TITLE:
Interaction between karstic aquifers and allogenic rivers: The aquifer of the national park of the ephemeral river Lobos Canyon (Spain)
AUTHORS:
Eugenio Sanz Pérez, Ignacio Menéndez Pidal, Rafael Segovia Rosales
KEYWORDS:
River-Aquifer Relationship. Water Balance; Natural Recharge; Karst Hydrology; Mediterranean Climate
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Science,
Vol.5 No.2A,
February
27,
2013
ABSTRACT:
A methodology is
described for understanding the interaction of karstic aquifers with allogenic
rivers, where little information is available. This methodology includes
conventional hydrogenology methods tracer tests and measurements of flow into,
out of and circulating within the karstic system. The method is designed to understand
the hydrogeological behaviour of a river in sufficient detail, given a short
study period. The methodology is applied to a karstic system in Spain,
obtaining useful, quantitative results for a hydrological year, such as an estimate
of the water balance, differentiation between autogenic and allogenic natural
recharge, relationship and connection between the river and the aquifer, and
measurements of infiltration capacity in watercourses under different hydrological
situations. The paper deals with a useful example that could be applied to
other rivers and aquifers where few data are available. It can be applied to
aquifers under a natural regime and Mediterranean climate.