Groundwater characterization and potential impacts of agricultural activities in the Sers El Kef plain

Tunisia has very limited potential of surface and groundwater resources which are subject to different quantitative and qualitative forms of degradation. The risk of groundwater pollution results from the interaction between the vulnerability of aquifers to pollution and anthropogenic activities. Ou...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental forensics 2019-01, Vol.20 (1), p.66-76
Main Authors: Ben Romdhane, Abir, Hatira, Abdessatar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropogenic factors
Aquifers
Calcium
Contamination
Fertilizers
Groundwater
Groundwater pollution
Groundwater quality
Groundwater table
Human influences
Magnesium
nitrates
Physicochemical properties
Pollution
Pollution sources
Principal components analysis
Seafloor spreading
Sers
Sulphates
Vulnerability
Water analysis
Water pollution
Water quality
Water resources
Water sampling
Water table
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Summary:Tunisia has very limited potential of surface and groundwater resources which are subject to different quantitative and qualitative forms of degradation. The risk of groundwater pollution results from the interaction between the vulnerability of aquifers to pollution and anthropogenic activities. Our research focuses on the study of the Sers water table water quality (northwest Tunisia) following the inputs used for agricultural activities in the region. Water samples were extracted from 40 wells to analyze the main physicochemical parameter indicators of the groundwater quality. The results obtained show that these waters have two major facies: Na-Cl and Ca-Mg-SO 4 . The nitrate contents are relatively high suggesting that the agricultural activities are probably the most important anthropogenic source of water contamination. The results of the Standardized Principal Component Analysis (SPCA) confirm the geochemical methods and results and provide further information about the water quality of the Sers El Kef aquifer. In addition, the pollution degree differs from one site to another depending on the spreading rate of nitrogen fertilizers and the distance from the pollution source.
ISSN:1527-5922
1527-5930
DOI:10.1080/15275922.2019.1566290