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In a literature review of the recent advancements in mathematical hydrologic models applied in fractured karstic formations, we highlight the necessary improvements in the fluid dynamic equations that are commonly applied to the flow in a discrete fracture network (DFN) via channel network models. Fluid flow and pollutant transport modeling in karst aquifers should consider the simultaneous occurrence of laminar, nonlaminar, and turbulent fluxes in the fractures rather than the laminar flow by the cubic law that has been widely applied in the scientific literature. Some simulations show overestimations up to 75% of the groundwater velocity when non-laminar flows are neglected. Moreover, further model development is needed to address the issues of tortuosity of preferential saturated fluid flow in fractures suggesting adjustments of the size of the mean aperture in DFN models. During the past decade, DFN mathematical models have been significantly developed aimed at relating the three-dimensional structure of interconnected fractures within rocky systems to the specific fracture properties measurable on the rock outcrops with the use of reliefs, tracer/pumping tests, and geotechnical field surveys. The capabilities and limitations of previous reported hydrological models together with specific research advancements and findings in modeling equations are described herein. New software is needed for creating three-dimensional contour maps in fractured aquifers corresponding to the outputs of particle tracking simulations. Existing software based on the equivalent continuum or multiple-interacting continua cannot delineate the spread of pollutant migrations affected by the tortuous preferential flow pathways that occur in DFNs.
Costantino Masciopinto; Giuseppe Passarella; Maria C. Caputo; Rita Masciale; Lorenzo De Carlo. Hydrogeological Models of Water Flow and Pollutant Transport in Karstic and Fractured Reservoirs. Water Resources Research 2021, 57, 1 .
AMA StyleCostantino Masciopinto, Giuseppe Passarella, Maria C. Caputo, Rita Masciale, Lorenzo De Carlo. Hydrogeological Models of Water Flow and Pollutant Transport in Karstic and Fractured Reservoirs. Water Resources Research. 2021; 57 (8):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCostantino Masciopinto; Giuseppe Passarella; Maria C. Caputo; Rita Masciale; Lorenzo De Carlo. 2021. "Hydrogeological Models of Water Flow and Pollutant Transport in Karstic and Fractured Reservoirs." Water Resources Research 57, no. 8: 1.
Preferential pathways allow rapid and non-uniform water movement in the subsurface due to strong heterogeneity of texture, composition, and hydraulic properties. Understanding the importance of preferential pathways is crucial, because they have strong impact on flow and transport hydrodynamics in the unsaturated zone. Particularly, improving knowledge of the water dynamics is essential for estimating travel time through soil to quantify hazards for groundwater, assess aquifer recharge rates, improve agricultural water management, and prevent surface stormflow and flooding hazards. Small scale field heterogeneities cannot be always captured by the limited number of point scale measurements collected. In order to overcome these limitations, noninvasive geophysical techniques have been widely used in the last decade to predict hydrodynamic processes, due to their capability to spatialize hydrogeophysical properties with high resolution. In the test site located in Bari, Southern Italy, the geophysical approach, based on electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) monitoring, has been implemented to detect preferential pathways triggered by an artificial rainfall event. ERT-derived soil moisture estimations were obtained in order to quantitatively predict the water storage (m3m−3), water velocity (ms−1), and spread (m2) through preferential pathways by using spatial moments analysis.
Lorenzo De Carlo; Kimberlie Perkins; Maria Caputo. Evidence of Preferential Flow Activation in the Vadose Zone via Geophysical Monitoring. Sensors 2021, 21, 1358 .
AMA StyleLorenzo De Carlo, Kimberlie Perkins, Maria Caputo. Evidence of Preferential Flow Activation in the Vadose Zone via Geophysical Monitoring. Sensors. 2021; 21 (4):1358.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLorenzo De Carlo; Kimberlie Perkins; Maria Caputo. 2021. "Evidence of Preferential Flow Activation in the Vadose Zone via Geophysical Monitoring." Sensors 21, no. 4: 1358.
In the test site of Castellana Grotte (Southern Italy), since 2016, around 2300 m3d−1 of tertiary treated wastewater has been alternatively spread in nine infiltration trenches, dug into fractured and karstified limestone. In one of these trenches, located upstream, seasonal variations in the infiltration rate were observed, with a lower infiltration rate during summer than in winter. This effect could be due to the occurrence of a bioclogging phenomenon in the warm season. In addition, time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was carried out in two different periods, corresponding to the wet and dry seasons, in order to investigate the infiltration process dynamics below the bottom of the trench. Remarkable variability was observed between the south and north sides of the trench—clearly related to the local-scale heterogeneity of the rock formation of the trenches. The results suggest that such an integrated approach should be considered of great interest in case of using infiltration trenches as managed aquifer recharge (MAR) plants. This methodology could provide useful information about the heterogeneities of the rock formation, supporting an alert system for the identification of clogging effects during the life cycle of the plant.
