Formation of phreatic caves in an eogenetic karst aquifer by CO2 enrichment at lower water tables and subsequent flooding by sea level rise

Formation of extensive phreatic caves in eogenetic karst aquifers is widely believed to require mixing of fresh and saltwater. Extensive phreatic caves also occur, however, in eogenetic karst aquifers where fresh and saltwater do not mix, for example in the upper Floridan aquifer. These caves are thought to have formed in their modern settings by dissolution from sinking streams or by convergence of groundwater flow paths on springs. Alternatively, these caves have been hypothesized to have formed at lower water tables during sea level low‐stands. These hypotheses have not previously been tested against one another. Analyzing morphological data and water chemistry from caves in the Suwannee River Basin in north‐central Florida and water chemistry from wells in the central Florida carbonate platform indicates that phreatic caves within the Suwannee River Basin most likely formed at lower water tables during lower sea levels. Consideration of the hydrological and geochemical constraints posed by the upper Floridan aquifer leads to the conclusion that cave formation was most likely driven by dissolution of vadose CO₂ gas into the groundwater. Sea level rise and a wetter climate during the mid‐Holocene lifted the water table above the elevation of the caves and placed the caves tens of meters below the modern water table. When rising water tables reached the land surface, surface streams formed. Incision of surface streams breached the pre‐existing caves to form modern springs, which provide access to the phreatic caves. Phreatic caves in the Suwannee River Basin are thus relict and have no causal relationship with modern surficial drainage systems. Neither mixing dissolution nor sinking streams are necessary to form laterally extensive phreatic caves in eogenetic karst aquifers. Dissolution at water tables, potentially driven by vadose CO₂ gas, offers an underappreciated mechanism to form cavernous porosity in eogenetic carbonate rocks. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Constraining Holocene sea levels using U‐Th ages of phreatic overgrowths on speleothems from coastal caves in Mallorca (Western Mediterranean)

Phreatic overgrowths on speleothems (POS) are carbonate formations deposited at the water table of caves in unique karstic coastal settings having morphologies that can be directly related to sea level at the time of formation. The U‐Th ages of calcite and aragonite overgrowths collected from the modern water table in coastal caves on Mallorca (Cova de Cala Varques A and Cova des Pas de Vallgornera) were determined using high‐precision MC‐ICPMS techniques. U‐Th ages indicate that phreatic carbonate deposition occurred between ca 2·8 and at least 0·6 ka BP and are in accord with an archeologically estimated age of 3·7–3·0 ka BP for a drowned prehistoric construction at a depth of 1 m below current sea level in a cave from the same area. Speleothem δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O and chemical composition of cave pools provide supportive evidence that POS reflect mixing between seawater and brackish water table. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The role of antecedent groundwater heads in controlling transient aquifer storage and flood peak attenuation in karst watersheds

Transient storage of floodwaters in aquifers is known to attenuate peak flows in rivers and drive subsurface dissolution. Transient aquifer storage could be enhanced in watersheds overlying karst aquifers where caves facilitate surface and groundwater exchange. Few studies, however, have examined controls on, or magnitudes of, transient aquifer storage or flood peak attenuation in karstic watersheds. Here we evaluate flood peak attenuation with multiple linear regression analyses of 10 years of river and groundwater data from the Suwannee River, which flows over the karstic upper Floridan aquifer in north-central Florida and experiences frequent flooding. Regressions show antecedent river stage exerts the dominant control on magnitudes of transient aquifer storage, with recharge and time to peak having secondary controls. Specifically, low antecedent stages result in larger magnitudes of transient aquifer storage and thus greater flood attenuation than conditions of elevated antecedent stage. These findings suggest subsurface weathering, including cave formation and enlargement, caused by transient aquifer storage could occur on a more frequent basis in aquifers where groundwater table elevation is lowered due to anthropogenic or climatic influences. Our work also shows that measures of groundwater table elevation prior to an event could be used to improve predictive flood models. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tectonic uplift,sea level changes and Plio‐Pleistocene evolution of a coastal karst system: the Mount Saint Paul (Palawan,Philippines)

