Large scale groundwater flow and hexavalent chromium transport modeling under current and future climatic conditions: the case of Asopos River Basin

Zoi Dokou; Vasiliki Karagiorgi; George P Karatzas; Nikolaos P Nikolaidis; Nicolas Kalogerakis

doi:10.1007/s11356-015-5771-1

Large scale groundwater flow and hexavalent chromium transport modeling under current and future climatic conditions: the case of Asopos River Basin

Zoi Dokou, Vasiliki Karagiorgi, George P Karatzas, Nikolaos P Nikolaidis Nicolas Kalogerakis

Environmental science and pollution research international, Vol.23(6), pp.5307-5321

03/2016

: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5771-1

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12741/rep:5662

: 26564185

Greece

Hydrology - methods

Models, Theoretical

Climate Change

Rivers - chemistry

Environmental Monitoring - methods

Chromium - chemistry

Water Movements

Chromium - analysis

In recent years, high concentrations of hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), have been observed in the groundwater system of the Asopos River Basin, raising public concern regarding the quality of drinking and irrigation water. The work described herein focuses on the development of a groundwater flow and Cr(VI) transport model using hydrologic, geologic, and water quality data collected from various sources. An important dataset for this goal comprised an extensive time series of Cr(VI) concentrations at various locations that provided an indication of areas of high concentration and also served as model calibration locations. Two main sources of Cr(VI) contamination were considered in the area: anthropogenic contamination originating from Cr-rich industrial wastes buried or injected into the aquifer and geogenic contamination from the leaching process of ophiolitic rocks. The aquifer's response under climatic change scenario A2 was also investigated for the next two decades. Under this scenario, it is expected that rainfall, and thus infiltration, will decrease by 7.7 % during the winter and 15 % during the summer periods. The results for two sub-scenarios (linear and variable precipitation reduction) that were implemented based on A2 show that the impact on the study aquifer is moderate, resulting in a mean level decrease less than 1 m in both cases. The drier climatic conditions resulted in higher Cr(VI) concentrations, especially around the industrial areas.

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url

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5771-1

Published (Version of record)

: Large scale groundwater flow and hexavalent chromium transport modeling under current and future climatic conditions: the case of Asopos River Basin
: Zoi Dokou - Technical University of Crete, School of Environmental Engineering, University Campus, Chania, 73100, Greece. zoi.dokou@enveng.tuc.gr
Vasiliki Karagiorgi - Technical University of Crete, School of Environmental Engineering, University Campus, Chania, 73100, Greece
George P Karatzas - Technical University of Crete, School of Environmental Engineering, University Campus, Chania, 73100, Greece
Nikolaos P Nikolaidis - Technical University of Crete, School of Environmental Engineering, University Campus, Chania, 73100, Greece
Nicolas Kalogerakis - Technical University of Crete, School of Environmental Engineering, University Campus, Chania, 73100, Greece
: Civil Engineering Department
: Germany
: 03/2016
: 99257847435101671; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12741/rep:5662; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5771-1
: English