Author(s): J. Ganoulis; B. Arfib; G. De Marsily
Linked Author(s): Jacques Ganoulis
Keywords: Coastal karst; Saline intrusion; Karst conduit; Mathematical modeling; Karst hydraulics; Almyros; Heraklion; Crete; Greece
Abstract: The hydraulics of the coastal karstic spring of Almyros, near Heraklion, Crete, and the mechanisms of seawater intrusion are investigated by means of in-situ measurements and mathematical modelling. Variations in salinity, flow rate and temperature of the spring, which were monitored during two hydrological cycles (1999-00 and 2000-01), show that the spring functions using two main mechanisms. Firstly, there is a direct connection between the spring flow and the rainwater from the Psiloritis mountain, which passes through several karstic faults to form a deep, main karst conduit a few kilometers away from the spring. Secondly, seawater, which has invaded the karst formations several kilometers away from the coast, enters this main conduit through several fractures at a depth of several hundred metres. The brackish water is then transported to the spring. The influence of the duality of the flow in the karst (i.e. main conduit and fractured matrix) on the quality of the water in the spring is simulated by a hydraulic mathematical model, which describes the observations remarkably well.
Year: 2003