Assessment of Groundwater Vulnerability to Nitrate Contamination Using an Improved Model in the Regueb Basin, Central Tunisia

Missaoui, Rim; Abdelkarim, Bilel; Ncibi, Kaouther; Hamed, Younes; Choura, Abedaljabbar; Essalami, Latifa

doi:10.1007/s11270-022-05806-3

Cited by 29 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…However, evapotranspiration is about 1500 mm/year [29]. In this region, intensive agricultural activities depend mainly on the extraction of underground resources, and it is faced with quantitative and qualitative constraints like any region subjected to an arid climate [2,30,31]. The groundwater resources of the studied watershed are found in three major reservoirs: a wa-ter table formed by Quaternary detritic deposits and a deep aquifer constitute two levels, the lower Zebbag Formation and the upper Zebbag Formation [16,26].…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nitrate contamination of surface waters is of concern because it can negatively impact water supplies and ecosystems [6,48]. Nitrate is used to describe urban and agricultural lands where nitrate concentrations in groundwater are high [19] because, in modern agriculture, farmers use pesticides and herbicides to increase their yield [30].…”

Section: Nitrate Contaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is because nitrogen is constantly transported through the soil throughout the nitrogen cycle, as nitrate is the predominant form of nitrogen in cropland [2,3,11]. It is soluble in water and easily penetrates the soil to the water table [30,49]. Under hot and dry conditions, nitrate concentrations also increase through evaporation [50].…”

Section: Nitrate Contaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hydrogeochemical and Stable Isotope Data of the Groundwater of a Multi-Aquifer System in the Maknessy Basin (Mediterranean Area, Central Tunisia)

et al. 2023

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The Maknessy plain in central Tunisia is one of the most important agricultural basins in Tunisia. Given the semi-arid climate conditions, the irrigation of cultivated crops relies principally on the abstraction from groundwater resources. The assessment of the quality of the used water for agricultural purposes is crucial for safe production. Thus, the objective of this work is to assess the physicochemical quality of the irrigation water resources in this catchment area using a combined chemical, isotopic, and statistical approach. The waters analyzed are represented by two types of groundwater, mainly calcium hyper chloride and calcium sulfate. A multivariate statistical analysis (PCA and HCA) and a geochemical approach have been applied to study water quality as a function of chemical parameters, showing that the EC and TDS are the parameters influencing water quality. The stable isotopic compositions of the sampled waters range from −7.53 to −4.90% vs. VSMOW and from −53.6 to −32.2% vs. VSMOW for δ18O and δ2H; they show the exchange between groundwater and rock and the evaporation effect. The isotopic data form three groups such as recent water, paleowater, and mixing water indicate the evaporation effect and interaction of the groundwater, and confirm that this aquifer has been recharged by current rainwater. So, these aquifers were recharged by precipitation derived from a mixture of cloud masses from the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The findings of this research are of important relevance for effective water resources management in this agro-based region. Indeed, the increased exploitation of these resources will induce a continuous reduction in the available resources and progressive degradation of the used water quality that may adversely impact the safe agricultural production and the economic resilience of the local population.

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Nitrate Contaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Nitrate Contaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hydrogeochemical and Stable Isotope Data of the Groundwater of a Multi-Aquifer System in the Maknessy Basin (Mediterranean Area, Central Tunisia)

et al. 2023

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“…The Gabès region in southern Tunisia, for example, has recently faced severe water shortages, and this situation is expected to worsen until 2030 (Agoubi et al 2018;Abdelkarim et al 2022a, b). Consequently, there has been an increasing reliance on the exploitation and consumption of groundwater to meet the growing water demands of agriculture, industry, and various human activities (Marques et al 2021;Missaoui et al 2022, 2023a, b, Ben Abdelkarim et al 2023.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling groundwater recharge mechanisms in semi-arid regions: integration of hydrochemical and isotopic data

Abdelkarim,

Antunes,

Abaab

et al. 2023

Euro-Mediterr J Environ Integr

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Groundwater management is crucial, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, where it is influenced by the climate and human activities. The Gabès region in southeastern Tunisia is known for its significant groundwater resources, which are mainly associated with the Continental Intercalary (CI) and Djeffara aquifers as well as interlayers from the Ceno-Turonian and Miocene-Pliocene aquifer systems. The Cretaceous and Quaternary aquifer systems are the most exploited in this region. This study aimed to assess the hydrochemistry of these aquifer systems and contribute to understanding the recharge mechanisms. To achieve this, 44 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for major ions and the isotopes oxygen-18 and deuterium. The results indicate that the total dissolved solids concentration ranges from 300 to 7200 mg/L, with temperatures varying from normal (19 °C) to extremely high (> 70 °C). Cluster analysis revealed two main groups (A and B) with distinct chemical and isotopic characteristics. The isotopic ratios of oxygen (δ 18 O) and hydrogen (δ 2 H) were used to identify the recharge mechanism. The findings suggest relatively depleted 18 O and 2 H isotopic ratios, indicating a mixing of groundwater from the Djeffara aquifer with deep thermal groundwater from the CI. However, groundwater depth and local geological structures also influence the mixing pattern. The results highlight the need for detailed structural characterization in the future to identify the spatial distribution and dominant properties of fractures. This information is crucial for understanding their contribution to regional groundwater recharge. Integrating hydrogeochemical data and the isotopic groundwater composition will enhance our understanding of the geochemical processes governing groundwater hydrochemistry and recharge in the Gabès region as well as in similar hydrogeological and structural settings.

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Hydrogeological and Hydrogeochemical Characterization of the Aquifer System of Regueb (Central Tunisia)

Gouasmia,

Dhahri,

Mhamdi

et al. 2024

Advances in Science, Technology &Amp; Innovation

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Assessment of Groundwater Vulnerability to Nitrate Contamination Using an Improved Model in the Regueb Basin, Central Tunisia

Cited by 29 publications

References 51 publications

Hydrogeochemical and Stable Isotope Data of the Groundwater of a Multi-Aquifer System in the Maknessy Basin (Mediterranean Area, Central Tunisia)

Hydrogeochemical and Stable Isotope Data of the Groundwater of a Multi-Aquifer System in the Maknessy Basin (Mediterranean Area, Central Tunisia)

Modeling groundwater recharge mechanisms in semi-arid regions: integration of hydrochemical and isotopic data

Hydrogeological and Hydrogeochemical Characterization of the Aquifer System of Regueb (Central Tunisia)

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