Sea salt aerosol groundwater salinization in the Litorale Romano Natural Reserve (Rome, Central Italy)

Abstract

A yearly survey in a piezometric network was realized in the Litorale Romano Natural Reserve (Rome, Central Italy), collecting water table and chemo-physical data. Monthly chemo-physical surveys highlighted a groundwater salinization variability in a coastal unconfined aquifer. The aquifer is mostly composed by aeolian sands of a still preserved dune ridge environment, on which a pine forest develops. The groundwater salinity variability resulted is connected to the wind pattern and rainfalls. In fact, wind speed higher than 4 m/s is responsible for generating sea salt aerosols (SSA) from sea surface. A statistical analysis was performed for wind with a speed higher than 4 m/s, to detect wind orientation. The dry deposition of SSA on the tree foliage appeared correlated to the westerly winds, blowing in the springtime. When the rainy season occurs, the SSA is washed out from the trees and it is directed to groundwater, where an enhancement of the Electrical Conductivity (EC) values is noticed. Whenever rain events occur and winds are not westerly, a dilution of groundwater salinity takes place and consequently a reduction of EC. Chemical analyzes were realized as well. They confirmed that groundwater of piezometers located close to the coast line is enriched of SSA elements

Residence time, mineralization processes and groundwater origin within a carbonate coastal aquifer with a thick unsaturated zone

“…The isotopic composition of groundwater is clearly different from the sea water composition analysed in the Strait of Bonifacio (1.07 for δ 18 O and 4.78 for δ 2 H). The Cl -and Na + concentrations and the high EC of the groundwater is more in agreement with a coastal situation influenced by the seas sprays as for Spanish and Portuguese coastal aquifers (Alcala and Custodio, 2008;Cruz et al, 2011) and many others Mediterranean coastal aquifers (Bouzourra et al, 2015;Dazy et al, 1997;Ghabayen et al, 2006;Manca et al, 2015).…”

Protohistoric briquetage at Puntone (Tuscany, Italy): principles and processes of an industry based on the leaching of saline lagoonal sediments

“…This is not surprising since Na and Cl are highly mobile elements that are easily leached by infiltrating water. Moreover, in Mediterranean coastal areas salt-spray has a strong impact on the chemical composition of infiltrating water (Manca, Capelli, & Tuccimei, 2015), an impact that is neglected as a potential cause of relatively high Cl (and Na) concentrations currently found in these ceramics. In conclusion, we believe that the focus on residual Cl is not particularly useful as a means to better understand the processes involved.…”

Avaliação de processos naturais de salinização de águas subterrâneas na porção leste da bacia do rio Cachoeira, Bahia

“…SALAMA et al 1999, RE & SACCHI 2017, NOGUEIRA et al 2019. A salinização de aquíferos é um processo no qual a concentração de sais é incrementada em razão de fatores antrópicos ou naturais (MANCA et al 2015). Dentre os processos que governam a salinização de águas subterrâneas merecem destaque a evaporação/evapotranspiração, a interação rocha-água, os processos de irrigação e as intrusões salinas promovidas pela exploração excessiva de água subterrânea (SALAMA et al 1999, KIM et al 2003, HUMPHRIES et al 2011, BOUZOURRA et al 2015, MANCA et al 2015, WALTER et al 2017, RE & SACHI 2017, NOGUEIRA et al 2019.…”

“…Uma possível fonte de sais em aquíferos rasos é a deposição seca, proveniente de aerossóis transportados a partir de correntes atmosféricas (MCDOWEEL et al 1990, HARA et al 2004, MANCA et al 2015. Outra fonte, representada pela interação da água subterrânea com a rocha, pode promover incrementos expressivos na concentração de sais dissolvidos em águas subterrâneas (TIZRO & VOUDOURIS 2008, YOUSIF & EL-AASSAR 2018, ADIMALLA& LI 2019.…”