RESUMEN
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
RESUMEN
Karst aquifers provide drinking water for 10% of the world's population, support agriculture, groundwater-dependent activities, and ecosystems. These aquifers are characterised by complex groundwater-flow systems, hence, they are extremely vulnerable and protecting them requires an in-depth understanding of the systems. Poor data accessibility has limited advances in karst research and realistic representation of karst processes in large-scale hydrological studies. In this study, we present World Karst Spring hydrograph (WoKaS) database, a community-wide effort to improve data accessibility. WoKaS is the first global karst springs discharge database with over 400 spring observations collected from articles, hydrological databases and researchers. The dataset's coverage compares to the global distribution of carbonate rocks with some bias towards the latitudes of more developed countries. WoKaS database will ensure easy access to a large-sample of good quality datasets suitable for a wide range of applications: comparative studies, trend analysis and model evaluation. This database will largely contribute to research advancement in karst hydrology, supports karst groundwater management, and promotes international and interdisciplinary collaborations.
RESUMEN
The assessment of vulnerability in karst systems reveals to be extremely challenging since it varies significantly with time and highly depends on the identification of diffuse and concentrated infiltration from surface karst features. The origin, consumed loads, and transport mode of selected micropollutants (MPs) including two artificial sweeteners (ASWs) Sucralose (SUC) and Acesulfame-K (ACE-K), in addition to other less investigated pharmaceuticals such as the lipid regulator Gemfibrozil (GEM), and the contrast media Iohexol (IOX) were investigated in a karst system under dynamic conditions. A detailed analysis of selected spring responses' chemograph and hydrograph following a multi precipitation event shows that three of the tracked MPs, especially ACE-K, and to the exception of IOX, can be used as specific indicators for point source domestic wastewater in karst systems. They have revealed to be persistent, source specific, conservative, and highly correlated with in-situ parameters easily measurable at the spring (chloride and turbidity). Even if the selected MPs are found in the system during low flow periods, they are mostly transported to the spring through fast flow pathways from flushed wastewater with surface water or flood rainwater. The highest mass inflow of ACE-K, IOX and GEM originated from a sinking stream, while SUC infiltrated exclusively through fast infiltration points (dolines). Their breakthrough curves coincide with the arrival of new waters and turbidity peaks. Unlike IOX, the mass fluxes of ASWs, and GEM to a lesser extent, can be linearly correlated with chloride mass fluxes and turbidity flux. Moreover, the variance of the normalized breakthrough curves of the MPs with respect to a mean transit time, increases in that order IOXAsunto(s)
Gemfibrozilo
, Agua Subterránea
, Yohexol
, Sacarosa/análogos & derivados
, Tiazinas
, Aguas Residuales
, Monitoreo del Ambiente
, Ríos
, Edulcorantes
, Aguas Residuales/análisis