Analysis of annual mean recharge in main karst Systems of Southern Italy

Francesco Fiorillo (1), Mauro Pagnozzi (1) & Gerardo Ventafridda (2)
(1) Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie –Via Port'Arsa 11, University of Sannio, 82100 Benevento, Italy. (2) Acquedotto Pugliese S.p.A. - Direzione Approvvigionamento Idrico - Grandi Vettori e Serbatoi, Viale Orlando n.c., 70123 Bari, Italy. Corresponding author e-mail: pagnozzi.mauro@libero.it

This short paper aim to provide an analytical approach to pinpoint the recharge processes evaluated for some karst massifs of southern Italy. The assessment of annual mean recharge for thirty time period was carried out for Terminio, Cervialto, Matese and also for Alburni karst massif (1971 - 1999); the annual scale groundwater recharge analysis starts from regression of annual mean values of different ground-elevated rain gauges and thermometers. The estimation takes into account the presence of the wide endorheic areas (for Matese, Terminio and Cervialto massifs), distinguished from the rest of the catchment, characterized by the “open areas”. For the Alburni karst massif the recharge phenomenon is chiefly controlled by summit karst plateau, where an “internal runoff” occurs; as the complexity of surface orography doesn’t allow to define all endorheic areas affecting karst plateau, in order to define recharge coefficient proposed by Fiorillo et al. (2015) in annual scale recharge model, the summit karstic plateau was considered as a wide endorheic area, representing then the predominant recharge area, feeding basal karst springs.

annual groundwater recharge, karst aquifer, endorheic area, karst plateau, southern Italy.