the Italian sandy soft bottoms of the Adriatic Sea (Central Mediterranean Sea). The impacts of hydraulic dredge used in the harvesting of this bivalve have been widely investigated in this area, while poor data are available on the relationships between juveniles’ recruitment and water circulation. This preliminary study explores the dynamics of C. gallina populations in the Northern Gargano Area during the period 2018-2019, in which a strong decrease in abundance of juveniles and adults was detected. The analysis on abundance data (N/100 m2) and the distribution along the depth gradient were integrated with outputs on water currents (speed m/s, and direction) obtained from the 3D hydrodynamic numerical model MIKE 3 FM HD. A significant decrease in abundance was observed from 2018 to 2019, while a slight regression of the depth range for the juveniles distribution was observed in 2019. Relevant changes in the water circulation were observed between the two years, with a higher current speed and larger cyclonic gyres in 2018 than in 2019. These preliminary results suggest the occurrence of sudden hydrodynamic changes in the investigated area, which can affect the dispersal of larvae towards unsuitable muddy bottoms for the larval settlement. Further analysis should be carried out with an integration of other oceanographic variables and an improvement in the modelling of the temporal scale resolution