Search

As our planet faces the complex challenges of global climate change, understanding and effectively communicating critical environmental indicators have become critical. This study explores the importance of reporting groundwater temperature data as a key component in understanding the broader implications of climate change with the use of new graphical tools. More specifically, the use of the groundwater temperature (GWT) stripes and bi-plots of GWT anomalies vs. time was proposed. For an in-depth examination of this subject, monitoring wells situated in the Piedmont Po plain (NW Italy) were selected, with available daily groundwater temperature data dating back to 2010. All data refer to the groundwater of the shallow unconfined aquifer within alluvial deposits. From the analyses of both GWT stripes and the bi-plot of GWT anomalies vs. time, it was possible to identify a general increase in the positive anomaly, corresponding to an increase in GWT in time in almost all of the monitoring points of the Piedmont plain. Furthermore, the utilisation of GWT stripes demonstrated the capability to effectively portray the trend of the GWT data relative to a specific point in a readily understandable manner, facilitating easy interpretation, especially when communicating to a non-scientific audience. The findings underline the urgent need to improve GWT data search and communication strategies to disseminate valuable information to policy makers, researchers, and society. By illustrating the intricate interplay between groundwater temperature and climate change, this research aims to facilitate informed decision-making and promote a proactive approach towards climate resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper represents the first regional-scale investigation in the Piedmont Po plain about the relationship between groundwater temperature (GWT) and climate variability. The understanding of relationships between air temperature (AT) and GWT is really important, especially in the context of global climate change. The aim of this investigation is to study the relationship between GWT and AT over a 10-year time period (from 2010 to 2019) to analyse how these two parameters interrelate and to evaluate possible trends. To carry out this study, basic statistic interpolations were performed on both parameters to facilitate comparison. Both AT and GWT showed an increase over the observed decade with a more pronounced growth of the AT; this allow to state that GWT is more resilient to climate change than AT. However, some areas in the Piedmont plain showed a behaviour that partially deviated from the standard trend observe for the majority of the region. These areas were influenced by particular anthropic factors (for example the paddy fields in the Novara plain) or natural elements (as the monitoring wells in the "Canavese" area, located downstream of melting glaciers, or the wells located close to the Tanaro River). Moreover, this study wanted to stress the importance of the knowledge of the localization in wells of the instruments for the GWT measurement, to have the most accurate and comparable data. It was proved that as the depth increased, the maximum and minimum peaks of the GWT shifted in time respect to the maximum and minimum peaks of the AT, and, in addition, the GWT fluctuation in the bottom part of the aquifer was milder than the fluctuation observed in the most superficial part. Further investigations will be conducted in future in Piedmont plain areas with different behavior, in order to better understand their dynamics and the factors that may influence GWT and how they are affected by climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We predicted the global warming effects on the stygofauna of Murgia–Salento karstic groundwaters in Italy for 2050, which contribute to a biodiversity loss assessment in the climate change context. For quantitative impact estimations, we defined a local resilience score (LRS) for sampled species between 2018 and 2021. A resilience model equation of the stygobiont species conservation was obtained from a surface best-fit of the assigned LRS and the corresponding values of independent variables describing the environmental quality of monitored habitats and LRS. The principal components of the correlation between the monitored variables and LRS were obtained via factor analysis. Three-dimensional surface maps of stygofauna species resilience (SSR) were constructed to visualize and quantitatively compare the biodiversity loss of species assemblages owing to environmental and habitat quality modifications. The proposed SSR model was applied to the sampled stygofauna, and the decrease in local species resilience for 2050 was predicted. Independent variable factors were updated for 2050 to consider increases of up to 2 °C and 0.04 mS/cm in groundwater temperature and electric conductance observed for 2021. The SSR model results predicted a high impact on the resilience of Parastenocaris cf. orcina (80%), newly retrieved Crustacea Copepod Cyclopidae gen 1 sp 1, and three other stygobites (~50%). The resilience of Metacyclops stammeri had minor impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Groundwater is a crucial resource for humans and the environment, but its global human demand currently exceeds available volumes by 3.5 times. Climate change is expected to exacerbate this situation by increasing the frequency of droughts along with human impacts on groundwater ecosystems. Despite prior research on the quantitative effects of climate change on groundwater, the direct impacts on groundwater biodiversity, especially obligate groundwater species, remain largely unexplored. Therefore, investigating the potential impacts of climate change, including groundwater temperature changes, is crucial for the survival of obligate groundwater species. This study aimed to determine the thermal niche breadth of the crustacean amphipod species Niphargus longicaudatus by using the chronic method. We found that N. longicaudatus has a wide thermal niche with a natural performance range of 7–9 °C, which corresponds to the thermal regime this species experiences within its distribution range in Italy. The observed range of preferred temperature (PT) was different from the mean annual temperature of the sites from which the species has been collected, challenging the idea that groundwater species are only adapted to narrow temperature ranges. Considering the significant threats of climate change to groundwater ecosystems, these findings provide crucial information for the conservation of obligate groundwater species, suggesting that some of them may be more resilient to temperature changes than previously