Degradation risk owing to contamination and overdraft for Apulian groundwater resources (southern Italy

The remarkable and rapid socio-economic development over the past few decades has further stressed the Apulian hydrogeological system. The whole Apulian groundwater has undergone a twofold pollution, all originated by human action: saline pollution evolves progressively as it affects increasingly large portions of land; biological and chemico-physical pollution is gaining importance and is mainly concentrated around urbanised areas. The latter is due to the circumstance that the aquifers are increasingly bound to become a kind of ultimate "receptacle" for domestic and industrial waste waters. In order to characterise the features of human-related pollution, data was gathered by a monitoring network. It uses 157 wells, some of which hundred meters deep, and 19 coastal springs. Periodical water samples were taken from the network to be submitted to chemical, physical and bacteriological analyses. The effects of human activity on groundwater pollution and depletion are so characterised

Vulnerability Mapping of an Apulian Deep Carbonate Aquifer Using GIS

Computer techniques such as Geographic Information Systems are applied to the evaluation of the vulnerability of a deep carbonate aquifer. The study area, of about 150 km2, is located in the low Murgia Plateau (Apulia) and characterized by Mesozoic limestone and dolomite rocks of several thousand meters thickness. A wide and thick aquifer resides in these carbonate rocks. Its groundwater flows toward the sea mainly under pressure and with maximum piezometric level of about 200 m a.s.l.. Due to their high quality, the water resources of this aquifer are particularly valuable for the local communities and therefore must be protected from pollution and inappropriate use. The vulnerability map of the aquifer is an indispensable tool for the effective management of groundwater resources and to support environmental planning. Several approaches have been proposed by different authors to evaluate intrinsic vulnerability. Most of the methods for detailed vulnerability mapping are based on the integrated analysis of several variables using different algorithms. Geographic Information Systems are advanced computer tools for the analysis of georeferenced data in 2D and 3D and can be effectively applied to the implementation of evaluation models. In this study the SINTACS evaluation method was implemented in a GIS and a digital vulnerability map produced. The different data taken into consideration in this analysis, such as depth to water, actual infiltration, pollution attenuation capacity of unsaturated zone, land cover, hydrogeological features of saturated aquifer, hydraulic conductivity, terrain slope, geology and geological structures, were georeferenced and converted into digital form. Each variable corresponds to a separate data layer made of graphic and attribute data. The computerized multilayer analysis performed by the GIS is time effective and leads to more comprehensive and accurate results with better spatial resolution

Seawater intrusion vulnerability assessment by Galdit method in the Metaponto coastal aquifer (Basilicata, Italy)

The groundwater vulnerability assessment to seawater intrusion (SWI), applying the GIS-based overlay-index GALDIT method, is provided for the Metaponto coastal aquifer (Basilicata region, southern Italy). The method is based on six conditioning parameters: groundwater occurrence (G), aquifer hydraulic conductivity (A), groundwater level (L), distance from the shore (D), impact of the existing status of SWI (I), and aquifer thickness (T). Three vulnerability classes were detected: low, moderate, and high, covering 70.40%, 22.65%, and 6.95% of the study area, respectively. The highest class is located close to the coastal sector due to the proximity to the sea, the greater thickness of the aquifer, and the shallow freshwater-seawater interface. To evaluate the sensitivity of the method on the predictive analysis and the influence of the single parameter and weight on the final vulnerability, the sensitivity analysis was carried out. The single-parameter analysis indicated that the factors such as groundwater table above sea level (a.s.l.), aquifer type, and impact of SWI have the greatest influence on the vulnerability. The application leads to the vulnerability mapping to SWI in the coastal plain that results to be a promising tool for decisionmaking finalized to properly manage groundwater

The role of the hydrogeological and anthropogenic factors on the environmental equilibrium of the Ugento Wetland (Southern Italy)

Cesine Wetland, Salento, low-enthalpy geothermal power plant , heat transport numerical mode

L'uso dei traccianti nello studio delle acque sotterranee ed esperienze relative alla Puglia

Si descrivono alcune tecniche di studio basate sull’impiego di traccianti, con particolare riferimento alle esperienze maturate dalla comunità scientifica studiando le quattro unità idrogeologiche pugliesi, prevalentemente costituite da acquiferi rocciosi di natura carbonatica. La sintetica descrizione delle procedure utilizzate è integrata dall'analisi dei principali risultati conseguite in alcune esperienze. Le metodologie di studio basate sull'uso dei traccianti si sono dimostrate utili al fine di caratterizzare l’età delle acque sotterranee e la mobilità delle stesse, le modalità di circolazione idrica sotterranea e il moto degli inquinanti. In particolare, le misure relative al contenuto in radon delle acque di falda hanno evidenziato che negli acquiferi pugliesi a maggiori concentrazioni di radon nelle acque sotterranee corrisponde una maggiore mobilità delle stesse. I traccianti radioattivi utili per lo studio delle correnti verticali sono risultati lo iodio-131 ed il bromo-82, mentre tra i traccianti stabili è stato utilizzato il cloruro di cadmio in soluzione alcolica, anche se, di recente, l’impiego dello ioduro di potassio come tracciante ha mostrato anch’esso buoni risultati. La misura della direzione dei deflussi sotterranei in un pozzo singolo ha consentito di accertare sia l’inversione della direzione di deflusso delle acque dolci di falda in prossimità della costa, a causa delle oscillazioni del livello del mare, sia la direzione del moto delle acque di mare di invasione continentale, che in condizioni di alta marea è orientato verso il continente e che si inverte con la bassa marea

Geodatabase and knowledge of coastal carbonate aquifers of the Adriatic and Ionian seas

Carbonate aquifer, seawater intrusion, geodatabase, Ionian Sea, Adriatic Sea

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

The effects of low enthalpy geothermal system on groundwater of the Cesine wetland

Cesine Wetland, Salento, low-enthalpy geothermal power plant, heat transport numerical model

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