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Boumaiza L, Walter J, Chesnaux R, Stotler RL, Wen T, Johannesson KH, Brindha K, Huneau F. Chloride-salinity as indicator of the chemical composition of groundwater: empirical predictive model based on aquifers in Southern Quebec, Canada. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:59414-59432. [PMID: 35386077 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19854-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The present study first describes the variations in concentrations of 12 chemical elements in groundwater relative to salinity levels in Southern Quebec (Canada) groundwater systems, and then uses this data to develop an empirical predictive model for evaluating groundwater chemical composition relative to salinity levels. Data is drawn from a large groundwater chemistry database containing 2608 samples. Eight salinity classes were established from lowest to highest chloride (Cl) concentrations. Graphical analyses were applied to describe variations in major, minor, and trace element concentrations relative to salinity levels. Results show that the major elements were found to be dominant in the lower salinity classes, whereas Cl becomes dominant at the highest salinity classes. For each of the major elements, a transitional state was identified between domination of the major elements and domination of Cl. This transition occurred at a different level of salinity for each of the major elements. Except for Si, the minor elements Ba, B, and Sr generally increase relative to the increase of Cl. The highest Mn concentrations were found to be associated with only the highest levels of Cl, whereas F was observed to be more abundant than Mn. Based on this analysis of the data, a correlation table was established between salinity level and concentrations of the chemical constituents. We thus propose a predictive empirical model, identifying a profile of the chemical composition of groundwater relative to salinity levels, to help homeowners and groundwater managers evaluate groundwater quality before resorting to laborious and costly laboratory analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lamine Boumaiza
- Département Des Sciences Appliquées, Université du Québec À Chicoutimi, Saguenay, QC, G7H 2B1, Canada.
- Centre d'études Sur Les Ressources Minérales, Groupe de Recherche Risque Ressource Eau, Université du Québec À Chicoutimi, Saguenay, QC, G7H 2B1, Canada.
| | - Julien Walter
- Département Des Sciences Appliquées, Université du Québec À Chicoutimi, Saguenay, QC, G7H 2B1, Canada
- Centre d'études Sur Les Ressources Minérales, Groupe de Recherche Risque Ressource Eau, Université du Québec À Chicoutimi, Saguenay, QC, G7H 2B1, Canada
| | - Romain Chesnaux
- Département Des Sciences Appliquées, Université du Québec À Chicoutimi, Saguenay, QC, G7H 2B1, Canada
- Centre d'études Sur Les Ressources Minérales, Groupe de Recherche Risque Ressource Eau, Université du Québec À Chicoutimi, Saguenay, QC, G7H 2B1, Canada
| | - Randy L Stotler
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2T 0A4, Canada
| | - Tao Wen
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Karen H Johannesson
- School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, 02125, USA
| | - Karthikeyan Brindha
- Hydrogeology Group, Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, 12249, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frédéric Huneau
- Département d'Hydrogéologie, Université de Corse Pascal Paoli, Campus Grimaldi, 20250, Corte, France
- UMR 6134, SPE, CNRS, BP 52, 20250, Corte, France
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Novel Water Retention and Nutrient Management Technologies and Strategies Supporting Agricultural Water Management in Continental, Pannonian and Boreal Regions. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14091486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Urgent water and food security challenges, particularly in continental and boreal regions, need to be addressed by initiatives such as the Horizon 2020-funded project WATer retention and nutrient recycling in soils and streams for improved AGRIcultural production (WATERAGRI). A new methodological framework for the sustainable management of various solutions resilient to climate change has been developed. The results indicate that the effect of the climate scenario is significantly different for peatlands and constructed wetlands. The findings also highlight that remote-sensing-based yield prediction models developed from vegetation indices have the potential to provide quantitative and timely information on crops for large regions or even at the local farm scale. Verification of remotely sensed data is one of the prerequisites for the proper utilization and understanding of data. Research shows that current serious game applications fall short due to challenges such as not clarifying the decision problem, the lack of use of decision quality indicators and limited use of gaming. Overall, WATERAGRI solutions improve water and food security by adapting agriculture to climate change, recycling nutrients and providing educational tools to the farming community. Farmers in small agricultural catchments benefit directly from WATERAGRI, but over the long-term, the general public does as well.
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