The Bajo Guadalhorce coastal aquifers (Málaga, Spain): five decades of human induced evolution

Abstract

This work makes a synthesis of the hydrogeological knowledge acquired from different works from the decade of 1970 in the Bajo Guadalhorce detrital, coastal aquifers. Hydrodynamic, hydrochemical and geophysical studies were done in the frame of the aforementioned works to determine the hydrogeological properties of these aquifers. Besides, the drilling of research piezometers was carried out in the framework of some of these studies. This information allowed to study the spatial and temporal behavior of groundwater table and some chemical components of the groundwater of these aquifers, as well as to estimate some parameters as hydraulic conductivity or transmissivity. Overexploitation of aquifers was also studied, because marine intrusion situations were detected over the years. However, some studies carried out in the decade of 2010 have remarked a noticeable difference in the hydrodynamic and hydrochemical state of aquifers, due to intense changes in land use during the end of the 20th century. These changes have also influenced over some groundwater dependent ecosystems, as the Guadalhorce Delta Wetlands, located in the Guadalhorce River mouth. So, this article is an example of the remarkable influence that human activities can have on groundwater due to irrigated agriculture, a rising tourism and the building of big hydraulic infrastructures, which demonstrate the necessity of an adequate management of Mediterranean coastal aquifers.