The insufficient taking into account of groundwater as a basis for implementing protection measures for coastal wetlands can be related to the damage they are increasingly exposed to. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the pertinence of combining hydrogeological tools with assessment of pollutant fluxes and stable isotopes of O, H and N, as well as groundwater time-tracers to identify past and present pollution sources resulting from human activities and threatening shallow groundwater-dependent ecosystems. A survey combining physico-chemical parameters, major ions, environmental isotopes (O, H, N and H), with emerging organic contaminants including pesticides and trace elements, associated with a land use analysis, was carried out in southern Italy, including groundwater, surface water and lagoon water samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
November 2024
Climate change and excessive groundwater extraction are major contributors to rising groundwater salinization due to seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers. This study aims to define a wide-applicable approach in which hydrological balance, boundary conditions, and irrigation water demand, defined over time considering climate change predictions, can integrated into a numerical model of the groundwater system. The approach was tested in a selected coastal aquifer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLandfill sites are subjected to long-term risks of accidental spill of leachate through the soil and consequential contamination of the groundwater. Wide areas surrounding the landfill can seriously be threatened with possible consequences to human health and the environment. Given the potential impact of different coexisting anthropic pollution sources (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis work pursues the hydro-geochemical and isotopic characterization of the complex groundwater system of the Gioia Tauro Plain, one of the most important industrialized and agricultural coastal areas of southern Italy. The anthropic pressure exposes the water resources at risk of depletion and quality degradation making the plain groundwater a system of high scientific and social interest. The plain is characterized by a shallow aquifer, mostly recharged by local rains and a deep aquifer apparently less influenced by local precipitation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe data presented in this article are related to the research article described by "How can the role of leachate on nitrate concentration and groundwater quality be clarified? An approach for landfills in operation (Southern Italy)" (Cossu et al., 2018). The data set for this article contains chemical analyses of groundwater and leachate, isotope analysis of groundwater and leachate around a group of landfills located in the municipality of Conversano, close to Bari, the main town of the Apulia Region (Southern Italy).
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