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Abstract: A new method of interpretation of the hysteresis (discharge–salinity) during high water is proposed using the data recorded on coastal brackish karstic springs with salinity inversely proportional to the discharge. The method, based on the (seawater discharge–salinity) hysteresis, identifies the effect of the hydrodynamic changes on the flow and transport. Three phenomena are characterized: the emptying of the karstic conduit, the dilution by freshwater and the control of the seawater intrusion in the conduit by the hydraulic head variations. To cite this article: B. Arfib et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Coastal aquifers are subjected to natural seawater intrusion. Laboratory experiments were made to model the hydraulic conditions of saltwater inflow into a porous karstic conduit through which the freshwater flows. The conceptual model is based on the functioning scheme of the coastal karst system Almyros of Heraklion, Crete. The experiments show that seawater intrusion in a karst conduit can be diffuse, does not always lead to density separation of freshwater and seawater, and is not necessarily related to a conduit-network directly connected to the sea. To cite this article: B. Arfib, J. Ganoulis, C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]