Antonio González-Ramón, Jorge Jódar, Antonio L. Morales-González, Francisco Moral-Martos, Rosario Jiménez-Espinosa
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Groundwater flow has been investigated in the Sierra Seca, Spain. Maximum recharge to the central core of the mountain occurs at high elevations, which provides recharge to two overlapping karst aquifers constituting a groundwater storage zone at a lower elevation break in slope. Both karst aquifers are associated with three springs arising from the upper part of the permeable formations. The climate is characterized by long and intense periods of drought and short periods of rainfall, which trigger discharges from the springs. Spring flow recession curve analysis, cross-correlation and monitoring of groundwater temperature and electrical conductivity have demonstrated contrasts observed in the hydrodynamic and physicochemical response of the three springs during flood events. One spring records floods with narrow and short peaks of high discharge accompanied by sharp drops in temperature and electrical conductivity. Another spring records floods with somewhat wider peaks and sharp increases in temperature and electrical conductivity (piston effect), whereas the third spring shows great consistency in all monitored characteristics. It is concluded that the absence of a piston effect in the spring with the highest flow rates is due to the contribution of rapidly circulating water that is expelled by semi-active karst networks (overflow) before reaching the saturated zone, which does not occur in the other springs due to the absence of overflow hydrological pathways. The most regular spring owes its functioning to the contribution of infiltrated water in the bed of an upstream riverbed, which explains this regularity.
期刊介绍:
Hydrogeology Journal was founded in 1992 to foster understanding of hydrogeology; to describe worldwide progress in hydrogeology; and to provide an accessible forum for scientists, researchers, engineers, and practitioners in developing and industrialized countries.
Since then, the journal has earned a large worldwide readership. Its peer-reviewed research articles integrate subsurface hydrology and geology with supporting disciplines: geochemistry, geophysics, geomorphology, geobiology, surface-water hydrology, tectonics, numerical modeling, economics, and sociology.