Anthropogenic contaminants in freshwater from the northern Antarctic Peninsula region.

This study aimed to evaluate the presence of ultraviolet filters (UV-Fs), benzotriazoles, pyrethroids and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in freshwater and wastewater from the northern Antarctic Peninsula region. All water samples analyzed contained UV-Fs residues and high concentrations were detected in anthropogenic impacted sites (< LOD up to 1300 ng/L). Likewise, benzotriazoles were detected in all water samples (< LOQ-920 ng/L). Regarding suspended particulate matter, almost all UV-Fs and all benzotriazoles were measured at concentrations ranging from < LOQ to 33 µg/g dry weight. Pyrethroids were also detected (< LOQ-250 ng/L) and their presence implies the existence of a gateway to the Antarctica Peninsula from other regions. The data confirmed the presence of PFASs (< LOD-7500 ng/L) in this area, in agreement with previous studies. In light of these results, extended monitoring in Antarctica should be carried out to perform a reliable environmental risk assessment leading to propose recommendations to minimize the anthropic impact.

SlugIn 1.0: A Free Tool for Automated Slug Test Analysis.

The correct characterization of aquifer parameters is essential for water-supply and water-quality investigations. Slug tests are widely used for these purposes. While free software is available to interpret slug tests, some codes are not user-friendly, or do not include a wide range of methods to interpret the results, or do not include automatic, inverse solutions to the test data. The private sector has also generated several good programs to interpret slug test data, but they are not free of charge. The computer program SlugIn 1.0 is available online for free download, and is demonstrated to aid in the analysis of slug tests to estimate hydraulic parameters. The program provides an easy-to-use Graphical User Interface. SlugIn 1.0 incorporates automated parameter estimation and facilitates the visualization of several interpretations of the same test. It incorporates solutions for confined and unconfined aquifers, partially penetrating wells, skin effects, shape factor, anisotropy, high hydraulic conductivity formations and the Mace test for large-diameter wells. It is available in English and Spanish and can be downloaded from the web site of the Geological Survey of Spain. Two field examples are presented to illustrate how the software operates.

Concentrating solar power plants versus groundwater resources in Mediterranean areas of Spain: The environmental dilemma.

Concentrating solar power plants (CSPPs) are considered to be particularly respectful of the environment but under Mediterranean climate where surface water scarcity is a key issue, these types of electrical plants usually require groundwater for their cooling towers and use the same aquifers to discharge their salinized effluents. This study analyses de Spanish case, where fifteen out of the fifty active CSPPs use groundwater directly, four discharge their effluents to infiltration ponds and forty-three to surface watercourses most of which recharge underlying aquifers. The volume of water withdrawn and discharged varies greatly among similar plants. The salinity of the effluent exceeds 2.5 times that of the withdrawn water in half of the plants and it may alter the current or potential use of the water turning it unsuitable for drinking or even for irrigation. There is a risk that the impact on groundwater can be extended to related ecosystems such as wetlands. This can become a serious environmental problem, but specific impacts on groundwater are often overlooked in environmental impact assessments of CSPPs and no research on the matter has been reported so far. Other legal and political implications of CSPPs are further discussed.

Condicionamientos hidrogeológicos del Balneario de San Nicolás (Alhama de Almería, Sur de España) y su influencia en las características fisicoquímicas de sus aguas / Hydrogeological conditionings of the Baths of San Nicolás (Alhama de Almeria, South of Spain). Influence in the water physical and chemical characteristics

El balneario de San Nicolás se ubica en la localidad de Alhama de Almería, en la falda norte de la Sierra de Gádor, provincia de Almería, sureste de España. Constituye un balneario de aguas calientes de larga tradición histórica, como evidencian algunos de los restos romanos y árabes hallados en sus instalaciones y el entorno. El suministro de agua a los baños provenía originalmente de un manantial, que en el año 1552 desapareció como consecuencia de un importante terremoto con epicentro cercano a la población. En la actualidad, las aguas proceden de tres captaciones verticales, que perfora las rocas carbonáticas del Trías alpujárride, aflorantes en el monte Milano, en cuyas faldas septentrionales y orientales se desarrolla la población de Alhama. Hacia el valle del cercano río Andarax existen una serie de extensas plataformas travertínicas, relacionadas con el paleodrenaje natural de las aguas que alimentan los baños y de otros manantiales cercanos, alineados a lo largo de dos fallas normales de dirección N75ºE y N105ºE, que ponen en contacto las rocas carbonáticas triásicas del acuífero de la sierra de Gádor con los sedimentos miocenos y cuaternarios que rellenan la Depresión del Andarax. Este acuífero es explotado en otros lugares mediante sondeos profundos, con el nivel freático actual a más de cien metros por debajo de la superficie topográfica. Las aguas captadas y utilizadas por el balneario presentan una temperatura que supera los 40ºC, con una escasa mineralización, facies bicarbonatada‐sulfatada, cierta radioactividad y alto contenido en sulfatos y SiO2 (AU)

San Nicolás Health Spa is located in the town of Alhama de Almería, on the northern slope of the Sierra de Gádor, province of Almeria, South‐East of Spain. Is a spa of water hot of long historical tradition, as evidenced some of them Roman and Arab remains found. The supply of water to bathrooms came originally of a natural spring. In the year 1552 the spring disappeared as consequence of an important earthquake with epicenter close to the village. Currently, the waters are uploaded from three vertical wells located in the interior of a horizontal gallery. The gallery is built in the carbonatic Triassic rocks from Alpujárride Complex of the Milano mountain. The city of Alhama develops in North and East of the mountain. Toward the nearby valley of the Andarax River there are a series of large travertinic platforms, related to the natural paleo drainage of waters that feed the baths and other nearby springs, aligned along two normal faults with N75°E and N105°E orientations, which put in contact the rocks of Triassic carbonate aquifer of the sierra de Gádor with Miocene and Quaternary sediments that fill the Andarax Depression. This aquifer is exploited by deep drilling, and the piezometric surface is now a hundred metres below the surface topography. The spa waters have a temperature exceeding 40 ° C, with low mineralization, HCO3‐SO4 facies, some radioactivity and high content of SiO2 and sulfates (AU)

Comparison of Recharge Estimation Methods During a Wet Period in a Karst Aquifer.

Management of water resources, implying their appropriate protection, calls for a sound evaluation of recharge. Such assessment is very complex in karst aquifers. Most methods are developed for application to detrital aquifers, without taking into account the extraordinary heterogeneity of porosity and permeability of karst systems. It is commonly recommended to estimate recharge using multiple methods; however, differences inherent to the diverse methods make it difficult to clarify the accuracy of each result. In this study, recharge was estimated in a karst aquifer working in a natural regime, in a Mediterranean-type climate, in the western part of the Sierra de las Nieves (southern Spain). Mediterranean climate regions are characterized by high inter-annual rainfall variability featuring long dry periods and short intense wet periods, the latter constituting the most important contribution to aquifer water input. This paper aims to identify the methods that provide the most plausible range of recharge rate during wet periods. Six methods were tested: the classical method of Thornthwaite-Mather, the Visual Balan code, the chloride balance method, and spatially distributed methods such as APLIS, a novel spatiotemporal estimation of recharge, and ZOODRM. The results help determine valid methods for application in the rest of the unit of study and in similar karst aquifers.