engleski

Land cover and land use analysis during climate change for coastal karst catchment area

Several important coastal karstic aquifers in Croatia are significantly influenced by marine saltwater intrusion. This is due to the fact that in this area, karstified carbonate rocks can be found up to about 150 m deep, which, if the geological structures are without lower permeable deposits or rocks and exposed to seawater, allows direct contact of salt and freshwater, forming a labile dynamic balance of salt and fresh water in the aquifer. This balance is controlled by the amount of infiltrated water, which depends on precipitation, runoff and evapotranspiration. Therefore, especially in times of climate change, when the precipitation amounts and temporal schedule are highly altered, it is of great importance to understand hydrological and hydrogeological processes in aquifers important for water supply. In addition, environmental and anthropogenic changes in land cover and land use alter hydrological processes in catchments. Several studies in Mediterranean areas have shown that in the last decades, land cover and land use encountered significant changes, including, among others, forest fires, urbanization, deforestation and changes in crop types. The present study tackles the changes in land cover and land use in the coastal region of GWB Bokanjac-Poličnik, Zadar County, Croatia. Due to land cover and land use changes in recent years, the runoff/infiltration ratio is also affected, meaning the labile boundary between fresh and saltwater beneath it is influenced too. The study aims to identify the changes in land cover and land use based on Corine LC data in the recent period and evaluate their influence on coastal karstic aquifers. With this investigation, the effects of land cover changes and land use practices during climate changes in recent years on the labile mixing zone of fresh and marine saltwater in coastal karstic aquifers will be evaluated. Additionally, by defining the research methodology, statistical analysis and providing a Python script, we enable the application of this approach in similar karstic aquifers in other regions and contribute to a more sustainable approach to groundwater management in coastal areas.

Land cover / Land use changes ; Corine LC ; Bokanjac-Poličnik catchment area ; Croatia

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