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Giménez-Forcada E, Luque-Espinar JA, López-Bahut MT, Grima-Olmedo J, Jiménez-Sánchez J, Ontiveros-Beltranena C, Díaz-Muñoz JÁ, Elster D, Skopljak F, Voutchkova D, Hansen B, Hinsby K, Schullehner J, Malcuit E, Gourcy L, Szőcs T, Gál N, Þorbjörnsson D, Tedd K, Borozdins D, Debattista H, Felter A, Cabalska J, Mikołajczyk A, Pereira A, Sampaio J, Perşa D, Petrović Pantic T, Rman N, Arnó G, Herms I, Rosenqvist L. Analysis of the geological control on the spatial distribution of potentially toxic concentrations of As and F - in groundwater on a Pan-European scale. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2022; 247:114161. [PMID: 36343451 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The distribution of the high concentrations of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F-) in groundwater on a Pan-European scale could be explained by the geological European context (lithology and structural faults). To test this hypothesis, seventeen countries and eighteen geological survey organizations (GSOs) have participated in the dataset. The methodology has used the HydroGeoToxicity (HGT) and the Baseline Concentration (BLC) index. The results prove that most of the waters considered in this study are in good conditions for drinking water consumption, in terms of As and/or F- content. A low proportion of the analysed samples present HGT≥ 1 levels (4% and 7% for As and F-, respectively). The spatial distribution of the highest As and/or F- concentrations (via BLC values) has been analysed using GIS tools. The highest values are identified associated with fissured hard rock outcrops (crystalline rocks) or Cenozoic sedimentary zones, where basement fractures seems to have an obvious control on the distribution of maximum concentrations of these elements in groundwaters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Giménez-Forcada
- CIDE-CSIC, Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain; CN IGME-CSIC, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, 37001 Salamanca, Spain.
| | | | | | - Juan Grima-Olmedo
- CN IGME-CSIC, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, 46004 Valencia, Spain.
| | | | | | | | - Daniel Elster
- GBA, Geological Survey of Austria, A-1030 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Ferid Skopljak
- FZZG - Geological Survey of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
| | - Denitza Voutchkova
- GEUS, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Birgitte Hansen
- GEUS, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Klaus Hinsby
- GEUS, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Jörg Schullehner
- AU, Aarhus University Department of Public Health, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Eline Malcuit
- BRGM, Geological Survey of France, 45100 Orléans, France.
| | | | - Teodóra Szőcs
- MBFSZ, Mining and Geological Survey of Hungary, 1145 Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Nóra Gál
- MBFSZ, Mining and Geological Survey of Hungary, 1145 Budapest, Hungary.
| | | | - Katie Tedd
- GSI, Geological Survey Ireland, A94 N2R6 Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Dāvis Borozdins
- LEGMC, Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center, LV-1019 Riga, Latvia.
| | | | - Agnieszka Felter
- PGI, Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute, 00-975 Warszawa, Poland.
| | - Jolanta Cabalska
- PGI, Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute, 00-975 Warszawa, Poland.
| | - Anna Mikołajczyk
- PGI, Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute, 00-975 Warszawa, Poland.
| | - Ana Pereira
- LNEG - National Laboratory of Energy and Geology, 2610-999 Amadora, Portugal.
| | - Jose Sampaio
- LNEG - National Laboratory of Energy and Geology, 2610-999 Amadora, Portugal.
| | - Diana Perşa
- IGR, Geological Institute of Romania, Bucharest, Romania.
| | | | - Nina Rman
- GeoZS, Geological Survey of Slovenia, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Georgina Arnó
- ICGC, Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya, 08038 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Ignasi Herms
- ICGC, Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya, 08038 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Lars Rosenqvist
- SGU, Geological Survey of Sweden, SE-751 28 Uppsala, Sweden.
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Khadra WM, Elias AR, Majdalani MA. A systematic approach to derive natural background levels in groundwater: Application to an aquifer in North Lebanon perturbed by various pollution sources. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 847:157586. [PMID: 35882346 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Several efforts have recently emerged to develop methods capable of determining groundwater natural background levels (NBLs) due to their utmost importance in assessing water quality. A recently developed systematic approach to derive NBLs is the Khadra-Stuyfzand (KS) scheme. It has a clear and standardized flow with multi-steps to eliminate biased or contaminated samples, and hence it is capable of dealing with different pollution sources as well as saltwater intrusion. This method was applied to the Koura-Tripoli-Zgharta (KTZ) Miocene aquifer of coastal North Lebanon. It derived baseline conditions for 2 physical, 16 chemical, and 3 bacteriological parameters in addition to 8 trace elements, and 83 pesticides, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds. The results revealed the extent of anthropogenic shift from background levels, and delineated the main contaminated spots. In fact, the established groundwater baseline composition is typical of limestone aquifers with oligohaline-fresh, moderate alkalinity, calcium bicarbonate water, under freshening conditions. Nonetheless, this quality is locally degraded by microbial contamination due to wastewater disposal sites, saltwater intrusion, and minor nutrient loading from agricultural activities and/or urban development. The measured concentrations of major water ions and a variety of drinking water contaminants (e.g. nutrients, pesticides, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals) are below human health benchmarks, but the microbiological content at several spots has exceeded the permissible limits which renders the water unsuitable for domestic use, and calls for prompt mitigation measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wisam M Khadra
- American University of Beirut, Department of Geology, P.O. Box 11-0236, 1107 2020 Riad El-Solh, Beirut, Lebanon; Bureau Technique pour le Développement, 70492 Antelias, Jal El Dib, Lebanon.