The St. Paul karst (Palawan, Philippines) is a tropical coastal karst, consisting of towers, cones, huge depressions and large caves. This area hosts the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River (PPSR, 24 km long), whose main entrance is a large spring along the coast and which is one of the largest cave complexes in eastern Asia. A geomorphological study performed by several field surveys and a morphometric analysis of the digital terrain model (DTM) and 3D cave models, allowed formulation of a first evolutionary framework of the karst system. The DTM was extracted from maps and aerial photographs in order to find different generations of ‘relict’ landforms, through the morphometric analysis of topographic surface and karst landforms. Several features suggest a long and multi‐stage evolution of the karst, whose age ranges from Pliocene to present. The southern and northern sectors of the area differ in their altimetric distribution of caves. In the southern sector, some large caves lie between 300 and 400 m asl and were part of an ancient system that developed at the base level of a past river network. In the northern sector, some mainly vadose caves occur, with a phreatic level at 120–130 m asl. An important phase of base‐level cave development is well documented in the inactive passages of PPSR at 50–80 m asl. Morphological features, such as horizontal solution passages and terraced deposits, suggest a phase of stillstand of the base level, which is recorded in the topography as low‐relief surfaces at 40–50 m asl. The age of this phase is probably Early Pleistocene, on the basis of assumed uplift rates. The more recent caves are still active, being located at the current sea level, but they show more than one cycle of flooding and dewatering (with calcite deposition). In the PPSR, several morphologic features, such as two main water level notches at +12·4 and +7·7 m asl and terraced alluvial deposits, suggest that the lower and active level passed through more than two high‐stands of sea level and so it could have formed throughout most of the Middle‐Late Pleistocene. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Deep water circulation, residence time, and chemistry in a karst complex

We investigated the hydrochemistry of a complex karst hydrosystem made of two carbonate units along a coastal lagoon. Ground water emerges on the lagoon floor from a submarine spring. In addition, thermal waters circulate through the limestone and mix with karst water near the lagoon shore. A distinction between the water from the two carbonate units is related to marine influences and human activities. In one of the massifs, the data show an incongruent dissolution of dolomite with time. In the other system, a slight contamination by saline fluids from the thermal reservoir has led to high calcium and magnesium concentrations. 36Cl, 14C, and 3H data constrain the residence time of the water, and allow for the distinguishing of four circulation types: (1) shallow surface circulation (primarily above sea level) in the karstic units with short residence times (<20 years); (2) shallow subsurface circulation (approximately 0 to -50 m) below the karstic units with residence time in the order of 50 years; (3) deep circulation at depth of 700 to 1500 m in the Jurassic limestones below thick sedimentary cover, with residence time of several thousand years for a part of the water; and (4) deep circulation at a depth of approximately 2500 m, which represents the thermal reservoir in the Jurassic units with residence time of approximately 100,000 years. An interpretative hydrogeological framework is based on the constraints of the geochemical analyses of the deep thermal system, and by water flow from the surface to the deep parts of the carbonate formations.     

Discussion on the article ‘Coastal and inland karst morphologies driven by sea level stands: a GIS based method for their evaluation' by Canora F,Fidelibus D and Spilotro G

Comments are presented on the article by Canora et al. (2012) dealing with karst morphologies driven by sea level stands in the Murge plateau of Apulia, southern Italy. Our comments start from cave levels, that are considered in the cited article as a proof of sea level stands. We argue that the presence of sub‐horizontal passages in cave systems is not a sufficient condition for correlating them with hypothetical past sea level stands. Such a correlation must be based upon identification of speleogenetic features within the karst systems, and/or geological field data. The problems encountered when using cave surveys for scientific research, and their low reliability (especially in the case of old surveys) are then treated, since they represent a crucial point in the paper object of this discussion. Eventually, we present some final consideration on cave levels and terraces, and on the specific case study, pointing out once again to the need in including geological field data to correctly find a correspondance between flat landforms and sea level fluctuations. Our main conclusion is that field data and information on speleogenesis of the underground karst landforms cannot be disregarded in a study that claims to deal with the influence of sea‐level changes on caves. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Toxicological Study of Fluorescent Hydrologic Tracer Dye Effects on Cave Bacteria

