Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T18:41:24.696Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Identification of a Holocene aquifer–lagoon system using hydrogeochemical data

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

F. Sola ,
A. Vallejos ,
L. Daniele  and
A. Pulido-Bosch
F. Sola*
Affiliation:
Water Resources and Environmental Geology, University of Almería, Spain
A. Vallejos
Affiliation:
Water Resources and Environmental Geology, University of Almería, Spain
L. Daniele
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, FCFM, University of Chile, Chile Andean Geothermal Center of Excellence (CEGA), Fondap-Conicyt 15090013, Chile
A. Pulido-Bosch
Affiliation:
Water Resources and Environmental Geology, University of Almería, Spain
*
* Corresponding author.E-mail address: [email protected] (F. Sola).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The hydrogeochemical characteristics of the Cabo de Gata coastal aquifer (southeastern Spain) were studied in an attempt to explain the anomalous salinity of its groundwater. This detritic aquifer is characterised by the presence of waters with highly contrasting salinities; in some cases the salinity exceeds that of seawater. Multivariate analysis of water samples indicates two groups of water (G1 and G2). Group G1 is represented in the upper part of the aquifer, where the proportion of seawater varies between 10 and 60%, whilst G2 waters, taken from the lower part of the aquifer, contain 60−70% seawater. In addition, hydrogeochemical modelling was applied, which reveals that the waters have been subject to evaporation between 25 and 35%. There was a good agreement between the modelled results and the observed water chemistry. This evaporation would have occurred during the Holocene, in a coastal lagoon environment; the resulting brines would have infiltrated into the aquifer and due to their greater density, sunk towards the impermeable base. The characteristics of this water enabled us to reconstruct the interactions that must have occurred between the coastal aquifer and the lagoon, and to identify the environmental conditions that prevailed in the study area during the Middle Holocene.

Keywords

HydrochemistryStable isotopesPaleowatersCoastal aquiferMiddle Holocene
Type
Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 82 , Issue 1 , July 2014 , pp. 121 - 131
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akouvi, A., Dra, M., Violette, S., de Marsily, G., and Zuppi, G.M. The sedimentary coastal basin of Togo: example of a multilayered aquifer still influenced by a palaeo-seawater intrusion. Hydrogeology Journal 16, (2008). 419–436.Google Scholar
Alhama, I., Rodríguez-Estrella, T., and Alhama, F. Hydric restoration of the Agua Amarga saltmarsh (SE Spain) affected by abstraction from the underlying coastal aquifer. Water Resources Management 26, (2012). 1763–1777.Google Scholar
Andersen, M., Jacobsen, V., and Postma, D. Geochemical processes and solute transport at the seawater/freshwater interface of a sandy aquifer. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 69, (2005). 3979–3994.Google Scholar
Appelo, C.A.J., and Postma, D. Geochemistry, Groundwater and Pollution. 2nd edn (2005). AA Balkema, Rotterdam. (649 pp.)Google Scholar
Avrahamov, N., Sivan, O., Yechieli, Y., Lazar, B., and Levenberg, O. Characterization and dating of saline groundwater in the Dead Sea area. Radiocarbon 52, 3 (2010). 1123–1140.Google Scholar
Carreira, P.M., Marques, J.M., and Nunes, D. Source of groundwater salinity in coastline aquifers based on environmental isotopes (Portugal): natural vs. human interference. A review and reinterpretation. Applied Geochemistry 41, (2014). 163–175.Google Scholar
Celle-Jeanton, H., Travi, Y., and Blavoux, B. Isotopic typology of the precipitation in the Western Mediterranean region at three different time scales. Geophysical Research Letters 28, (2001). 1215–1218.Google Scholar
Cheikh, N.B., Zouari, K., and Abidi, B. Geochemical and isotopic study of paleogroundwater salinization in southeastern Tunisia (Sfax basin). Quaternary International 257, (2012). 34–42.Google Scholar
