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KARSYS: a pragmatic approach to karst hydrogeological system conceptualisation. Assessment of groundwater reserves and resources in Switzerland

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Abstract

An approach is presented for the hydrogeological conceptualisation of karst systems. The KARSYS approach helps hydrogeologists working in karst regions to address in a pragmatic and efficient way the three following questions. (1) Where does the water of a karst spring come from? (2) Through which underground routes does it flow? (3) What are the groundwater reserves and where are they? It is based on a three dimensional model of the carbonate aquifer geometry (3D geological model) coupled to a series of simple fundamental principles of karst hydraulics. This provides, within a limited effort, a consistent hydrogeological conceptual model of karst flow systems within any investigation area. The level of detail can be adjusted according to the targeted degree of confidence. Two examples of its application are presented; the approach was first applied with a low level of detail on a national scale in order to assess the groundwater reserves in karst aquifers in Switzerland, suggesting a groundwater volume of 120 km3. On a regional scale, it was applied with a higher level of detail to some selected karst systems in order to assess their hydropower potential. The KARSYS approach may provide very useful information for water management improvement in karst regions (vulnerability assessment, impact assessment, water supply, flood hazards, landslides, etc.). It leads, in a very cost-effective manner, to a new and highly didactic representation of karst systems as well as to new concepts concerning the delineation of catchment areas in karst regions.

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Acknowledgments

The development of the KARSYS approach would not have been possible without the support received from the Centre d’Hydrogéologie et de Géothermie (CHYN) of Neuchatel University and from colleagues at the Swiss Institute for Speleology and Karst Studies (SISKA). Part of the work was also supported by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), which in some ways was the inspiration for formulating our ideas. We want to thank these institutions for their fundamental contributions. We also want to thank the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) for encouraging the idea and for providing financial support for its application to all major karst systems in Switzerland in the framework of the NRP61 research programme. Finally, we acknowledge the authorities of several Swiss cantons (Vaud, Bern, Jura), who mandated us to apply our approach to the documentation of the karst systems in their territories.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swiss Institute for Speleology and Karst Studies, SISKA, P.O. Box 818, 2301, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland

    P.-Y. Jeannin, U. Eichenberger, J. Vouillamoz, A. Malard & E. Weber

  2. Hydrology Division, Hydrogeology Section, Swiss Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, 3003, Bern, Switzerland

    M. Sinreich

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  1. P.-Y. Jeannin
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  2. U. Eichenberger
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Correspondence to P.-Y. Jeannin.

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Jeannin, PY., Eichenberger, U., Sinreich, M. et al. KARSYS: a pragmatic approach to karst hydrogeological system conceptualisation. Assessment of groundwater reserves and resources in Switzerland. Environ Earth Sci 69, 999–1013 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1983-6

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