Fluorescent dyes are commonly used as hydrologic tracers in a variety of surface and subsurface environments, including karst aquifers and caves, but the fragile nature of karstic groundwater ecosystems suggests a cautious approach to selecting dyes. This study tested the effects of four fluorescent dye tracers (uranine, eosin, pyranine, sulforhodamine B) on microorganisms from Fort Stanton Cave, New Mexico, United States. Toxicity of the dyes was tested on bacteria isolated from the cave and on a sediment sample collected adjacent to Snowy River in Fort Stanton Cave. The isolates showed minimal inhibition by the four dyes in an agar diffusions assay. Minimum inhibitory concentrations calculated from liquid culture assays of one isolate were 35 g/L for uranine, 3.5 g/L for eosin, 0.1 g/L for pyranine, and 10 mg/L for sulforhodamine B. A ¹⁴C-glucose radiotracer experiment showed zero inhibition of overall microbial activity in a sediment sample at all dye concentrations, except at 350 g/L eosin. Thus, there are no cave-specific findings to indicate that Fort Stanton's microbes are especially sensitive to these commonly used dyes. Moreover, a literature survey of mutagenicity tests on these dyes indicates they are safe for environmental use. These results corroborate previous dye toxicity tests and suggest that these four dyes are suitable for use at Fort Stanton Cave in the concentration ranges commonly used for groundwater tracing. While broader testing of dyes with microbes from other caves is advised, the results suggest the dyes may be safe for all karst aquifers.     

Influence of Seasonal Variations in Sea Level on the Salinity Regime of a Coastal Groundwater–Fed Wetland

Seasonal variations in sea level are often neglected in studies of coastal aquifers; however, they may have important controls on processes such as submarine groundwater discharge, sea water intrusion, and groundwater discharge to coastal springs and wetlands. We investigated seasonal variations in salinity in a groundwater‐fed coastal wetland (the RAMSAR listed Piccaninnie Ponds in South Australia) and found that salinity peaked during winter, coincident with seasonal sea level peaks. Closer examination of salinity variations revealed a relationship between changes in sea level and changes in salinity, indicating that sea level–driven movement of the fresh water‐sea water interface influences the salinity of discharging groundwater in the wetland. Moreover, the seasonal control of sea level on wetland salinity seems to override the influence of seasonal recharge. A two‐dimensional variable density model helped validate this conceptual model of coastal groundwater discharge by showing that fluctuations in groundwater salinity in a coastal aquifer can be driven by a seasonal coastal boundary condition in spite of seasonal recharge/discharge dynamics. Because seasonal variations in sea level and coastal wetlands are ubiquitous throughout the world, these findings have important implications for monitoring and management of coastal groundwater–dependent ecosystems.     

Effects of Changing Meteoric Precipitation Patterns on Groundwater Temperature in Karst Environments

Climate predictions indicate that precipitation patterns will change and average air temperatures will increase across much of the planet. These changes will alter surface water and groundwater temperatures which can significantly affect the local and regional environment. Here, we examine the role of precipitation timing in changes to groundwater temperature in carbonate‐karst aquifers using measured groundwater level and temperature data from the Konza Prairie Long‐Term Ecological Research Site, Kansas. We demonstrate that shifts to increased cool‐season precipitation may mitigate the increases in groundwater temperature produced by increases in average annual air temperature. In karst, the solution‐enlarged conduits allow faster and focused recharge, and the recharge‐event temperature can strongly influence the groundwater temperature in the aquifer. Our field data and analysis show that predictions of future groundwater conditions in karst aquifers need to consider changes in precipitation patterns, in addition to changes to average annual air temperature.     