Chen, K.P., and Jiao, J.J. Seawater intrusion and aquifer freshening near reclaimed coastal area of Shenzhen. Water Science & Technology: Water Supply 7, 2 (2007). 137–145.Google Scholar
Craig, H. Isotopic variations in meteoric waters. Science 133, (1961). 1702–1703.Google Scholar
Custodio, E. Studying, monitoring and controlling seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers. Guidelines for Study, Monitoring and Control, FAO Water Reports No. 11. (1997). 7–23.Google Scholar
Custodio, E. Coastal aquifers of Europe: an overview. Hydrogeology Journal 18, (2010). 269–280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daniele, L., Vallejos, A., Sola, F., Corbella, M., and Pulido-Bosch, A. Hydrogeochemical processes in the vicinity of a desalination plant (Cabo de Gata, SE Spain). Desalination 277, (2011). 338–347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Darling, W.G., Edmunds, W.M., and Smedley, P.L. Isotopic evidence for palaeowaters in the British Isles. Applied Geochemistry 12, (1997). 813–829.Google Scholar
Dever, L., Travi, Y., Barbecot, F., Marlin, C., and Gibert, E. Evidence for palaeowaters in the coastal aquifers of France. Geological Society of London, Special Publication 189, (2001). 93–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edmunds, W., and Milne, C.J. Palaeowaters in coastal Europe: evolution of groundwater since late Pleistocene. Geological Society of London, Special Publication 189, (2001). Google Scholar
Fass, T., Cook, P., Stieglitz, T., and Herczeg, A. Development of saline ground water through transpiration of sea water. Ground Water 45, 6 (2007). 703–710.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Faye, S., Maloszewski, P., Stichler, W., Trimborn, P.S.C., and Gaye, C.B. Groundwater salinization in the Saloum (Senegal) delta aquifer: minor elements and isotopic indicators. The Science of the Total Environment 343, (2005). 243–259.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frank, T.D., Gui, Z., and Science Team, A.N.D.R.I.L.L.S.M.S. Cryogenic origin for brine in the subsurface of southern McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Geology 38, 7 (2010). 587–590.Google Scholar
Gat, J.R., and Gonfiantini, R. Stable isotope hydrology: deuterium and oxygen-18 in the water cycle. Technical Report Series No. 210. (1981). IAEA, Vienna.Google Scholar
Gattacceca, J.C., Vallet-Coulomb, C., Mayer, A., Claude, C., Radakovitch, O., Conchetto, E., and Hamelin, B. Isotopic and geochemical characterization of salinization in the shallow aquifers of a reclaimed subsiding zone: the southern Venice Lagoon coastland. Journal of Hydrology 378, (2009). 46–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giambastiani, B.M., Colombani, N., Mastrocicco, M., and Fidelibus, M.D. Characterization of the lowland coastal aquifer of Comacchio (Ferrara, Italy): hydrology, hydrochemistry and evolution of the system. Journal of Hydrology 501, (2013). 35–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gonfiantini, R., and Araguas, L. Los isótopos ambientales en el estudio de la intrusión marina. Tecnología de la intrusión en acuíferos. (1988). IGME, Madrid. 135–190.Google Scholar
Goy, J.L., Zazo, C., Dabrio, C.J., Lario, J., Borja, F., Sierro, F.J., and Flores, J.A. Global and regional factors controlling changes of coastlines in Southern Iberia (Spain) during the Holocene. Quaternary Science Reviews 15, (1996). 773–780.Google Scholar
Goy, J.L., Zazo, C., Dabrio, J.C., Baena, J., Harvey, A.M., Silva, P.G., González, F., and Lario, J. Sea level and climate change in the Cabo de Gata lagoon (Almeria) during the last 6500 yr BP. INQUA. MBSS. Newsletter 20, (1998). 11–18.Google Scholar
Goy, J.L., Zazo, C., and Dabrio, J.C. A beach-ridge progradation complex reflecting periodical sea-level and climate variability during the Holocene (Gulf of Almería, Western Mediterranean). Geomorphology 50, (2003). 251–268.Google Scholar
Han, D., Kohfahl, C., Song, X., Xiao, G., and Yang, J. Geochemical and isotopic evidence for palaeo-seawater intrusion into the south coast aquifer of Laizhou Bay, China. Applied Geochemistry 26, (2011). 863–883.Google Scholar
Harvey, A.M. The role of base-level changes in the dissection of alluvial fans: case studies from southeast Spain and Nevada. Geomorphology 45, (2002). 67–87.Google Scholar
