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The study deals with the analyses of springs and wells at the base of Montepugliano Hill that represents the SE edge of the wide carbonate Matese massif (Campania, southern Italy). At the base of the hill, from west to east and for almost one kilometre, cold springs HCO3-Ca type (Grassano springs, ~ 4.5 m3/s; TDS: about 0.45 g/L) pass to hypothermal, HCO3-Ca type, sulphurous and CO2-rich springs (~ 1 m3/s with TDS > 1 g/L). Some of the latter are widely used inTelese SpaandCentro Relax Spa.Chemical and isotopic analyses carried out for this study support the hypothesis that all these waters (mineral and non-mineral) have the same catchment area, which is located in the Matese massif. As regards the sulphurous springs, they receive both meteoric waters infiltration and uprising of deeper waters rich in endogenous CO2and H2S gases through important faults systems. Far from these faults, the chemistry of groundwater is scarcely (or not at all) affected by these deep fluid enrichment processes. This scheme is very significant; in fact, when very important groundwater resources are present, it is possible to use both mineral waters in Spa and, in areas far from the faults, those not yet mineralized. Finally, at Montepugliano Hill, in the final stage of the flow path, groundwater is also affected by change in the microbiome: this could provide a basis for comparison between various mineral waters.

A hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical survey in the Cumae archaeological site (Phlegraean Fields, southern Italy) together with radon levels determination in groundwater have been carried out. The study was motivated by the fact that the site is often submerged by the outcrop of groundwater, threatening the integrity of ruins, and hence by the need to preserve such important archaeological park. The hydrostratigraphic and hydrogeological data revealed the presence of a multi-layered aquifer system, formed by a shallow unconfined and a deep semiconfined aquifer. The groundwater flow appeared to be strongly influenced by vertical and lateral lithological heterogeneity of volcanic-sedimentary deposits, as well as by groundwater pumping and drainage by surface micro-channel system. The dominant hydrochemical facies were Cl−-SO42 −-Na+-K+, HCO3−-Ca2 +-Mg2 + and HCO3− Na+-K+ types. These facies were affected by: i) dissolution and chemical weathering, ion exchange with volcanic-sedimentary deposits, ii) localized rise along faults and fractured zones of deep magmatic fluids highly mineralized, with outstanding levels of F−, 6.4 mg L− 1 in deep water and 3.3 mg L− 1 in shallow water, and 222Rn, 31,500 Bq m− 3 in deep water and 5400 Bq m− 3 in shallow water; iii) freshwater-saltwater interactions, induced by groundwater pumping.

In recent years, the critical zone (CZ) of catchments across the Mediterranean region has been influenced by rapid changes in both climate seasonality and land use/land cover. Rural ecosystems in southern Europe are experiencing prolonged droughts, seriously compromising water resources availability and crop yields whilst increasing the risk of wildfire occurrence. Rainy seasons are likely to be characterized by intense storms that trigger floods resulting in increasing damage severity. The negative effects of anthropogenic disturbance on hydrological ecosystem services can be tempered by demand-side adaptation options and appropriate investments to ensure water supply under drought conditions. To shed light on some of the scientific challenges related to these issues, a Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) has being established in the Alento River catchment. Although sampling campaigns and monitoring investigations have been carried out in this area for more than twenty-five years, a more systematic research program was recently started to take comprehensive measurements in representative sub-catchments of the study area. These sites are instrumented with advanced ground-based sensor network platforms that provide hydro-meteorological variables and fluxes in the groundwater-soil-vegetation-atmosphere system. Hydrological models of different complexity exploit the gathered dense information to assess the impact of land use and climate changes on key functions and services of the CZO in the Alento River catchment.

In semi-arid environments of the Near East water availability and soil fertility are limiting factors for crop growing and land use is locally adjusted to environmental features. In the last decades stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses on archaeobotanical cereal remains have been developed in order to reconstruct water and nutrient sources for grain filling. Diachronic studies on isotope records from single archaeological sites may help distinguish palaeoclimatic changes from human choices in agricultural practices, but they are actually missing. We have analysed 13C isotope discrimination (Δ13C) and N isotope composition (δ15N) on barley, emmer and wheat 14C-AMS dated grains from the archaeological site of Arslantepe, Malatya (South-Eastern Turkey). Our intent is to focus on the exceptionally long-term development of agricultural practices at the site from 4300 to 2000 BC. Stable isotope values of cereals show temporal trends in water supplies and manure application. Irrigation was provided to barley crops from 4300 to 3100 BC during the rise of centralised political organisation at the site. Different locations of barley fields are suggested from 3100 to 2000 BC when domestic economies are attested. In addition, the marked increase of barley δ15N values from 3350 to 3000 BC reveals manuring and/or cultivation in pasturelands due to the deposition of animal urea and dung. Wheat could have been grown close to the site, where irrigation water from natural springs was available. Emmer and wheat seem to have been cultivated in the same areas or directly in the same fields. During 3000–2500 BC intercropping cultivation is inferred by low δ15N values. The evidence of mixture crops confirms the increase of pasturelands during herders' occupations and the concentration of crop fields possibly around the site.

This study describes the tests carried out to measure the isotopic composition of Boron (B) in water samples by use of the magnetic spectrometer and accelerator of the Center for Isotopic Research on Cultural and Environmental heritage (CIRCE) of Italy. B was extracted from water samples to obtain Boric acid (B(OH)3), which was then analyzed. We quantified the precision of our experimental system and the variability introduced by the chemical extraction measuring chemically untreated and treated pure B(OH)3samples. We found an instrumental precision around 10‰ (1σ), but, by increasing the number of replicates (>30), we obtained a standard deviation of the mean (σerr) around 3‰ or lower. We also tested whether the chemical extraction caused isotopic fractionation and found a small fractionation (ε = 5 ± 4‰) of treated samples normalized against untreated ones, compatible with zero at 2σ. In order to avoid δ11B biases, we decided to normalize unknown treated samples with treated standards. Finally, we measured δ11B of seawater and groundwater samples to test the analytical method, and obtained values of 30 ± 6‰ and −4 ± 4‰ respectively. We conclude that our experimental system is only suitable when remarkable (>10‰) δ11B differences exist among water samples, but cannot be used to measure natural differences (