P. P. Limoni

Carbonate Coastal Aquifer of Vlora Bay and Groundwater Submarine Discharge (Southwestern Albania)

Abstract The study discusses the large karstic coastal aquifer of Vlora Bay. This case is peculiar, as the submarine groundwater discharge has a relevant rate of terrestrial inflow in an almost closed bay that is located in an environmentally valuable area. The study is based on four methodological activities: geological and hydrogeological conceptualisation, climatic study and hydrological balance, numerical modelling, and monitoring. A geodatabase was created considering hundreds of data points (wells, springs, rivers, lagoons, and seas) and monthly time series of rainfall, temperature, and river discharge. Monitoring activity was realised over a hydrological year, installing a rainfall network tool and using a network of tens of sampling points, including springs, wells, lagoons, and sea. Chemical–physical and stable isotope determinations were realised. Two main groups of aerial springs are fed by the aquifer, one of which is of a coastal type. The total spring discharge is roughly 4 m3/s. The submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) was assessed as being equal to 1.4 m3/s on the basis of the current rate of anthropic discharge and climatic conditions. The study showed the peculiarities of this carbonate coastal aquifer and the importance of its groundwater, which is the chief water source for the third-largest Albanian town.The groundwater quality was generally high, mainly due to the negligible presence of contamination sources on the relief in which the aquifer outcrops. The rate of seawater intrusion effects was also low, thanks to favourable aquifer three-dimensional geometry and high recharge levels. The increasing anthropic activities constitute a relevant risk in the absence of the introduction of rigorous land and water management criteria.

Data to clarify the landfill role in the case of groundwater quality degradation (Southern Italy)

The data presented in this article are related to the research article described by “How can the role of leachate on nitrate concentration and groundwater quality be clarified? An approach for landfills in operation (Southern Italy)” (Cossu et al., 2018). The data set for this article contains chemical analyses of groundwater and leachate, isotope analysis of groundwater and leachate around a group of landfills located in the municipality of Conversano, close to Bari, the main town of the Apulia Region (Southern Italy). Groundwater samples were collected from eighteen wells. The hydrogeological and chemical study was used to define geochemical features, groundwater and leachate characteristics and to study their potential macroscopic mixing. The land use analysis highlighted quantity and type of used fertilizers permitting to compare these with groundwater in terms of isotopic signature.

Geochemistry of groundwater at the seawater/freshwater interface of the Santa Cesarea thermal springs (south Italy)

Geochemical processes occurring at the seawater/freshwater interface were studied for the aquifer feeding the Santa Cesarea thermal springs, located along the coastal sector of the Salento peninsula (southern Italy). In this coastal area, seawater is moving into the freshwater carbonate aquifer, pushing so inland beneath the freshwater and creating so an extremely active geochemical environment. In the transition zone, the interaction between the freshwater/saltwater and the aquifer rocks could affect the geochemical composition of the groundwater itself, modifying it even profoundly, as discussed in the paper. The geochemical processes occurring at a seawater/freshwater interface are also described together with the chemical composition of Santa Cesarea thermal springs.

HR Satellite Imaging and Borehole Monitoring of Landslides in Daunia, Italy

We examine the instability of slopes in a catchment traversed by a 11 km long mid-slope road, characterized by the widespread presence of clay materials with poor geotechnical properties. High Resolution (HR) multispectral satellite imagery is used to provide focus on the landslides affecting the road and on their close association with poorly drained sites (wet areas, concentration of roadway runoff). The origin of many wet areas mapped from the satellite imagery is linked to the seasonally persistent high groundwater levels revealed through the piezometer monitoring. The remotely sensed data integrated with the in situ controls and subsurface monitoring show that the slopes traversed by the road are poorly drained and marginally stable. Thus even relatively moderate rainfall events (e.g. several tens of mm of rain in few days) can lead to landslide re-activations, which typically occur in the second half of fall and winter periods characterized by higher groundwater levels.