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...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Alessandrino, Luigi, Gaiolini, Mattia, Cellone, Francisco Aldo, Colombani, Nicolò, Mastrocicco, Micòl, Cosma, Marta, Da Lio, Cristina, Donnici, Sandra, Tosi, Luigi
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/227152
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/227152
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:AQUIFER SALINIZATION
CL−/BR− MOLAR RATIO
DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENTS
SEDIMENT POREWATER
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Descripción
Sumario: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. Batch tests were performed on sediment core samples from boreholes to quantify major anions and total inorganic N. Cl− and Br− porewater concentrations coupled with sedimentary facies association provided insights into the origin of groundwater salinity from a variety of sources, including past and present seawater intrusion, agricultural leaching, and evaporites. The strengths and limitations of the integrated approach are discussed to provide a pathway for improving water resource management and planning measures to prevent groundwater salinization in coastal areas.