Identifying Karst Aquifers Recharge Area Using Environmental Isotopes: Case Study in Central Italy

Sappa, Giuseppe; Vitale, Sarah A.; Ferranti, Flavia

doi:10.20944/preprints201807.0544.v1

Cited by 10 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 28 publications

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“…Should such mixing take place, no single recharge elevation can characterize all of the groundwater in a sample. Methods are available to account for spatial variations in upgradient recharge (e.g., Sappa et al, ). The near‐linear correlations between precipitation δ 18 O values and elevation means that the potential degree of aggregation error in recharge elevation estimates is likely less severe than for other isotope‐based calculations with nonlinear governing equations (e.g., catchment mean transit times; see discussion of recent work by Kirchner, , in section ).…”

Section: Recharge Sources and Elevationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Isotope Hydrogeology―Review

Jasechko

2019

Reviews of Geophysics

217

124

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Groundwater 18O/16O, 2H/1H, 13C/12C, 3H, and 14C data can help quantify molecular movements and chemical reactions governing groundwater recharge, quality, storage, flow, and discharge. Here, commonly applied approaches to isotopic data analysis are reviewed, involving groundwater recharge seasonality, recharge elevations, groundwater ages, paleoclimate conditions, and groundwater discharge. Reviewed works confirm and quantify long held tenets: (i) that recharge derives disproportionately from wet season and winter precipitation; (ii) that modern groundwaters comprise little global groundwater; (iii) that “fossil” (>12,000‐year‐old) groundwaters dominate global aquifer storage; (iv) that fossil groundwaters capture late‐Pleistocene climate conditions; (v) that surface‐borne contaminants are more common in younger groundwaters; and (vi) that groundwater discharges generate substantial streamflow. Groundwater isotope data are disproportionately common to midlatitudes and sedimentary basins equipped for irrigated agriculture, but less plentiful across high latitudes, hyperarid deserts, and equatorial rainforests. Some of these underexplored aquifer systems may be suitable targets for future field testing.

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Section: Recharge Sources and Elevationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Isotope Hydrogeology―Review

Jasechko

2019

Reviews of Geophysics

217

124

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Karst Spring Recharge Areas and Discharge Relationship by Oxygen-18 and Deuterium Isotopes Analyses: A Case Study in Southern Latium Region, Italy

et al. 2020

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Karst aquifer recharge areas are usually difficult to identify because of the complexity of these aquifers’ characteristics. On the other hand, their identification is very important in the aim of protecting the groundwater resources that these aquifers host. Regarding this topic, this paper presents an approach aimed at identifying karst aquifer recharge areas by the application of oxygen-18 and deuterium isotopes composition of groundwater coupled with hydrological features. Oxygen-18 and deuterium isotope composition of Capodacqua di Spigno Spring, in the South of the Latium Region, has been applied with rainfall and discharge values related to the feeding aquifer of this spring. As δ18O and δ2H values of groundwater samples are natural tracers of the recharge area’s elevation, we propose a model, based on the distribution of the basin surfaces involved as recharge areas, in relation to elevations. The model estimates, for any discharge value, the percentage of the topographic area involved in the aquifer recharge. The setting up of this simulated distribution is supported by a Weibull cumulative probability function. The results show that the measured discharges increase as larger areas with lower elevations are involved in the recharge process.

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Stable Isotopic Evaluation of Recharge into a Karst Aquifer in a Glaciated Agricultural Region of Northeastern Wisconsin, USA

Luczaj,

Konrad,

Norfleet

et al. 2023

Hydrology

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Ground water contamination from septic systems and the application of dairy cattle manure has been a long-standing problem in rural northeastern Wisconsin, especially in areas with thin soils over karstified Silurian dolostone bedrock, where as many as 60% of the wells show evidence of fecal contamination. We present the results of a citizen science supported water-isotope study in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin to evaluate aquifer recharge processes in the critical zone and to demonstrate the viability of time-series stable isotope data as a supplement to traditional water quality indicators in a contamination-prone aquifer. A meteoric water line was also constructed for Green Bay, Wisconsin, providing reasonable isotopic ranges for aquifer recharge events. Volunteer homeowners collected water samples from their domestic wells for a period of ~14 months to provide a measure of long-term isotopic variation in produced water and to determine whether event-driven responses could be identified using δ18O and δ2H isotopic values. Three shallower wells with a prior history of contamination exhibited significant seasonal variation, while the deepest well with the greatest soil thickness (above bedrock) showed less variation. For moderate precipitation events, the shallowest well showed as much as 5–13% of produced water coming from direct recharge, with smaller contributions for deeper wells. Our case study provides a clear example of how citizen science can collect useful time-series isotopic data to support groundwater recharge studies.

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Identifying Karst Aquifers Recharge Area Using Environmental Isotopes: Case Study in Central Italy

Cited by 10 publications

References 28 publications

Global Isotope Hydrogeology―Review

Global Isotope Hydrogeology―Review

Karst Spring Recharge Areas and Discharge Relationship by Oxygen-18 and Deuterium Isotopes Analyses: A Case Study in Southern Latium Region, Italy

Stable Isotopic Evaluation of Recharge into a Karst Aquifer in a Glaciated Agricultural Region of Northeastern Wisconsin, USA

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