Dissolution in a variably confined carbonate platform: effects of allogenic runoff,hydraulic damming of groundwater inputs,and surface–groundwater exchange at the basin scale

In variably confined carbonate platforms, impermeable confining units collect rainfall over large areas and deliver runoff to rivers or conduits in unconfined portions of platforms. Runoff can increase river stage or conduit heads in unconfined portions of platforms faster than local infiltration of rainfall can increase groundwater heads, causing hydraulic gradients between rivers, conduits and the aquifer to reverse. Gradient reversals cause flood waters to flow from rivers and conduits into the aquifer where they can dissolve limestone. Previous work on impacts of gradient reversals on dissolution has primarily emphasized individual caves and little research has been conducted at basin scales. To address this gap in knowledge, we used legacy data to assess how a gradient of aquifer confinement across the Suwannee River Basin, north‐central Florida affected locations, magnitudes and processes of dissolution during 2005–2007, a period with extreme ranges of discharge. During intense rain events, runoff from the confining unit increased river stage above groundwater heads in unconfined portions of the platform, hydraulically damming inputs of groundwater along a 200 km reach of river. Hydraulic damming allowed allogenic runoff with SI_CAL < ?4 to fill the entire river channel and flow into the aquifer via reversing springs. Storage of runoff in the aquifer decreased peak river discharges downstream and contributed to dissolution within the aquifer. Temporary storage of allogenic runoff in karst aquifers represents hyporheic exchange at a scale that is larger than found in streams flowing over non‐karst aquifers because conduits in karst aquifers extend the area available for exchange beyond river beds deep into aquifers. Post‐depositional porosity in variably confined carbonate platforms should thus be enhanced along rivers that originate on confining units. This distribution should be considered in models of porosity distribution used to manage water and hydrocarbon resources in carbonate rocks. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New evidence of sea‐level lowstands and paleoenvironment during MIS 6 and 4 in the Cantabrian coastal karst: the Cobiheru cave (North Iberia)

The geomorphological evolution of the Cobiheru Cave shows the influence of the non‐carbonate coastal mountain ranges on coastal karst evolution, as well as the temporal distribution of the cold‐adapted fauna sites in the Cantabrian Coast. Geomorphological observation and uranium/thorium (U/Th) dating lead to the construction of an evolution model. The model comprises two episodes of cave deposition occurring at c. 60–70 and 130–150 ka, linked to cold climate conditions, global sea‐level lowstands and the erosion of alluvial fans that covered the karst. Moreover, the comparison between the Cobiheru record and some raised beaches identified in previous studies sets the beginning of the sea‐level lowering in the Cantabrian Sea during the marine isotope stages (MIS) 5–4 transition. Two palaeoenvironments are inferred based on finding Equus ferus and Elona quimperiana. A wet deciduous forest would have developed on the emerged marine terrace of the Cobiheru Cave since at least the Middle Pleistocene, and an open landscape with scarce vegetation would have been present at c. 65 ka. The erosional event identified in the Cobiheru Cave helps to understand the temporal distribution of cold‐adapted mammals located in the Asturias region. The probable sites of cold‐adapted fauna developed in caves and alluvial fans would have disappeared after 65 ka. Therefore, palaeontological and palaeoclimate research based on cold‐adapted mammals suggests the occurrence of an hiatus in the palaeontological record prior to 50 ka. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Interface Configuration of the Fresh‐/Dead Sea Water – Theory and Measurements

The high‐density Dead Sea water (1.235 g/cm³) forms a special interface configuration with the fresh groundwater resources of its surrounding aquifers. The fresh groundwater column beneath its surroundings is around one tenth of its length compared to oceanic water. This fact alone indicates the vulnerability of the fresh groundwater resources to the impacts of changes in the Dead Sea level and to saltwater migration. Ghyben‐Herzberg and Glover equations were used to calculate the volumes of water in coastal aquifers which were replaced by freshwater due to the interface seaward migration as a result of the drop in the level of the Dead Sea. For that purpose, the dynamic equation of Glover approach has been integrated to accommodate that type of interface readjustment. The calculated amounts of freshwater which substituted salt Dead Sea water due to the migration of interface are 3.21 · 10¹¹ m³, from a Dead Sea level of –392 m to τ411 m below sea level. The average porosity of coastal aquifers was calculated to range from 2.8 to 2.94%. Geoelectric sounding measurements showed that areas underlying the coastal aquifers formerly occupied by the Dead Sea water are gradually becoming flushed and occupied by freshwater. The latter is becoming salinized due to the residuals of Dead Sea water in the aquifer matrix, the present salinity of which is lower than that of the Dead Sea water. At the same time salt dissolution from the Lisan Marl formation is causing collapses along the shorelines in the form of sinkholes, tens of meters in diameter and depth.     

