Karst Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment (KAVA) Method—A Novel GIS-Based Method for Deep Karst Aquifers
Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering, University of Zagreb, Varaždin 42000, Croatia
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Academic Editor: Fernando António Leal Pacheco
Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3325; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063325
Received: 23 February 2021
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Revised: 11 March 2021
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Accepted: 15 March 2021
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Published: 17 March 2021
Karst aquifers in the Dinaric karst are very rich with groundwater and are a very important resource for public water supply. The characteristics of the Dinaric karst are the lack, or very thin layer, of covering deposits, large amounts of precipitations, high groundwater velocities, very deep groundwater flow with a lot of faults and fault zones, pits to groundwater, concentrated sinking and large karst springs, making them extremely vulnerable to all anthropogenic influences, which are very quickly transmitted to the aquifer. Numerous multiparameter methods have been developed in the last 20 years to determine the level of vulnerability of aquifers. Each of them has its own specifics and is well adapted to the climate and region for which it was developed. The Karst Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment (KAVA) method was developed in accordance with all the characteristics of the deep karst aquifers of the Dinaric karst and tested on several basins in the area. It was developed as a part of the Global Environment Facility United Nations Environmental Programme – the Mediterranean Action Plan Strategic Partnership for the Mediterranean Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (GEF UNEP/MAP MedPartnership Project). This paper presents the KAVA method and its application to two characteristic karst basins of the Dinaric karst: the Novljanska Žrnovnica spring catchment area and the Bakar Bay catchment area.
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Keywords:
groundwater vulnerability; karst aquifer; Dinaric karst; GIS
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MDPI and ACS Style
Biondić, R.; Meaški, H.; Biondić, B.; Loborec, J. Karst Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment (KAVA) Method—A Novel GIS-Based Method for Deep Karst Aquifers. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3325. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063325
AMA Style
Biondić R, Meaški H, Biondić B, Loborec J. Karst Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment (KAVA) Method—A Novel GIS-Based Method for Deep Karst Aquifers. Sustainability. 2021; 13(6):3325. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063325
Chicago/Turabian StyleBiondić, Ranko, Hrvoje Meaški, Božidar Biondić, and Jelena Loborec. 2021. "Karst Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment (KAVA) Method—A Novel GIS-Based Method for Deep Karst Aquifers" Sustainability 13, no. 6: 3325. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063325
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