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Cave temperature monitoring was carried out in the Cueva del Agua de Iznalloz, Granada, Spain, a cave that has great tourist potential and which has been maintained under natural conditions for over 30 years. The cave temperature under natural conditions was used to identify possible anthropogenic influences, in order to distinguish these from the variations directly related to natural changes. In particular, the relative influence of external weather conditions, thermal modification caused by visitors and the subsequent thermal recovery of the cave were identified. In addition, controlled experiments investigated the effect of two large-scale visits (980 and 2088 visitors day−1) to the cave interior, before any tourist activities in the cave were undertaken. Correlation and spectral analyses of time series were used to determine the thermal behaviour of the cave over time. The effect of both mass visits on the air temperature in the interior of the cave was very rapid (2.5 min). The maximum perturbation of air temperature within the cave during the two experiments was after 30 and 70 min. The memory effect for temperature whilst the cave was open to the public was estimated to be 5–6 h, whilst the response to external meteorological changes exceeded one week. A permanent visitor capacity of 53 people ensures that the natural cave temperature can be regained within 4–5 h. The cave can only support small groups of visitors, not the massive visits characteristic of show caves.

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A case study is presented for the application of statistical and geostatistical methods to the problem of estimating groundwater quality variables. This methodology has been applied to the investigation of the detrital aquifer of the Bajo Andarax (Almeria, Spain). The use of principal components analysis is proposed, as a first step, for identifying relevant types of groundwater and the processes that bring about a change in their quality. As a result of this application, three factors were obtained, which were used as three new variables (VI: sulphate influence; V2: thermal influence; and V3: marine influence). Analysis of their spatial distribution was performed through the calculation of experimental and theoretical variograms, which served as input for geostatistical modelling using ordinary block kriging. This analysis has allowed a probabilistic representation of the data to be obtained by mapping the three variables throughout the aquifer for each sampling point. In this way, one can evaluate the spatial and temporal variation of the principal physico-chemical processes associated with the three variables VI, V2 and V3 implicated in the groundwater quality of the detrital aquifer.

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The giant Geode of Pulpí (Almería, Spain) can be considered as one of the most significant recent mineralogical discoveries in terms of geological heritage. Any tourist exploitation of this mining environment should be sustainable, and the first step is to determine the feasibility of opening the interior of the geode to visitors. To achieve this objective it was necessary to characterize the variation of physical parameters of the air and rock (gypsum crystals) during monitored visits, similar to the hypothetical visits that would occur if the geode were opened to the public. The main environmental impact of a continuous presence of people inside the geode is condensation on the surface of the gypsum crystals as a result of increased temperature and water vapor caused by respiration. The phenomenon of condensation on the gypsum crystals begins to occur with visits of two or three people for longer than 10 min. Condensation on the crystal surface brought about by this human presence could lead to the corrosion of the crystals. The total recovery time required after a visit of this type to resume the initial natural thermal and humidity conditions was 27 h. The results obtained from the environmental monitoring of the geode suggest that it is not feasible to allow visits inside it because of the mechanical impact of the visitors on the crystals and of the risk of condensation of water vapor.

Artículo de publicación ISIThe Campo de Dalı´as (Almerı´a, south-eastern Spain) was the backdrop for the development of intensive agricultural activity during the 1970s. Due to the poor natural soil development, the agriculturalists opted for a system that involved quarrying silt and clay deposits that could be used as soil in the greenhouses. In parallel, poor water quality in the upper aquifer caused the gradual abandonment of boreholes and a generalised rise in piezometric levels. These factors have favoured the formation of a series of artificial wetlands in the abandoned clay pits (Onayar, Cabriles and Balsa del Sapo (‘‘Toad Pond’’) being the most significant). In Balsa del Sapo, the water column rose 3.5 m between October 2007 and February 2011. There has been a continuous fall in the electrical conductivity of the surface water, which has gone from 14,500 lS cm-1 in 2004 to 4,100 lS cm-1 in 2013. The most recent concentrations are close to those found in the groundwater. The same situation is detected for Cl, SO4 and Na ion concentrations in the surface and groundwater. These data show the groundwater–surface water interaction in the Balsa del Sapo. Nevertheless, the sharp rise in surface water level has created a flood hazard (due to the shallow topography of the area), both for people living in the vicinity and their property. This is an endorheic zone where a number of ramblas (gullies) draining the southern face of the Sierra de Ga´dor mountains converge. The Campo de Dalı´as is a spectacular example of the changes that can occur in a semiarid agricultural area as a result of intensive groundwater abstraction. These changes are directly related to the management of water resources, the most recent consequence of which is the increased risk of flooding. Hence, there is a need to consider the management of these water resources to achieve a more sustainable use, which is compatible with the environmental protection of the wetland and which will give some guarantee of flood protection for people and property.Water Resources and Environmental Geology Research Group (RNM-189) and Junta de Andalucia (Andalusian Regional Government) with the contribution of project P11-RNM-811