thought. Understanding the fundamental thermal niche of these species can inform conservation efforts and management strategies to protect groundwater ecosystems and their communities. [Display omitted] • Niphargus longicaudatus has a wide thermal range of 7–9 °C. • The preferred thermal range of N. longicaudatus matches with its Italian distribution. • Niphargus species may be more resilient to temperature changes than previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low annual and seasonal variability of the shallow groundwater temperature in the alluvial plain aquifers of the Piemonte region (NW Italy) confirmed the potentiality of the low-enthalpy open-loop groundwater heat pumps (GWHP) diffusion to contribute to the reduction of regional greenhouse gas emissions. The distribution of mean groundwater temperatures ranged from a minimum of 10.3°C to a maximum of 17.9°C with a mean of 14.0°C. Differences among diverse areas were slight according with the modest variations in the general climatic condition. Like the air, temperature distribution of the shallow groundwater temperatures is generally similar to topographic elevations in reverse manner. Higher temperature values recorded were typical of summer months (June, July). On the opposite lower values were measured in January and February. No significant difference phase (time) difference between air and groundwater temperature appeared in the data analysis. Besides air-temperature influence (seasonal variability) seemed strictly connected to the depth to groundwater in the measure point and it was negligible when the value was over 9.5 m. For the application of the open-loop systems, extensive examinations of the hydrogeological local conditions should be conducted at site scale and groundwater heat transport modelling should be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea water intrusion (SWI) has been widely recognized as a global problem, significantly influencing coastal aquifers, mostly through reduced water quality and agricultural production indicators. In this paper, we present the outcomes of the implementation of two independent real-time monitoring systems, planned and installed to get insights on groundwater dynamics within the adjacent coastal aquifer systems, one located in the Neretva Valley, southeastern Croatia, the other located south of the Venice lagoon, northeastern Italy. Both systems are presented with technical details and the capacity to observe, store, and transmit (Neretva site) observed values in real-time. Analysis of time series reveals the significant influence of the sea level oscillations onto the observed groundwater electrical conductivity (EC) and piezometric head values, while precipitation rate is detected as a driving mechanism for groundwater parameters in shallow geological units. The installed monitoring systems are shown to be of great importance to provide qualitative and quantitative information on the processes influencing groundwater and surface water dynamics within two coastal systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High resolution assessment of shallow geothermal potential of a highly urbanized area. • Hierarchic classification of stratigraphic logs for hydro-thermo-geologic properties. • Climatic and aquifer temperature data to derive heating and cooling potential. • Deliverable thermal power obtained for closed- and open-loop solutions. • Comparison with the non-renewable thermal energy consumed by the municipalities. The Milan Metropolitan Area is one of the most densely populated regions in Italy and Europe and, consequently, has an extremely high thermal power demand. In this study a regional scale assessment of the potential of a shallow alluvial aquifer to host low enthalpy geothermal systems is presented. The study area lies on a layered phreatic aquifer complex and presents advantageous hydrogeological characteristics that make low enthalpy geothermal supply an attractive heating/cooling solution from a carbon footprint and an economical point of view. In this context, different analytical solutions were used to estimate the thermal potential of closed- and open-loop systems based on the distribution of hydraulic and thermal parameters of the shallow aquifers. The thermal potential of closed-loop systems (ground-coupled heat pumps - GCHP) was estimated through the ASHRAE analytical equation considering the hydraulic and thermal parameters of the ground, the groundwater temperature, and the characteristics of the system. The thermal potential of open-loop systems (groundwater heat pumps - GWHP) was estimated by considering the local regulation on the abstraction and the conservation of the quantity and the quality of the groundwater as well as preventing excessive groundwater table drawdown or rising and thermal short-circuit. The results were compared with heat demand rates of the buildings in the municipalities of the study area and, finally, the most profitable shallow geothermal system configuration is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal waters of the Island of Ischia, an active volcano located in Southern Italy, are widely used for supplying numerous spas. Groundwater withdrawals occur mainly through wells in the coastal strip. This study explores the impact of withdrawals on the quality of the waters used in thermal facilities, which is required to be constant in terms of composition and temperature by law. For this purpose, specific investigations were conducted including 155 pumping tests, 124 water temperature measurements during pumping tests, 31 temperature and electrical conductivity logs and periodic chemical analysis of the waters of 21 selected wells. By comparing the response to pumping of the aquifer and the quality of the water extracted from the wells, it turned out that the quality of groundwater supplying spas depends not only on natural phenomena (meteoric recharge, seawater intrusion, and rising of deep hydrothermal fluids) but also relies on the island sector where groundwater is pumped and on the pumping method. The distance of the wells from the coast, the type of aquifer formation intersected by the wells, and the field of groundwater temperature of the hydrothermal system strongly affect the aquifer pumping response, determining the quality of water extracted from wells and its variation over time. In Ischia, techniques and regimes of groundwater withdrawals should adapt to the local aquifer pumping response, more than in another hydrogeological context. The concomitant analysis of drawdown, water temperature, and salinity during pumping turned out to be a valuable tool to define the sustainable yield of the single well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]