Relative role and extent of marine and groundwater inundation on a dune‐dominated barrier island under sea‐level rise scenarios

Climate change and sea‐level rise will have severe impacts on coastal water resources around the world. However, whereas the influence of marine inundation is well documented in the literature, the impact of groundwater inundation on coastal communities is not well known. Here, core analysis, groundwater monitoring, and ground penetrating radar are utilized to assess the groundwater regime of the surficial aquifer on Bogue Banks Barrier Island (USA). Then, geospatial techniques are used to assess the relative roles and extents of groundwater and marine inundation on the dune‐dominated barrier island under sea‐level rise scenarios of 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 m above current conditions by 2100. Additionally, the effects of rising water tables on onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) are modelled using the projected sea‐level rise scenarios. The results indicate that the surficial aquifer comprising fine to medium sands responds quickly to precipitation. Water‐level measurements reveal varying thicknesses of the vadose zone (>3 to 0 m) and several groundwater mounds with radial flow patterns. Results from projected sea‐level rise scenarios suggest that owing to aquifer properties and morphology of the island, groundwater inundation may occur at the same rate as marine inundation. Furthermore, the area inundated by groundwater may be as significant as that affected by marine inundation. The results also show that the proportion of land in the study area where OWTS may be perpetually compromised by rising water tables under worst case scenarios may range from ~43 to ~54% over an 86‐year‐period. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Geochemical Approach to Determine Sources and Movement of Saline Groundwater in a Coastal Aquifer

Geochemical evaluation of the sources and movement of saline groundwater in coastal aquifers can aid in the initial mapping of the subsurface when geological information is unavailable. Chloride concentrations of groundwater in a coastal aquifer near San Diego, California, range from about 57 to 39,400 mg/L. On the basis of relative proportions of major‐ions, the chemical composition is classified as Na‐Ca‐Cl‐SO₄, Na‐Cl, or Na‐Ca‐Cl type water. δ²H and δ¹⁸O values range from ?47.7‰ to ?12.8‰ and from ?7.0‰ to ?1.2‰, respectively. The isotopically depleted groundwater occurs in the deeper part of the coastal aquifer, and the isotopically enriched groundwater occurs in zones of sea water intrusion. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios range from about 0.7050 to 0.7090, and differ between shallower and deeper flow paths in the coastal aquifer. ³H and ¹⁴C analyses indicate that most of the groundwater was recharged many thousands of years ago. The analysis of multiple chemical and isotopic tracers indicates that the sources and movement of saline groundwater in the San Diego coastal aquifer are dominated by: (1) recharge of local precipitation in relatively shallow parts of the flow system; (2) regional flow of recharge of higher‐elevation precipitation along deep flow paths that freshen a previously saline aquifer; and (3) intrusion of sea water that entered the aquifer primarily during premodern times. Two northwest‐to‐southeast trending sections show the spatial distribution of the different geochemical groups and suggest the subsurface in the coastal aquifer can be separated into two predominant hydrostratigraphic layers.     

Influence of partial confinement and Holocene river formation on groundwater flow and dissolution in the Florida carbonate platform

Much of what is known about groundwater circulation and geochemical evolution in carbonate platforms is based on platforms that are fully confined or unconfined. Much less is known about groundwater flow paths and geochemical evolution in partially confined platforms, particularly those supporting surface water. In north‐central Florida, sea level rise and a transition to a wetter climate during the Holocene formed rivers in unconfined portions of the Florida carbonate platform. Focusing on data from the Santa Fe River basin, we show river formation has led to important differences in the hydrological and geochemical evolution of the Santa Fe River basin relative to fully confined or unconfined platforms. Runoff from the siliciclastic confining layer drove river incision and created topographic relief, reorienting the termination of local and regional groundwater flow paths from the coast to the rivers in unconfined portions of the platform. The most chemically evolved groundwater occurs at the end of the longest and deepest flow paths, which discharge near the center of the platform because of incision of the Santa Fe River at the edge of the confining unit. This pattern of discharge of mineralized water differs from fully confined or unconfined platforms where discharge of the most mineralized water occurs at the coast. Mineralized water flowing into the Santa Fe River is diluted by less evolved water derived from shorter, shallower flow paths that discharge to the river downstream. Formation of rivers shortens flow path lengths, thereby decreasing groundwater residence times and allowing freshwater to discharge more quickly to the oceans in the newly formed rivers than in platforms that lack rivers. Similar dynamic changes to groundwater systems should be expected to occur in the future as climate change and sea level rise develop surface water on other carbonate platforms and low lying coastal aquifer systems. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The flank margin model for dissolution cave development in carbonate platforms

