Salinity origin in the coastal aquifer of the Southern Venice lowland.

Groundwater salinization can be natural and anthropogenic in origin, although it often results from a combination of both, especially in low-lying coastal regions that are hydraulically controlled. This study proposes a method to assess the origin of salinity using environmental tracers in porewater, like Cl and Br, combined with depositional facies associations detected in sediment cores. Such integrated approach was tested in a target area south of the Venice Lagoon (Italy), where groundwater salinization is triggered by multiple mechanisms due to the complexity of the hydro-geomorphological environment.

Estimating the freshwater-lens reserve in the coastal plain of the middle Río de la Plata Estuary (Argentina).

Drinking-water supply is one of the main issues that populations face in many coastlands. Shallow coastal aquifers are often characterized by the presence of lens-shaped freshwater floating on the saline groundwater plume of marine origin. These groundwater lenses are commonly associated with landforms, such as littoral ridges and dunes and in many cases they represent the main source of water supply in remote coastal areas.