Cave Waters: Modern Perspectives for Short to Long-Term Environmental Monitoring
A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrogeology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 9905
Special Issue Editors
Interests: geomorphology; hydrogeology; groundwater; speleology; paleoclimatology; geomorphological mapping; glacier; quaternary geology
Interests: mercury; water pollution; hydrology; geomorphology; soil pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: geomorphology; hydrogeology; speleology; karsthydrology; geomorphological mapping; field geology; quaternary geology; glacier
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Groundwater is the main water resource for civil uses in the world. Most of it is found within recent continental deposits (i.e., porous media), but a significant part is stored in fractured rock bodies. The groundwater flow in fractured rocks is usually investigated through the study of the hydrodynamics of springs or in-well investigations. The occurrence of underground cavities accessible to humans—the caves—offers the possibility of directly investigating groundwater dynamics from infiltration to the out-flow. This possibility mainly concerns karst aquifers, but caves can also be found in other types of rocks (e.g., quartzite caves, lava tubes, etc.). Cave waters also host important ecosystems, which, in addition to their value in terms of biodiversity, also play an important role in ensuring the good quality of groundwater.
During their underground flow, cave waters change their physical and chemical characteristics due to various environmental factors. Cave waters, therefore, offer the possibility of monitoring in a targeted way the spatial and temporal variations of some physical, chemical, and biological parameters, obtaining vital environmental data records.
This Special Issue aims to give visibility to the most recent advances regarding the study of cave waters, both from a methodological point of view and concerning the perspectives of obtaining information on the role of climate on both infiltration and groundwater dynamics and on the ecosystems they host.
Dr. Leonardo Piccini
Dr. Alessia Nannoni
Dr. Christos Pennos
Dr. Rannveig Øvrevik Skoglund
Guest Editors
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