Ben Hamouda M. F., Tarhouni J., Leduc Christian, Zouari K. (2011). Understanding the origin of salinization of the Plio-quaternary eastern coastal aquifer of Cap Bon (Tunisia) using geochemical and isotope investigations. Environmental Earth Sciences, 63 (5), p. 889-901. ISSN 1866-6280.
Titre du document
Understanding the origin of salinization of the Plio-quaternary eastern coastal aquifer of Cap Bon (Tunisia) using geochemical and isotope investigations
Ben Hamouda M. F., Tarhouni J., Leduc Christian, Zouari K.
Source
Environmental Earth Sciences, 2011,
63 (5), p. 889-901 ISSN 1866-6280
As in many other semi-arid regions, the Plio-quaternary aquifer of the eastern coast of Cap Bon peninsula (NE Tunisia) shows a parallel increase in overexploitation and mineralization of groundwater resources and so the water quality is deteriorating. Different methods using geochemistry (ions Na+, Cl-, Ca2+, Mg2+, Br-) and stable isotopes (O-18, H-2) are compared with the hydrodynamic information for identifying the main processes involved in the increase of salinization. Along the coast, intrusion of seawater resulting from groundwater overexploitation is identified, but is not the only cause of qualitative degradation: the development of irrigation that induces soil leaching and transfer of fertilizers to groundwater over the whole aquifer extent is another major reason for the increase in salinization. A total of 48 groundwater wells were sampled to obtain additional information on the hydrochemical characteristics of the groundwater defined in previous studies.