Lorenzo De Carlo; Maria Clementina Caputo; Rita Masciale; Michele Vurro; Ivan Portoghese. Monitoring the Drainage Efficiency of Infiltration Trenches in Fractured and Karstified Limestone via Time-Lapse Hydrogeophysical Approach. Water 2020, 12, 2009 .
AMA StyleLorenzo De Carlo, Maria Clementina Caputo, Rita Masciale, Michele Vurro, Ivan Portoghese. Monitoring the Drainage Efficiency of Infiltration Trenches in Fractured and Karstified Limestone via Time-Lapse Hydrogeophysical Approach. Water. 2020; 12 (7):2009.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLorenzo De Carlo; Maria Clementina Caputo; Rita Masciale; Michele Vurro; Ivan Portoghese. 2020. "Monitoring the Drainage Efficiency of Infiltration Trenches in Fractured and Karstified Limestone via Time-Lapse Hydrogeophysical Approach." Water 12, no. 7: 2009.
The hydrological monitoring of springs is an auxiliary and indispensable tool that goes alongside investigations in wells to reconstruct a conceptual phenomenological model of an aquifer–groundwater system and its interactions with surface waters. There are manifold ways to carry out this monitoring, but the choice of which way is significant for a correct qualitative and quantitative knowledge of spring systems. The present work focuses on the characterization of the thermo-saline and flow regimes of the Tara spring system along the northern coast of Taranto (southern Italy), where a karst groundwater basin is the major source of the Tara River and the surrounding coastal wetland. A series of measurements was carried out on the spring system to support a technical feasibility study on the possible use of the brackish water of this river to feed a future desalination plant. To estimate the flow rate, a comparison was made between different flow measurement methods in a derivation channel. Through an analysis of the available dataset, the response of the aquifer to the autumn–winter recharge, for which updated hydrologic measurements were not available, is highlighted.
Ivan Portoghese; Rita Masciale; Maria C. Caputo; Lorenzo De Carlo; Daniela Malcangio. Combined Discharge and Thermo-Salinity Measurements for the Characterization of a Karst Spring System in Southern Italy. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3311 .
AMA StyleIvan Portoghese, Rita Masciale, Maria C. Caputo, Lorenzo De Carlo, Daniela Malcangio. Combined Discharge and Thermo-Salinity Measurements for the Characterization of a Karst Spring System in Southern Italy. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (8):3311.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIvan Portoghese; Rita Masciale; Maria C. Caputo; Lorenzo De Carlo; Daniela Malcangio. 2020. "Combined Discharge and Thermo-Salinity Measurements for the Characterization of a Karst Spring System in Southern Italy." Sustainability 12, no. 8: 3311.
In agricultural practices the huge demand on fresh water for irrigation, together with water scarcity, encourages the reuse of wastewater as a water resource. Integrated management of water resources by considering the efficient use of wastewater could result in fresh water saving. A field experiment was conducted to compare the effects of two irrigation water sources, brackish secondary treated wastewater and surface canal fresh water, on maize crop. During the irrigation cycle, soil water content distribution was estimated by means of time-lapse mode electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), soil electrical resistivity being highly sensitive to soil moisture and water salinity. The effects of the two water sources on the spatial-temporal distribution of ERT-derived soil moisture values were assessed, and different roots’ behaviors observed. Results show a decreased root water uptake with brackish irrigation water with respect to fresh water. This result implies an increase in water savings due to reduced crop water requirement, which has significant implications for economic and environmental management.
Lorenzo De Carlo; Adriano Battilani; Domenico Solimando; Maria Clementina Caputo. Application of time-lapse ERT to determine the impact of using brackish wastewater for maize irrigation. Journal of Hydrology 2019, 582, 124465 .
AMA StyleLorenzo De Carlo, Adriano Battilani, Domenico Solimando, Maria Clementina Caputo. Application of time-lapse ERT to determine the impact of using brackish wastewater for maize irrigation. Journal of Hydrology. 2019; 582 ():124465.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLorenzo De Carlo; Adriano Battilani; Domenico Solimando; Maria Clementina Caputo. 2019. "Application of time-lapse ERT to determine the impact of using brackish wastewater for maize irrigation." Journal of Hydrology 582, no. : 124465.
