Geochemical characterization and pollution phenomena of aquifer waters in northern Israel

Abstract.

Thirty-two springs, draining different aquifers in northern Israel, including fresh as well as brackish water sources, were seasonally sampled for two consecutive years and the water samples analyzed for major as well as trace elements. Based on these analyses, the geochemical parameters, the trace element to Cl ratios, as well as the anomalous concentration of different elements enable the characterization and differentiation of different aquifer waters. In addition, indications were obtained regarding the salinity sources of the brackish waters and the suspected sources of polluted water. Electronic supplementary material to this paper can be obtained by using the Springer LINK server located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00254-001-0502-y.