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Environmental characterization of a karst polje: an example from Izeh polje, southwest Iran

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Abstract

Groundwater contamination is a well-known phenomenon, which occurs on local and regional scales in Izeh polje. The aims of this paper are investigation of the impact of human activities on the polje ecosystem, determination of the vulnerability of ground water, and to solve environmental problems. Nitrate contamination of groundwater in the Izeh polje was predicted using a solute transport model. The nitrate concentration in groundwater in most parts of Izeh polje is greater than maximum concentration permissible for drinking water, i.e., 45 mg/l. The main source of nitrate in the eastern underground areas of Izeh city is the domestic sewage. Bacterial pollution of shallow ground water in Izeh polje is severe and widespread. About 45% of ground water samples in May and September 2001 have positive MPN coliforms. Infiltration of polluted surface waters and decrease of water table depth, have lead to bacterial pollution of 80% of ground water samples in January 2002. The northeast, south and southwest areas of Izeh polje have higher pollution potential rather than its middle parts. The aquifer vulnerability indices in the middle, eastern, and northern parts of the polje are moderately lower as a result of decreased sediment size of the aquifer. The pollution in the polje depends on the amount and presence of pollutants. If they do exist, the possibility of pollution is considerable due to the coarseness of materials and shallow depth of groundwater table.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, Tehran, Iran

    Hamid Reza Nassery & Farshad Alijani

  2. Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Chamran University, Golestan Blvd., Ahvaz, Iran

    Leila Mirzaei

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  1. Hamid Reza Nassery
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  2. Farshad Alijani
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  3. Leila Mirzaei
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Correspondence to Hamid Reza Nassery.

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Nassery, H.R., Alijani, F. & Mirzaei, L. Environmental characterization of a karst polje: an example from Izeh polje, southwest Iran. Environ Earth Sci 59, 99–108 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-009-0008-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-009-0008-6

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