Northern Velebit (Croatia) karst hydrological system: results of a preliminary 2H and 18O stable isotope study

Dalibor Paar,Andrej Stroj,Diana Mance,Mirja Pavić

doi:10.4154/gc.2019.15

Abstract

Researching the hydrogeological properties of karst systems is very challenging due to their ex- treme heterogeneity. A grey-box approach in karst res

Highlights

Dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolostone and gypsum, forms a special type of hydrogeological system, which is often reflected at the surface by the distinctive landscape known as karst
The results presented are of a preliminary 2H and 18O stable isotope study of the Northern Velebit karst system (Croatia) employing the grey-box approach
The paper presents the results of a preliminary stable isotope study of the waters of the Northern Velebit karst hydrological system

Summary

Introduction

Dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolostone and gypsum, forms a special type of hydrogeological system, which is often reflected at the surface by the distinctive landscape known as karst. Stable isotopes of water (2H and 18O) are analysed for several reasons, e.g. to explore recharge processes and reservoir mixing (LONG & PUTNAM, 2004; MALOSZEWSKI et al, 2002), to explore vadose water mixing, residence times and storage in non-conduit parts of karst systems (PALMER, 2010; MOERMAN et al, 2014; DÓŠA et al, 2011), to estimate mean recharge area elevations (BARBIERI et al, 2005; CHARIDEH & RAHMAN, 2007), etc. The black-box approach is often used in karst hydrogeological research. It is based on rainfall – spring discharge modelling and water quality relationships, which are usually insufficient to reveal all the complexity of the various processes that control groundwater flow through the karst underground. The grey-box approach to karst systems research, besides the input-output relations, employs additional data acquired directly from underground i.e. in caves. Grey-box mo dels are often more realistic and should be able to determine in more detail the system’s flow paths, linkages, stores, capacities, and throughput volumes than the black-box model (FORD & WILLIAMS, 2007)

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Results

Conclusion