5B Dating Examples in European Reference Aquifers.pdfVIP

5B Dating Examples in European Reference Aquifers R. PURTSCHERT, J.A. CORCHO ALVARADO AND H. H. LOOSLI In the previous chapter a brief summary of Seiler and Lindner 1994; Seiler et al. 1999 dating tracers and methods applied to the and provide the main groundwater resource European reference aquifers were presented. in Europe. Young waters are typically found In this chapter, i ve reference aquifers with a at shallow depths and in unconi ned parts of wide range of groundwater residence times the aquifers. Because of the fast turnover and hydrogeological conditions were selected time and the lack of coni nement, these as exemplary case studies. It is shown how waters are most vulnerable to contamina- multiple tracer measurements can be used to tion. The investigation of recent waters is a resolve the age structure of a groundwater crucial task and somehow a contradiction in body, how disruptive effects for tracer dating terms. On the one hand the natural quality of can be identii ed and how groundwater shallow groundwater is of particular interest, quality and residence time are related. and on the other pristine conditions are no longer present because of probable contami- nation. Dating methods with environmental tracers provide an instrument to extrapolate 5B.1 Age Classification back from contaminated conditions to pris- tine conditions. Fortunately, several methods Estimated ranges of groundwater residence are available to date recent groundwaters times in the investigated reference aquifers Figs. 5A.1 and 5A.2, Chapter 5A . are summarised in this chapter. In most cases, groundwaters with ages up to many thousand 2 Groundwater pollution increased in par- of years can be found. In the context of base- allel with industrial and agricultural develop- line groundwater quality assessment, three ment in Europe and elsewhere. Nitr