Effective precipitation in southern Spain ( 266 to 46 ka) based on a speleothem stable carbon isotope record

We present the longest-duration directly dated terrestrial palaeoclimate record from the western Mediterranean region: a flowstone speleothem from Gitana Cave, southeast Spain. The main phase of growth was 274 to 58 ka, dated by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) U-series methods. Effective precipitation, which we consider primarily responsible for flowstone calcite δ¹³C variations, measured at 300 μm resolution, was higher during interglacials associated with marine oxygen isotope stages (MIS) 7 and 5, and lower during glacial MIS 6. There is a close correspondence between speleothem δ¹³C and sea surface temperature (SST) estimates from adjacent Atlantic Ocean cores during MIS 6, which implies that oceanic conditions are critical in controlling the western Mediterranean terrestrial moisture balance during glacial periods. Other features of our record, such as the sequence of termination II warming/moistening between approximately 133 and 127 ka, including a “pause” around 130–128 ka, and the lagged termination of MIS 5 warm intervals (5e, 5c and 5a) are similar to other terrestrial records within the Mediterranean basin, indicating climate synchroneity along the northern Mediterranean coast. The Gitana cave region also may have been a refugium for temperate species during short-lived cold/arid periods during MIS 5.     

A comparative study of four schemes for groundwater vulnerability mapping in a diffuse flow carbonate aquifer under Mediterranean climatic conditions

This paper shows the results of a comparative study involving application of the vulnerability mapping methods known as AVI, GOD, DRASTIC and EPIK to a pilot carbonate massif in southern Spain, namely the Torremolinos aquifer. The main objectives of the study were to determine which methods are most suitable for diffuse flow carbonate aquifers such as in southern Spain, and to evaluate variations in the degree of vulnerability associated to the rainfall variations that normally occur in a Mediterranean climate. According to three of the above methods, the aquifer is moderately vulnerable, but the AVI method evaluated it as highly vulnerable—this, however, is improbable. The vulnerability maps reflect the great importance of geology-related parameters (mainly those concerned with lithology) and, to a lesser degree, that of the depth of the groundwater table which is related to the rainfall. After this latter parameter, it is possible to distinguish between humid and dry climatic situations; thus, vulnerability increases in a humid year, especially according to the GOD and AVI methods. In conclusion, the GOD method seems the most adequate of the methods applied in this work for vulnerability mapping of diffuse flow carbonate aquifers in the Mediterranean domains.     

Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental record from a sedimentary fill in Cucú cave,Almería,SE Spain

Cucú cave is a small cavity, 1600 m above sea level on the southern slope of Sierra de María (Almería Province, SE Spain), where current mean annual precipitation is < 450 mm. Fossils and palynomorphs contained within a sedimentary sequence, up to 9 m in depth, allow us to consider the prevailing climatic conditions, and the timing of cavern development. The lithological sequence is dominated by clast-supported detrital material with no evidence of alluvial transport. These sediments were formed by freeze-cracking during periglacial conditions, causing further cave enlargement after initial solutional development. The clastic sequence formed during cold climates is covered by a flowstone that was deposited during a period of warmer, wetter conditions. This provides a minimum U–Th isochron age of 40.2 ± 4.5 ka for the timing of periglacial action. Micromammal fossil species indicate a chronology between 140 and 80 ka. Paleoecological data based on the structure of the mammal community indicates that cold conditions prevailed at the time of deposit. In the studied sequence the presence of anthropogenic components has not been documented. The pollen assemblages identified are a common feature of Pleistocene cold stages that are in semi-arid regions.     

Comparative application of two methods (COP and PaPRIKa) for groundwater vulnerability mapping in Mediterranean karst aquifers (France and Spain)

A comparative test of two vulnerability mapping methods (COP and PaPRIKa) specifically dedicated to for karst aquifers was carried out on two Mediterranean carbonate aquifers. The vulnerability maps obtained for each aquifer present important differences. To identify and determine the origin of these differences, the results were statistically analyzed using sensitivity analysis, coefficients of determination and scatter graphs. In addition, the global vulnerability (Gv) parameter was used to measure the general vulnerability of the aquifer and to compare the results obtained. This statistical analysis led us to conclude that the main cause of differences between these two methods used to assess aquifer vulnerability lie in the relative importance of the parameters employed in calculating the vulnerability index. For the PaPRIKa method, the variable related to infiltration (slope and karst features) has the most influence, with less weight being assigned to the protective capacity of layers overlying the aquifer. For the COP method, the most influent variable is defined by the layers overlying the aquifer, together with infiltration characteristics, determined by the relative importance of different forms of infiltration in each aquifer. The vulnerability mappings performed using the COP method present greater coherence with the known hydrogeological behavior of the study areas, especially the Spanish aquifers. Nevertheless, further hydrogeological investigations are needed, such as ones to validate the obtained vulnerability maps.     

Functioning of a karst aquifer from S Spain under highly variable climate conditions,deduced from hydrochemical records

Over a period of three hydrological years during which precipitation was highly variable, measurements of discharge, electrical conductivity, temperature and chemical components of the water at the Cañamero spring (southern Spain) were taken in order to characterise the hydrogeological functioning of the karst aquifer that it drains. The results obtained from analysis of the frequency distribution of electrical conductivity data revealed histograms with a plurimodal morphology (up to 5 modes) and a range of variation that increased with greater pluviometry during the study period. The discharge from this spring increased sharply a few days after major rainfall episodes and, when the discharge reached a value of approximately 3.73 m³/s, an overflow spring started to function. During high-water periods, there were sudden and large falls in EC, temperature and all the chemical components dissolved in the water. This high variability reflects the predominance of groundwater flow through karst drains, a typical feature of conduit flow systems. The considerable hydrochemical heterogeneity observed is caused by the mobilisation of important volumes of recharge waters from shallow areas of the aquifer (soil, epikarst) towards the discharge point, with greater participation of the unsaturated zone during high-water conditions, and a more active role played by the saturated zone during low-water conditions. In karst systems such as the one drained by the Cañamero spring, it is important to monitor several responses (hydrodynamic, hydrothermal, hydrochemical, etc.), with an appropriate sampling frequency and under different hydrometeorological conditions, in order to achieve an adequate hydrological characterisation. This is fundamental for planning, management and protection of groundwater in karst aquifers.