Risk of groundwater contamination widely underestimated because of fast flow into aquifers.

ABSTRACT: Groundwater pollution threatens human and ecosystem health in many regions around the globe. Fast flow to the groundwater through focused recharge is known to transmit short-lived pollutants into carbonate aquifers, endangering the quality of groundwaters where one quarter of the world's population lives. However, the large-scale impact of such focused recharge on groundwater quality remains poorly understood. Here, we apply a continental-scale model to quantify the risk of groundwater contamination by degradable pollutants through focused recharge in the carbonate rock regions of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. We show that focused recharge is the primary reason for widespread rapid transport of contaminants to the groundwater. Where it occurs, the concentration of pollutants i

SUBMITTER: Hartmann A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8158018 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature