A Framework to Assess Natural Chloride Background in Coastal Aquifers Affected by Seawater Intrusion in Eastern Spain
The protection of groundwater resources in coastal aquifers is an increasingly important issue worldwide. To establish threshold values and remediation objectives, it is essential to know the natural background concentrations of relevant ions in groundwater. The rationale is to define the Natural Ba...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/15/2728 |
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| author | Juan Grima-Olmedo Bruno Ballesteros-Navarro David Pulido-Velazquez Arianna Renau-Pruñonosa Francisco Javier Alcalá Carlos Llopis-Albert Pablo Jiménez-Gavilán Nikolay Milkov-Ivanov Leticia Baena-Ruiz Carlos Grima-Olmedo |
| author_facet | Juan Grima-Olmedo Bruno Ballesteros-Navarro David Pulido-Velazquez Arianna Renau-Pruñonosa Francisco Javier Alcalá Carlos Llopis-Albert Pablo Jiménez-Gavilán Nikolay Milkov-Ivanov Leticia Baena-Ruiz Carlos Grima-Olmedo |
| author_sort | Juan Grima-Olmedo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The protection of groundwater resources in coastal aquifers is an increasingly important issue worldwide. To establish threshold values and remediation objectives, it is essential to know the natural background concentrations of relevant ions in groundwater. The rationale is to define the Natural Background Level (NBL) of chemical species determined by atmospheric and lithological forces. In many coastal aquifers, this evaluation worsens since atmospheric and lithological salinity combines with many other anthropogenic sources of salinity, including exogenous salinity induced by seawater intrusion (SWI). This paper presents a combination of six well-known statistical techniques and a new methodology (i.e., SITE index) in eight GWBs affected by SWI in Eastern Spain. The chloride ion was the selected conservative chemical specie to assess the qualitative status due to the variable SWI affection. The Natural Chloride Background (NCB) obtained from these methodologies at the GWB scale was compared with regional NCB data calculated with the Atmospheric Chloride Mass Balance (CMB) method in Continental Spain. The CMB method provides atmospherically derived NCB data that are not influenced by SWI or anthropogenic activities or lithological forces. This external evaluation can be considered the atmospheric fraction of NCB, which serves as a regional criterion to validate the more detailed statistical methodologies applied at the GWB scale. As a result, a conceptualization of NCB is obtained by means of a range of values between 115 mg L<sup>−1</sup> and 261 mg L<sup>−1</sup> in the studied coastal GWBs affected by SWI in Eastern Spain. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:13:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c88e1d6105634ff1b5811863f34fb956 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:13:51Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-c88e1d6105634ff1b5811863f34fb9562023-11-18T23:46:55ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-07-011515272810.3390/w15152728A Framework to Assess Natural Chloride Background in Coastal Aquifers Affected by Seawater Intrusion in Eastern SpainJuan Grima-Olmedo0Bruno Ballesteros-Navarro1David Pulido-Velazquez2Arianna Renau-Pruñonosa3Francisco Javier Alcalá4Carlos Llopis-Albert5Pablo Jiménez-Gavilán6Nikolay Milkov-Ivanov7Leticia Baena-Ruiz8Carlos Grima-Olmedo9Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (CN IGME–CSIC), 28003 Madrid, SpainInstituto Geológico y Minero de España (CN IGME–CSIC), 28003 Madrid, SpainInstituto Geológico y Minero de España (CN IGME–CSIC), 28003 Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Botánica y Geología, Universitat de València, 46010 Burjassot, Valencia, SpainDepartamento de Desertificación y Geo-Ecología, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA–CSIC), 04120 Almeria, SpainInstituto Universitario de Ingeniería Mecánica y Biomecánica (I2MB), Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, SpainDepartment of Ecology and Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Málaga, 29016 Malaga, SpainDepartamento de Botánica y Geología, Universitat de València, 46010 Burjassot, Valencia, SpainInstituto Geológico y Minero de España (CN IGME–CSIC), 28003 Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Ingeniería Geológica y Minera, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Minas y Energía, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28003 Madrid, SpainThe protection of groundwater resources in coastal aquifers is an increasingly important issue worldwide. To establish threshold values and remediation objectives, it is essential to know the natural background concentrations of relevant ions in groundwater. The rationale is to define the Natural Background Level (NBL) of chemical species determined by atmospheric and lithological forces. In many coastal aquifers, this evaluation worsens since atmospheric and lithological salinity combines with many other anthropogenic sources of salinity, including exogenous salinity induced by seawater intrusion (SWI). This paper presents a combination of six well-known statistical techniques and a new methodology (i.e., SITE index) in eight GWBs affected by SWI in Eastern Spain. The chloride ion was the selected conservative chemical specie to assess the qualitative status due to the variable SWI affection. The Natural Chloride Background (NCB) obtained from these methodologies at the GWB scale was compared with regional NCB data calculated with the Atmospheric Chloride Mass Balance (CMB) method in Continental Spain. The CMB method provides atmospherically derived NCB data that are not influenced by SWI or anthropogenic activities or lithological forces. This external evaluation can be considered the atmospheric fraction of NCB, which serves as a regional criterion to validate the more detailed statistical methodologies applied at the GWB scale. As a result, a conceptualization of NCB is obtained by means of a range of values between 115 mg L<sup>−1</sup> and 261 mg L<sup>−1</sup> in the studied coastal GWBs affected by SWI in Eastern Spain.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/15/2728groundwaterchloridenatural backgroundcoastal aquifersseawater intrusioneastern Spain |
| spellingShingle | Juan Grima-Olmedo Bruno Ballesteros-Navarro David Pulido-Velazquez Arianna Renau-Pruñonosa Francisco Javier Alcalá Carlos Llopis-Albert Pablo Jiménez-Gavilán Nikolay Milkov-Ivanov Leticia Baena-Ruiz Carlos Grima-Olmedo A Framework to Assess Natural Chloride Background in Coastal Aquifers Affected by Seawater Intrusion in Eastern Spain Water groundwater chloride natural background coastal aquifers seawater intrusion eastern Spain |
| title | A Framework to Assess Natural Chloride Background in Coastal Aquifers Affected by Seawater Intrusion in Eastern Spain |
| title_full | A Framework to Assess Natural Chloride Background in Coastal Aquifers Affected by Seawater Intrusion in Eastern Spain |
| title_fullStr | A Framework to Assess Natural Chloride Background in Coastal Aquifers Affected by Seawater Intrusion in Eastern Spain |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Framework to Assess Natural Chloride Background in Coastal Aquifers Affected by Seawater Intrusion in Eastern Spain |
| title_short | A Framework to Assess Natural Chloride Background in Coastal Aquifers Affected by Seawater Intrusion in Eastern Spain |
| title_sort | framework to assess natural chloride background in coastal aquifers affected by seawater intrusion in eastern spain |
| topic | groundwater chloride natural background coastal aquifers seawater intrusion eastern Spain |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/15/2728 |
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