| | - Ata R Elias
- Lebanese University, Faculty of Engineering, Branch 1, Ras Maska, Tripoli, Lebanon; Bureau Technique pour le Développement, 70492 Antelias, Jal El Dib, Lebanon
| | - Michel A Majdalani
- Bureau Technique pour le Développement, 70492 Antelias, Jal El Dib, Lebanon
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Zanotti C, Caschetto M, Bonomi T, Parini M, Cipriano G, Fumagalli L, Rotiroti M. Linking local natural background levels in groundwater to their generating hydrogeochemical processes in Quaternary alluvial aquifers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 805:150259. [PMID: 34536881 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Calculating natural background levels (NBLs) in groundwater is vital for supporting a sustainable use of groundwater resources. Although NBLs are often assessed through a unique concentration value per groundwater body, where hydrogeochemical features are highly variable, spatial heterogeneity needs to be accounted for, leading to the calculation of so-called "local" NBLs. Despite much research devoted to the identification of the best performing techniques for local NBLs spatialization, a deep understanding of the link between local NBL values and their generating hydrogeochemical processes is often lacking and so is addressed here for the redox-sensitive species As, NH4, Fe and Mn in the groundwater bodies of Lombardy region, N Italy. Local NBLs were calculated by a tired approach involving the hybridization of preselection and probability plot methods. Since the spatial variability of the target species depends mainly on redox conditions, a redox zonation was performed using multivariate statistical analysis. A conceptual model was developed and improved combing factor and cluster analysis. Results showed that NBLs for arsenic were up to 291 μg/L, reached in groundwaters under methanogenesis, a condition related to the prolonged degradation of peat buried in aquifer sediments. Ammonium NBLs up to 6.62 mg/L were generated by the upwelling of fluids from deep sediments hosting petroleum systems; ammonium NBLs up to 4.48 mg/L were generated as the accumulation of by-products of peat degradation. Iron and manganese NBLs up to, respectively, 6.0 and 1.51 mg/L were generated by the oxidation of younger and less stable Mn and Fe oxides within river valleys, mostly the Po River valley. The evaluation of local NBLs, and their association to generating natural hydrogeochemical processes/conditions, achieves a step forward from the commonly used approach of a single NBL per groundwater body, improving decision-support tools for sustainable groundwater management and protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Zanotti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Mariachiara Caschetto
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Tullia Bonomi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Parini
- Regione Lombardia, Direzione Generale Territorio e Protezione Civile, Struttura Risorse Idriche, Piazza Città di Lombardia 1, 20124 Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppa Cipriano
- Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente della Lombardia, Settore Monitoraggi Ambientali, Via Rosellini 17, 20124 Milan, Italy
| | - Letizia Fumagalli
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Rotiroti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milan, Italy.
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Pulido-Velazquez D, Baena-Ruiz L, Fernandes J, Arnó G, Hinsby K, Voutchkova DD, Hansen B, Retike I, Bikše J, Collados-Lara AJ, Camps V, Morel I, Grima-Olmedo J, Luque-Espinar JA. Assessment of chloride natural background levels by applying statistical approaches. Analyses of European coastal aquifers in different environments. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 174:113303. [PMID: 35090285 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Estimated natural background levels (NBLs) are needed to assess groundwater chemical status according to the EU Groundwater Directive. They are commonly derived for different substances by applying statistical methodologies. Due to the complexity of the sea water intrusion process, some of those methods do not always provide appropriate assessment of chloride NBLs. This paper analyzes the applicability of different NBL estimation methods in five EU coastal aquifers with significant differences in available datasets and hydrogeological settings. A sensitivity analysis of results to different constraints was performed to remove samples with anthropogenic impacts. A novel statistical approach combining different methods to identify the range of chloride NBLs is proposed. In all pilots the estimated NBLs were below 85 mg/L and fitted well with previous studies and expert judgment, except Campina del Faro aquifer (the maximum being 167.5 mg/L). Although this approach is more time consuming, it provides a more robust solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Pulido-Velazquez
- Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), Urb. Alcázar del Genil, 4. Edificio Zulema Bajo, 18006 Granada, Spain.
| | - L Baena-Ruiz
- Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), Urb. Alcázar del Genil, 4. Edificio Zulema Bajo, 18006 Granada, Spain.
| | - J Fernandes
- Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia (LNEG), Estrada da Portela, Bairro do Zambujal, Apartado 7586, Alfragide, 2610-999 Amadora, Portugal.
| | - G Arnó
- Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC), Parc de Montjuïc s/n, 08038 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - K Hinsby
- Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, 1350 København K, Denmark.
| | - D D Voutchkova
- Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), C.F. Møllers Allé, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - B Hansen
- Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), C.F. Møllers Allé, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - I Retike
- University of Latvia, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, Jelgavas street 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia.
| | - J Bikše
- University of Latvia, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, Jelgavas street 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia.
| | - A J Collados-Lara
- Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), Urb. Alcázar del Genil, 4. Edificio Zulema Bajo, 18006 Granada, Spain.
| | - V Camps
- Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC), Parc de Montjuïc s/n, 08038 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - I Morel
- Jaume I University, Av. Vicent Sos Baynat, s/n, 12071 Castellón de la Plana, Spain.
| | - J Grima-Olmedo
- Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME-CSIC), C/ Cirilo Amorós, 42, Entreplanta, 46004 Valencia, Spain.
| | - J A Luque-Espinar
- Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), Urb. Alcázar del Genil, 4. Edificio Zulema Bajo, 18006 Granada, Spain.
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