The Bahama Islands contain many abandoned dissolution caves at elevations between two and seven metres above current sea level. The development of dissolution caves in tropical carbonate islands is dependent on the position and nature of the freshwater lens. Lens position is controlled by sea level, which in stable carbonate platforms like the Bahamas is a function of glacioeustatic sea level still stands. Caves in the Bahamas that are currently subaerial must have developed during past higher sea levels. During the Late Quaternary, sea levels higher than present have been relatively short-lived, and that limits the amount of time that a freshwater lens could be situated at the elevation required for the cave formation. The Bahama Islands are low-lying landforms where only aeolian ridges extend to elevations higher than six metres above current sea level. Past high sea level events greatly reduced the exposed land area of the Bahama Islands, thus also limiting both the catchment for and size of freshwater lenses. Caves must be younger than the rock in which they are developed; most subaerial Bahamian caves are found in limestones that are less than 150000 years old. Development of large dissolution caves under these limitations of time and lens size requires a powerful dissolutional mechanism. The mixing of discharging freshwater with tide-pulsed incoming marine water under the flanks of emergent dune ridges may have produced the conditions necessary. Bahamian caves formed by this process are phreatic chambers with complex interconnections and blind tubes. Their presence demonstrates that significant dissolution can occur rapidly as a result of the mixing of fresh and marine waters beneath small carbonate islands.     

Time series and stochastic analyses to study the hydrodynamic characteristics of karstic aquifers

The regional study of hydrodynamic characteristics of karstic aquifers is challenging because of the great variety of lithology and the structural complexity found in carbonate formations. In order to improve this situation, a combined approach of time series and stochastic analyses was adopted to assess the hydrodynamic behaviour of the karstic aquifers. To achieve this, daily flow rates of 20 springs were taken from the 11 most significant aquifer units of the Basque Country. The results demonstrate the presence of memory effects, which modulated the input rainfall for short‐, medium‐ and long‐term storage capacity, resulting in hydrodynamic properties such as system memory, response time and mean delay between input and output. They reflect the storage and the manner in which these are filled and emptied, thus indicating the karstification of the aquifer. Likewise, the hydrodynamic and hydraulic classification obtained from the stochastic analysis provides a complementary approach to characterize the hydraulic behaviour of the studied karstic aquifers. The discussed examples indicate that this approach provides an excellent method to research hydrological karst systems. It is also shown that the use of hydrologic time series, alone, does not lead to a satisfactory classification of the hydrodynamic characteristics. Therefore, the general approach to hydrological regionalization in karst areas should take into account the structural complexity, heterogeneity of the lithology and the degree of karstification. Only in this case will the regionalization be physically founded, leading to a regional understanding of the hydrodynamic characteristics and flow conditions in a karst aquifer. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interpretation of groundwater level monitoring results in karst aquifers: examples from the Dinaric karst