In recent years, geophysics is increasingly used to study the flow and transport processes in the vadose zone. Particularly, when the vadose zone is made up of rocks, it is difficult to install sensors in the subsurface to measure hydrological state variables directly. In these cases, the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) represents a useful tool to monitor the hydrodynamics of the infiltration and to estimate hydraulic parameters and state variables, such as hydraulic conductivity and water content. We propose an integrated approach aimed at predicting water content dynamics in calcarenite, a sedimentary carbonatic porous rock. The uncoupled hydrogeophysical approach proposed consists in 4D ERT monitoring conducted during an infiltrometer test under falling head conditions. Capacitance probes were installed to measure water content at different depths to validate the estimations derived from ERT. A numerical procedure, based on a data assimilation technique, was accomplished by combining the model (i.e., Richards’ equation) with the observations in order to provide reliable water content estimations. We have used a new data assimilation method that is easy to implement, based on the ensemble Kalman filter coupled with Brownian bridges. This approach is particularly suitable for strongly non-linear models, such as Richards’ equation, in order to take into account both the model uncertainty and the observation errors. The proposed data assimilation approach was tested for the first time on field data. A reasonable agreement was found between observations and predictions confirming the ability of the integrated approach to predict water content dynamics in the rocky subsoil.
Lorenzo De Carlo; Marco Berardi; Michele Vurro; Maria Clementina Caputo. Geophysical and hydrological data assimilation to monitor water content dynamics in the rocky unsaturated zone. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2018, 190, 310 .
AMA StyleLorenzo De Carlo, Marco Berardi, Michele Vurro, Maria Clementina Caputo. Geophysical and hydrological data assimilation to monitor water content dynamics in the rocky unsaturated zone. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 2018; 190 (5):310.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLorenzo De Carlo; Marco Berardi; Michele Vurro; Maria Clementina Caputo. 2018. "Geophysical and hydrological data assimilation to monitor water content dynamics in the rocky unsaturated zone." Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 190, no. 5: 310.
Aquifer over-exploitation may increase coastal seawater intrusion by reducing freshwater availability. Fractured subsurface formations commonly host important freshwater reservoirs along sea coasts. These water resources are particularly vulnerable to the contamination due to seawater infiltration occurring through rapid pathways via fractures. Modeling of density driven fluid flow in fractured aquifers is complex, as their hydrodynamics are controlled by interactions between preferential flow pathways, 3D interconnected fractures and rock-matrix porosity distribution. Moreover, physical heterogeneities produce highly localized water infiltrations that make the modeling of saltwater transport in such aquifers very challenging. The new approach described in this work provides a reliable hydrogeological model suitable to reproduce local advancements of the freshwater/saltwater wedge in coastal aquifers. The proposed model use flow simulation results to estimate water salinities in groundwater at a specific depth (1 m) below water table by means of positions of the Ghyben-Herzberg saltwater/freshwater sharp interface along the coast. Measurements of salinity in 25 boreholes (i.e., salinity profiles) have been used for the model calibration. The results provide the groundwater salinity map in freshwater/saltwater transition coastal zones of the Bari (Southern Italy) fractured aquifer. Non-invasive geophysical measurements in groundwater, particularly into vertical 2D vertical cross-sections, were carried out by using the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) in order to validate the model results. The presented integrated approach is very easy to apply and gives very realistic salinity maps in heterogeneous aquifers, without simulating density driven water flow in fractures.
Costantino Masciopinto; Isabella Serena Liso; Maria Clementina Caputo; Lorenzo De Carlo. An Integrated Approach Based on Numerical Modelling and Geophysical Survey to Map Groundwater Salinity in Fractured Coastal Aquifers. Water 2017, 9, 875 .
AMA StyleCostantino Masciopinto, Isabella Serena Liso, Maria Clementina Caputo, Lorenzo De Carlo. An Integrated Approach Based on Numerical Modelling and Geophysical Survey to Map Groundwater Salinity in Fractured Coastal Aquifers. Water. 2017; 9 (11):875.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCostantino Masciopinto; Isabella Serena Liso; Maria Clementina Caputo; Lorenzo De Carlo. 2017. "An Integrated Approach Based on Numerical Modelling and Geophysical Survey to Map Groundwater Salinity in Fractured Coastal Aquifers." Water 9, no. 11: 875.