Harvey, A.M., Silva, P.G., Mather, A.E., Goy, J.L., Stokes, M., and Zazo, C. The impact of Quaternary sea-level and climatic change on coastal alluvial fans in the Cabo de Gata ranges, southeast Spain. Geomorphology 28, (1999). 1–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hillaire-Marcel, C., Carro, O., Causse, C., Goy, J.L., and Zazo, C. Th/U dating of Strombus bubonius-bearing marine terraces in southest Spain. Geology 14, (1986). 613–616.Google Scholar
Ho, H.D., Aranyossy, J.F., Louvat, D., Hua, M.Q., and Nguyen, T.V. Environmental isotope study related to the origin, salinization and movement of groundwater in the Mekong Delta (Viet Nam). IAEA-SM-319/38. (1992). IAEA, Vienna.Google Scholar
Hodgkinson, J., Cox, M.E., and McLoughlin, S. Groundwater mixing in a sand–island freshwater lens: density-dependent flow and stratigraphic controls. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 54, 7 (2007). 927–946.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jalut, G., Amat, A.E., Bonnet, L., Gauguelin, Th., and Fontugne, M. Holocene climatic changes in the western Mediterranean, from south-east France to south-east Spain. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 160, (2000). 255–290.Google Scholar
Kafri, U., and Yechieli, Y. The relationship between current and paleo groundwater base-levels. Quaternary International 257, (2012). 83–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kharroubi, A., Gzam, M., and Jedoui, Y. Anthropogenic and natural effects on the water and sediments qualities of costal lagoons: case of the Boughrara Lagoon (Southeast Tunisia). Environmental Earth Sciences 67, (2012). 1061–1067.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khaska, M., La Salle, C., Lancelot, J. ASTER team Mohamad, A., Verdoux, P., Noret, A., and Simler, R. Origin of groundwater salinity (current seawater vs. saline deep water) in a coastal karst aquifer based on Sr and Cl isotopes. Case study of the La Clape massif (southern France). Applied Geochemistry 37, (2013). 212–227.Google Scholar
Kooi, H., Groen, J., and Leijnse, A. Modes of seawater intrusion during transgression. Water Resources Research 36, 12 (2000). 3581–3590.Google Scholar
Levanon, E., Yechieli, Y., Shalev, E., Friedman, V., and Gvirtzman, H. Reliable monitoring of the transition zone between fresh and saline waters in coastal aquifers. Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation 33, (2013). 101–110.Google Scholar
Lu, C., Chen, Y., Zhang, C., and Luo, J. Steady-state freshwater–seawater mixing zone in stratified coastal aquifers. Journal of Hydrology 505, (2013). 24–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manzano, M., Custodio, E., Loosli, H., Cabrera, M.C., Riera, X., and Custodio, J. Palaeowater in coastal aquifer of Spain. Geological Society, Special Publication 189, (2001). 107–138.Google Scholar
Munk, L.A., Bradley, D.C., Hynek, S.A., and Chamberlain, C.P. Origin and evolution of Li-rich Brines at Clayton Valley, Nevada, USA. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011. (2011). Google Scholar
Pantaleón-Cano, J., Yll, E.I., Pérez-Obiol, R., and Roure, J.M. Las concentraciones polínicas en medios semiáridos. Su importancia en la interpretación de la evolución del paisaje. Ramil-Rego, P., Fernández Rodríguez, C., and Rodríguez Guitian, M. Biogeografía Pleistocena-Holocena de la Península Ibérica. (1996). Xunta de Galicia, Santiago de Compostela. 215–226.Google Scholar
Parkhurst, D.L., and Appelo, C.A.J. User's guide to PHREEQC (version 2) — a computer program for speciation, batch-reaction, one-dimensional transport, and inverse geochemical calculations. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99–4259. (1999). (312 pp.)Google Scholar
Payne, B.R. Groundwater salinization: guidebook on nuclear techniques in hydrology. Technical Report Series No. 91. (1983). IAEA, Vienna.Google Scholar
Petalas, C.P., and Diamantis, I.B. Origin and distribution of saline groundwaters in the upper Miocene aquifer system, coastal Rhodope area, northeastern Greece. Hydrogeology Journal 7, (1999). 305–316.Google Scholar
