Assessing different methods to quantify Submarine Groundwater Discharge

Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) is recognized as a major source of water and solutes to the coastal ocean, and it is particularly relevant in arid or semi-arid zones. SGD is generally defined as the flow of groundwater from continental margins to the coastal ocean, including thus both fresh groundwater from aquifer recharge and seawater recirculation through the coastal aquifer. Due to its high heterogeneity both in space and time, SGD is difficult to detect and quantify. As a consequence, numerous methods to study SGD have been developed over the last decades. These approaches mainly include hydrogeological approaches, geophysical techniques, direct seepage measurements, and the use of geochemical tracers. Each method presents its challenges, limitations, and advantages and each one works on different spatial and temporal scales, thus targeting different components of SGD. Therefore, comparing SGD studies with estimates derived from different methods is often complex and misleading if the characteristics and assumptions of each quantification technique are not taken into account. This highlights the need to conduct studies comparing SGD derived from different methods, not only to obtain more accurate SGD estimates but also to obtain instrumental information on the characteristics of the estimated fluxes. To this aim, a combined use of different approaches to estimate SGD was applied in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon (Mar Menor, Spain), including direct measurements with seepage meters, radium isotopes, and radon mass balance, 224Ra/228Th disequilibrium in coastal sediments, radon vertical profiles in porewater sediments, and hydrologic modeling. Mar Menor is Europe's biggest saline coastal lagoon, and it is connected to a highly anthropized quaternary aquifer. In this coastal system, SGD is likely playing a major role in the eutrophication of the lagoon. However, despite the economic and biological importance of this lagoon, data about this system is still incomplete, and mostly only hydrological modeling has been performed.

Data and Resources

Cite as

Rodriguez-Puig J. Rodellas V. Diego-Feliu M.…. Assessing different methods to quantify Submarine Groundwater Discharge. EGU General Assembly, 2023. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-12823

Clipboard Icon
Retrieved: 22 Jan 2025 17:52:17
RIS BibTeX

Metadata
Download
DCAT-AP/NTI-RISP

Basic information
Resource type Article
Date of creation 2024-11-05
Date of last revision 2025-01-22
Show changelog
Metadata identifier 5bde06ea-2eae-551e-a534-b25bccfd9ad1
Metadata language Spanish
Themes (NTI-RISP)
High-value dataset category Earth observation and environment
ISO 19115 topic category biota
Keyword URIs
Bibliographic information
Name of the dataset creator Rodriguez-Puig, J., Rodellas, V., Diego-Feliu, M.,…
Name of the dataset editor EGU General Assembly
Other identifier DOI: 10.5194/egusphere-egu23-12823, 2023.
Identifier of the dataset creator
Email of the dataset creator Julia.rodriguez@uab.cat
Website of the dataset creator
Provenance
Lineage statement
Metadata Standard
Version notes
Version