The paper presents an attempt to determine the characteristics of karst aquifers using information on groundwater level (GWL) in natural holes and boreholes with different data quantity and time resolution of GWL measurements. In this paper the particulars of karst aquifers were analysed for four examples from the Dinaric karst. In all four study areas, aquifers are formed in bare, deep and well‐developed Dinaric karst consisting of Cretaceous limestones. The first example represents a wide area of Imotsko polje in the karst. The aquifer was analysed on the basis of infrequent water level monitoring in natural karst water features (jamas, lakes, wells) and discharges of springs and rivers. The karst aquifer in this example is complex, non‐homogenous and variable in space and time, which is frequent in the Dinaric karst. Regardless of the aforementioned it was possible to determine its elementary characteristics. The second example represents 10 wells used for the water supply for the city of Pula. The GWL and salinity were measured once a week in the period between 1981 and 1996. Even though these measurements were relatively infrequent in space and time, they served as bases for assessment of average and maximum aquifer conditions as well as boundaries of saltwater intrusion. In the third example only a portion of aquifer of the karst spring Blaz, which is in the contact with the Adriatic Seas, has been analyzed. It is a spring with an intrusion of salt water. For purposes of study of saltwater intrusion, 26 piezometers were drilled in its vicinity in which GWL, salinity and temperature were measured once a day during 168 days, a period comprising one complete cycle of seawater intrusion and retreat. These measurements proved the existence of dispersed discharge from the aquifer into the sea and its non‐homogeneity in space. In the fourth example GWL was measured continuously in 10 deep (up to 300 m) piezometers in the hinterland of the Ombla Spring catchment. The measurement period lasted 2 years (January 1988 to December 1989). The analyses are made with hourly data. The results made it possible to determine numerous characteristics of the karst aquifer and a significant non‐homogeneity of groundwater distribution in karst aquifers, depending more on the underground karst phenomena than the surface karst forms. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A high‐altitude temporary spring in a compartmentalized carbonate aquifer: the role of low‐permeability faults and karst conduits

The aim of this research was to refine the actual conceptual model related to the activation of high‐altitude temporary springs within the carbonate Apennines in southern Italy. The research was carried out through geophysical, hydrogeological, hydrochemical and isotopic investigations at the Acqua dei Faggi experimental site during five hydrologic years. The research demonstrated that, in carbonate aquifers where low‐permeability faults cause the aquifer system to be compartmentalized, high‐altitude temporary springs may be recharged by groundwater. In such settings, neither surface water infiltration in karst systems nor perched temporary aquifers play a role of utmost importance. The rare (once or a few time a year) activation of such springs is due to the fact that groundwater unusually reach the threshold head that allows the spring to flow. The activation of the studied high‐altitude temporary spring also depended on relationships between a low‐permeability fault core and a karst system that locally interrupts the low‐permeability barrier. In fact, when the hydraulic head did not reach the karst system, the concentrated head loss within the fault core did not allow the spring to flow, because the groundwater entirely flowed through the fault towards the downgradient compartment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Understanding coastal wetland hydrology with a new regional‐scale,process‐based hydrological model

Coastal wetlands represent an ecotone between ocean and terrestrial ecosystems, providing important services, including flood mitigation, fresh water supply, erosion control, carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitat. The environmental setting of a wetland and the hydrological connectivity between a wetland and adjacent terrestrial and aquatic systems together determine wetland hydrology. Yet little is known about regional‐scale hydrological interactions among uplands, coastal wetlands, and coastal processes, such as tides, sea level rise, and saltwater intrusion, which together control the dynamics of wetland hydrology. This study presents a new regional‐scale, physically based, distributed wetland hydrological model, PIHM‐Wetland, which integrates the surface and subsurface hydrology with coastal processes and accounts for the influence of wetland inundation on energy budgets and evapotranspiration (ET). The model was validated using in situ hydro‐meteorological measurements and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) ET data for a forested and herbaceous wetland in North Carolina, USA, which confirmed that the model accurately represents the major wetland hydrological behaviours. Modelling results indicate that topographic gradient is a primary control of groundwater flow direction in adjacent uplands. However, seasonal climate patterns become the dominant control of groundwater flow at lower coastal plain and land–ocean interface. We found that coastal processes largely influence groundwater table (GWT) dynamics in the coastal zone, 300 to 800 m from the coastline in our study area. Among all the coastal processes, tides are the dominant control on GWT variation. Because of inundation, forested and herbaceous wetlands absorb an additional 6% and 10%, respectively, of shortwave radiation annually, resulting in a significant increase in ET. Inundation alters ET partitioning through canopy evaporation, transpiration, and soil evaporation, the effect of which is stronger in cool seasons than in warm seasons. The PIHM‐Wetland model provides a new tool that improves the understanding of wetland hydrological processes on a regional scale. Insights from this modelling study provide benchmarks for future research on the effects of sea level rise and climate change on coastal wetland functions and services.