Department of Environmental Sciences, Applied and Environmental Geology, University of Basel, Switzerland.
Endress+Hauser (Schweiz) AG, Reinach, Switzerland.
Sci Total Environ. 2018 Jun 1;625:403-415. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.272. Epub 2017 Dec 29.
The presented work illustrates to what extent field investigations as well as monitoring and modeling approaches are necessary to understand the high discharge dynamics and vulnerability of Karst springs. In complex settings the application of 3D geological models is essential for evaluating the vulnerability of Karst systems. They allow deriving information on catchment characteristics, as the geometry of aquifers and aquitards as well as their displacements along faults. A series of Karst springs in northwestern Switzerland were compared and Karst system dynamics with respect to qualitative and quantitative issues were evaluated. The main objective of the studies was to combine information of catchment characteristics and data from novel monitoring systems (physicochemical and microbiological parameters) to assess the intrinsic vulnerability of Karst springs to microbiological contamination with simulated spring discharges derived from numerical modeling (linear storage models). The numerically derived relation of fast and slow groundwater flow components enabled us to relate different sources of groundwater recharge and to characterize the dynamics of the Karst springs. Our study illustrates that comparably simple model-setups were able to reproduce the overall dynamic intrinsic vulnerability of several Karst systems and that one of the most important processes involved was the temporal variation of groundwater recharge (precipitation, evapotranspiration and snow melt). Furthermore, we make a first attempt on how to link intrinsic to specific vulnerability of Karst springs, which involves activities within the catchment area as human impacts from agriculture and settlements. Likewise, by a more detailed representation of system dynamics the influence of surface water, which is impacted by release events from storm sewers, infiltrating into the Karst system, could be considered. Overall, we demonstrate that our approach can be the basis for a more flexible and differentiated management and monitoring of raw-water quality of Karst springs.
本研究展示了在何种程度上，现场调查、监测和建模方法对于理解岩溶泉高排放动态和脆弱性是必要的。在复杂的环境中，应用三维地质模型对于评估岩溶系统的脆弱性至关重要。它们可以提供有关汇水特征的信息，如含水层和隔水层的几何形状以及它们沿断层的位移。本文比较了瑞士西北部的一系列岩溶泉，并评估了岩溶系统在定性和定量方面的动态。研究的主要目的是结合流域特征信息和新型监测系统（物理化学和微生物参数）的数据，利用数值模拟（线性存储模型）得出的模拟泉水排放来评估岩溶泉对微生物污染的固有脆弱性。数值推导得出的快速和慢速地下水流动分量之间的关系使我们能够将不同的地下水补给源联系起来，并描述岩溶泉的动态。我们的研究表明，相对简单的模型设置能够重现几个岩溶系统的整体动态固有脆弱性，其中最重要的过程之一是地下水补给的时间变化（降水、蒸散和雪融）。此外，我们首次尝试将岩溶泉的固有脆弱性与特定脆弱性联系起来，这涉及到集水区内的活动，如农业和人类定居点对环境的影响。同样，通过更详细地表示系统动态，可以考虑受雨水下水道排放事件影响的地表水对岩溶系统的渗透。总的来说，我们证明了我们的方法可以为岩溶泉原水水质的更灵活和差异化管理和监测提供基础。