Petalas, C., and Lambrakis, N. Simulation of intense salinization phenomena in coastal aquifers — the case of the coastal aquifers of Thrace. Journal of Hydrology 324, (2006). 51–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Post, V. Groundwater Salinization Processes in the Coastal Area of the Netherlands Due to Transgressions During the Holocene. (Ph.D. Thesis) (2003). Free University, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Price, J.G., Lechler, P.J., Lear, M.B., and Giles, T.F. Possible volcanic source of lithium in brines in Clayton Valley, Nevada. Cluer, J.K., Price, J.G., Struhsacker, E.M., Hardyman, R.F., and Morris, C.L. Geology and ore deposits 2000: the Great Basin and beyond: Geological Society of Nevada Symposium Proceedings, May 15–18, 2000, Reno. (2000). 241–248.Google Scholar
Re, V., Sacchi, E., Martin-Bordes, J.L., Aureli, A., El Hamouti, N., Bouchnan, R., and Zuppi, G.M. Processes affecting groundwater quality in arid zones: the case of the Bou-Areg coastal aquifer (North Morocco). Applied Geochemistry 34, (2013). 181–198.Google Scholar
Reicherter, K., and Becker-Heidmann, P. Tsunami deposits in the western Mediterranean: remains of the 1522 Almeria earthquake?. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 316, 1 (2009). 217–235.Google Scholar
Sánchez-Martos, F., Molina-Sánchez, L., and Gisbert-Gallego, J. Groundwater–wetlands interaction in coastal lagoon of Almería (SE Spain). Environmental Earth Sciences 71, (2014). 67–76.Google Scholar
Sola, F., Vallejos, A., Moreno, L., López Geta, J.A., and Pulido Bosch, A. Identification of hydrogeochemical process linked to marine intrusion induced by pumping of a semiconfined mediterranean coastal aquifer. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 10, (2013). 63–76.Google Scholar
Stuyfzand, P.J., and Stuurman, R.J. Recognition and genesis of various brackish to hypersaline groundwaters in The Netherlands. Proc. 13th Salt Water Intrusion Meeting, June 1994, Cagliari Italy. (1994). Univ. Cagliari, Fac. Engineering, 125–136.Google Scholar
Stuyfzand, P.J., and Stuurman, R.J. Origin, distribution and chemical mass balances of non-anthropogenic, brackish and (hyper)saline groundwaters in the Netherlands. Proc. 1st SWIM-SWICA Joint Saltwater Intrusion Conference, Cagliari, Italy. (2006). 151–164.Google Scholar
Sukhija, B.S., Varma, V.N., Nagabhushanam, P., and Reddy, D.V. Differentiation of palaeomarine and modern seawater intruded salinities in coastal groundwaters (of Karaikal and Tanjavur, India) based on inorganic chemistry, organic biomarker fingerprints and radiocarbon dating. Journal of Hydrology 174, (1996). 173–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Været, L., Leijnse, A., Cuamba, F., and Haldorsen, S. Holocene dynamics of the salt–fresh groundwater interface under a sand island, Inhaca, Mozambique. Quaternary International 257, (2012). 74–82.Google Scholar
Vandenbohede, A., and Lebbe, L. Groundwater chemistry patterns in the phreatic aquifer of the central Belgian coastal plain. Applied Geochemistry 27, (2012). 22–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, Y., and Jiao, J.J. Origin of groundwater salinity and hydrogeochemical processes in the confined Quaternary aquifer of the Pearl River Delta, China. Journal of Hydrology 438–439, (2012). 112–124.Google Scholar
Werner, A.D., Bakker, M., Post, V., Vandenbohede, A., Lu, C., Ataie-Ashtiani, B., Simmons, C.T., and Barry, D.A. Seawater intrusion processes, investigation and management: recent advances and future challenges. Advances in Water Resources 51, (2013). 3–26.Google Scholar
Yechieli, Y., Shalev, E., Wollman, S., Kiro, Y., and Kafri, U. Response of the Mediterranean and Dead Sea coastal aquifers to sea level variations. Water Resources Research 46, (2010). W12550 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zakhem, B.A., and Hafez, R. Environmental isotope study of seawater intrusion in the coastal aquifer (Syria). Environmental Geology 51, (2007). 1329–1339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zilberbrand, M., Rosenthal, E., and Shachnai, E. Impact of urbanization on hydrochemical evolution of groundwater and on unsaturated-zone gas composition in the coastal city of Tel Aviv, Israel. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 50, 3–4 (2001). 175–208.Google Scholar