GIS database of groundwater flow characteristics in carbonate aquifers: Tracer test inventory from Slovenian karst

Abstract

Karst aquifers that supply manifold ecosystem services, such as freshwater resources, and possess unique underground biodiversity are characterized by peculiar flow processes and are thus particularly susceptible to destruction. Their efficient protection is based on artificial tracing results that are usually scattered among different sources. In the case of Slovenia, the results of 231 available tracer tests, performed between 1905 and 2019, have been assembled, arranged and georeferenced. The inventory of the geospatial database, which is unique on a global scale, contains 36 different pieces of data for each tracing that have been compiled using geographic information system tools. In this study, the basic concepts, the step-by-step workflow and a detailed mapping procedure have been presented. The thorough collection of available data that is freely accessible online includes data on the date, location and details of implementation of the tracer test and on the identified groundwater flow characteristics. Also available are the sources of the published or unpublished reports from which the data were taken. The database includes a comment on the tracer test implementation or results. The inventory is very useful in the process of the integrated management of karst water sources, and especially as an early-warning and monitoring system tool in cases where there is an imminent danger of pollution, which requires a fast and accurate response. The database production is transferable to other karst-rich countries.