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Identification of hydrogeochemical process linked to marine intrusion induced by pumping of a semiconfined mediterranean coastal aquifer

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Abstract

This article analyses the hydrogeochemical processes, linked to the freshwater–seawater mixing zone, which can be caused by continuous pumping from a detrital coastal aquifer. It was necessary to construct an experimental plot, drilling three boreholes along a line perpendicular to the coast. A complete physico-chemical analysis was done of all water samples taken. The percentage of seawater, calculated from Chloride and 18Oxygen concentrations, varied between 55 and 90 %. The ionic deltas (Δ) calculated, and the saturation indices (SI) of mineral phases susceptible to precipitation or dissolution, allowed a series of hydrogeochemical processes to be identified that occur as a consequence of the advance of marine intrusion into the coastal band, and of aquifer flushing. Based on the major elements, the fraction of exchange (βI) was calculated for samples ranging from seawater to freshwater, and this revealed that differences in βI could explain the hydrochemistry of the mixing zone. The main processes recognised include precipitation of dolomite, dissolution of gypsum, fixation of sulphur salts and cation exchange. Most of the ion exchange took place between Na and Calcium + Magnesium ions. The process of fixation or liberation of these ions is probably determined by the advance or recession of the saline wedge, and/or by recharge during rainy periods. The behaviour of Magnesium is more sensitive to small variations in salinity, whilst Calcium behaves more homogeneously. The high percentage of seawater in the samples studied favours the speed and magnitude of processes such as ion exchange, and the intervention of magnesium is also a key.

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Acknowledgments

This work was undertaken within the framework of project 017/SGTB/2007/2.1. funded by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment and project CGL2007-63450/HID funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science. We also wish to express our gratitude to the members of OHL Medio Ambiente Inima and Spanish Geological Survey (IGME) that are collaborated in this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hydrogeology, University of Almería, 04120, Almería, Spain

    F. Sola, A. Vallejos & A. Pulido Bosch

  2. Spanish Geological Survey, IGME, Ríos Rosas 23, 28003, Madrid, Spain

    L. Moreno & J. A. López Geta

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  1. F. Sola
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  2. A. Vallejos
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  3. L. Moreno
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  4. J. A. López Geta
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  5. A. Pulido Bosch
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Correspondence to A. Vallejos.

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Sola, F., Vallejos, A., Moreno, L. et al. Identification of hydrogeochemical process linked to marine intrusion induced by pumping of a semiconfined mediterranean coastal aquifer. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 10, 63–76 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-012-0087-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-012-0087-x

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