Abstract
This study reports the impact of hydrological conditions on salinisation and nitrate concentrations of a coastal aquifer located at the Mediterranean Sea, southern Spain. Eighty-two samples of ground- and surface water taken during two extreme hydrological events between 1994 and 1996 at 25 different wells were evaluated with regard to hydrochemistry, focusing on nitrate concentrations and salinisation, which constitute the main hazard of this aquifer. Furthermore, hydrochemical data were analysed by principal component analysis (PCA). Additionally, in 2007 13 ground- and surface water samples taken at 12 different locations were analysed for stable isotopes of D/18O, and one sample was analysed for 15N. Since 1993 until present saltwater intrusion was observed only during dry hydrological conditions in 1994; it showed an irregular salinisation pattern probably related to locally elevated hydraulic conductivities. Nitrate concentrations increase significantly during wet hydrologic conditions owing to uptake of nitrate by rising groundwater. Stable isotopes of groundwater reveal an Atlantic origin of the precipitation that recharges the aquifer and a minor amount of groundwater recharge by the water coming from the La Viñuela reservoir, which is used for irrigation over the aquifer. 15N isotopes point to a considerable input of nitrates derived from organic fertilisers.
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Acknowledgments
This work has been funded by the Geological Survey of Spain, IGME, and the Water Mediterranean Basin Board (AquaMed: Ministry of Environment, Government of Spain). It benefits from studies carried out in the framework of the SWIMED Project (ICA3-CT-2002-10004, INCO Program, European Commission). The authors acknowledge the collaboration of the Andalusian Mediterranean Basin Authority (Autonomous Government of Andalusia, Spain) for providing hydrological data as well as the access to monitoring points.
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Lentini, A., Kohfahl, C., Benavente, J. et al. The impact of hydrological conditions on salinisation and nitrate concentration in the coastal Velez River aquifer (southern Spain). Environ Geol 58, 1785–1795 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1677-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1677-2