Main hydrological features and recharge analysis of the Caposele Spring catchment, southern Italy

Abstract

UDC 556.33(450.7) Francesco Fiorillo, Libera Esposito, Mauro Pagnozzi, Zoran Stevanović & Gerardo Ventafridda: Main hydrological features and recharge analysis of the Caposele Spring catchment, southern ItalyThe Caposele spring supplies with water the Puglia region (southern Italy) since the beginning of the twentieth century by a wide and long (about 400 km) gravity-aqueduct system. Systematic spring discharge measurements exist since 1920. The annual mean discharge of spring is about 4 m 3 /sec, the spring catchment of the of Mt. Cervialto karst massif is estimated on more than 100 km 2 . The spring regime is characterised by absence of abrupt peaks in the hydrographs; the flood period occurs in spring-summer time, and the minimum during the autumn-winter time. Thus, the regime is almost opposite that of rainfall which allows a convenient management of the source. The historical data have shown that spring discharge depends also on the hydrological conditions of the previous year because the ''memory effect" of aquifer. The recharge processes have been evaluated using a daily scale recharge model, calibrated on long term annual scale. The results allow to estimate the inertial behaviour of the aquifer, by the difference of recharged and discharged water volume during a hydrological year: after a wet year, an amount of water volume is retained into the aquifer and constitutes the surplus volume stored; after a dry year, the aquifer discharges a water volume higher than the recharged volume (a deficit in storage). Ventafridda: Glavne hidrološke značilnosti in analiza napajanja zaledja izvira Caposele, južna ItalijaIzvir Caposele je od začetka 20. stoletja glavni vodni vir Apulije (južna Italija). Voda je od izvira do mest gravitacijsko speljana po približno 400 km dolgem akvaduktu. Sistematične meritve pretoka potekajo od leta 1920, povprečni pretok izvira je 4 m 3 /s, območje napajanja je kraški masiv gore Cervialto s površino preko 100 km 2 . Značilnosti izvira so odsotnost izrazitih vrhov v pretočnem hidrogramu, visok pretok v pomladansko-poletnem času in nizek pretok v jesensko-zimskem obdobju. Režim pretoka izvira je skoraj obraten od padavin, kar omogoča preprosto upravljanje vodnega vira. Zgodovinski podatki kažejo, da je pretok odvisen od hidroloških razmer v predhodnem letu, kar je posledica velikega »spominskega učinka« vodonosnika. Napajanje sistema smo ocenili na podlagi dnevnega modela napajanja, umerjenega na dolgoročno letno obdobje. Z razliko med napajanjem in odtokom v hidrološkem letu, smo ocenili inercijsko obnašanja vodonosnika. Izkaže se, da se v letu z veliko padavinami presežek napajanja skladišči v vodonosniku, v suhem letu pa je volumen odtoka večji od volumna odtoka.

Earthquake-Induced Spring Discharge Modifications: The Pescara di Arquata Spring Reaction to the August–October 2016 Central Italy Earthquakes

“…The α coefficient for the 19 December 2016-6 February 2017 period refers to the first recession interval recorded after the 30 October 2016 Norcia mainshock. It can be observed that the average value of the Maillet depletion coefficient α before the Norcia 2016 seismic sequence was 6.35 × 10 −3 day −1 (standard deviation = 1.31 × 10 −3 day −1 ) and, unlike in other Apennine springs [52,53], the α values were similar even for highly different initial discharge (Q 0 ). On the contrary, since the first depletion period recorded after the 30 October 2016 Norcia earthquake, the α coefficient significantly increased, with an average value of 1.34 × 10 −2 day −1 (standard deviation = 2.11 × 10 −3 day −1 ), as it can be observed in Figure 5.…”

Analysis of the Recharge Area of the Perrot Spring (Aosta Valley) Using a Hydrochemical and Isotopic Approach

“…Mountain springs are one of the most strategic water resources in some parts of Italy [3][4][5]. In a typical high mountain environment, aquifers feed springs along the slopes [6].…”