The interest in the low-enthalpy geothermal resources is growing, owing to its wide availability, and the possibility of overcoming the problems related to energy storage. Among the low-enthalpy plants, the installation in coastal areas of the open-loop groundwater heat pump (GWHP) systems, that use groundwater as the geothermal fluid, is particularly attractive because of the presence of shallow aquifers. Nevertheless, these aquifers are often affected by seawater intrusion, so strict monitoring before GWHP installation is needed to check the feasibility of the plant. This work reports a detailed quali-quantitative characterization of a costal aquifer, in Southern Italy, for its exploitation as a very low enthalpy geothermal resource. The main groundwater parameters were monitored to assess the groundwater suitability to be used as geothermal fluid. A long-term pumping test, simulating the designed open-loop GWHP system, was performed to evaluate its potential impact on seawater intrusion. The results revealed that the open-loop GWHP plant do not affect the quali-quantitative equilibrium of the studied coastal aquifer. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that the used methodological approach is proper for the early assessment of the feasibility of the GWHP plant without affecting the seawater intrusion processes, and with minimum impact.
Rita Masciale; Lorenzo De Carlo; Maria Clementina Caputo. Impact of a very low enthalpy plant on a costal aquifer: a case study in Southern Italy. Environmental Earth Sciences 2015, 74, 2093 -2104.
AMA StyleRita Masciale, Lorenzo De Carlo, Maria Clementina Caputo. Impact of a very low enthalpy plant on a costal aquifer: a case study in Southern Italy. Environmental Earth Sciences. 2015; 74 (3):2093-2104.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRita Masciale; Lorenzo De Carlo; Maria Clementina Caputo. 2015. "Impact of a very low enthalpy plant on a costal aquifer: a case study in Southern Italy." Environmental Earth Sciences 74, no. 3: 2093-2104.
Electrical resistivity methods are widely used for environmental applications, and they are particularly useful for the characterization and monitoring of sites where the presence of contamination requires a thorough understanding of the location and movement of water, that can act as a carrier of solutes. One such application is landfill studies, where the strong electrical contrasts between waste, leachate and surrounding formations make electrical methods a nearly ideal tool for investigation. In spite of the advantages, however, electrical investigation of landfills poses also challenges, both logistical and interpretational. This paper presents the results of a study conducted on a dismissed landfill, close to the city of Corigliano d'Otranto, in the Apulia region (Southern Italy). The landfill is located in an abandoned quarry, that was subsequently re-utilized about thirty years ago as a site for urban waste disposal. The waste was thought to be more than 20 m thick, and the landfill bottom was expected to be confined with an HDPE (high-density poli-ethylene) liner. During the digging operations performed to build a nearby new landfill, leachate was found, triggering an in-depth investigation including also non-invasive methods. The principal goal was to verify whether the leachate is indeed confined, and to what extent, by the HDPE liner. We performed both surface electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and mise-à-la-masse (MALM) surveys, facing the severe challenges posed by the rugged terrain of the abandoned quarry complex. A conductive body, probably associated with leachate, was found as deep as 40 m below the current landfill surface i.e. at a depth much larger than the expected 20 m thickness of waste. Given the logistical difficulties that limit the geometry of acquisition, we utilized synthetic forward modeling in order to confirm/dismiss interpretational hypotheses emerging from the ERT and MALM results. This integration between measurements and modeling helped narrow the alternative interpretations and strengthened the confidence in results, confirming the effectiveness of non-invasive methods in landfill investigation and the importance of modeling in the interpretation of geophysical results.
Lorenzo De Carlo; Maria Teresa Perri; Maria Clementina Caputo; Rita Deiana; Michele Vurro; Giorgio Cassiani. Characterization of a dismissed landfill via electrical resistivity tomography and mise-à-la-masse method. Journal of Applied Geophysics 2013, 98, 1 -10.
AMA StyleLorenzo De Carlo, Maria Teresa Perri, Maria Clementina Caputo, Rita Deiana, Michele Vurro, Giorgio Cassiani. Characterization of a dismissed landfill via electrical resistivity tomography and mise-à-la-masse method. Journal of Applied Geophysics. 2013; 98 ():1-10.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLorenzo De Carlo; Maria Teresa Perri; Maria Clementina Caputo; Rita Deiana; Michele Vurro; Giorgio Cassiani. 2013. "Characterization of a dismissed landfill via electrical resistivity tomography and mise-à-la-masse method." Journal of Applied Geophysics 98, no. : 1-10.