An attempt to explain the disappearance and decline in discharge rate of selected karst springs of the Opole region

Abstract

An at tempt to ex plain the dis ap pear ance and de cline in dis charge rate of se lected karst springs of the Opole re gion. Geo log i cal Quar terly, 68: 6; https://doi.org/10.7306/gq.1729 As so ci ate Ed i tor: Beata Jaworska-Szulc Sig nif i cant dis charge changes of karst springs, to the point of their dis ap pear ance, prompt re search into the causes as related both to cli mate change and to hu man-in duced fac tors. This anal y sis uses cli mate data from the last 70 years, pub li cations from the be gin ning of the 20th cen tury, bi en nial mea sure ments of the dis charge rate of six se lected springs over the last 40 years, and con sid er ations of mine drain age. An in crease in av er age air tem per a ture by 1.5°C in the last 30 years, a slight de crease in pre cip i ta tion and an al most qua dru pled in crease in ground wa ter ex trac tion in mines were re cog nised. Such a sig nif i cant in crease in mine-re lated ground wa ter ex trac tion sig nif i cantly af fects the springs' dis charge rate and the river network. Sig nif i cant mine drain age and ground wa ter ex trac tion are caus ing del e te ri ous changes to pre vi ously good-qual ity ground wa ter.