Monitoraggio Geochimico del Fiume Oreto: primi risultati

Chemical and isotopic characterization of rainwater in volcanic, urban and industrial areas of Sicily (Italy)

The chemical composition of rainwater depends on (i) the dissolution of gases and particulate matter emitted by different sources, (ii) the chemical and physical reactions occurring during local and regional scale transport, and (iii) removal processes. The source of major and trace elements dissolved in rainwater can be both natural (e.g. sea salts, volcanic emissions, geogenic dust, biogenic material) and anthropogenic (e.g. industrial plants, vehicular traffic, domestic heating, vessel traffic). A group of trace elements has been recently brought to attention, especially for their possible environmental impacts, the Technology-critical elements (TCEs): Ga, Ge, In, Te, Nb, Ta, Tl, the Pla…

Geochemical characterization of water quality in karst systems of Greece

Karst systems represent the main drinking water source for 20-25% of world’s population, although covering only 7-10% of the global land surface (Ford & Williams, 2007). Karst aquifers are highly vulnerable to external pollution, so their protection and management is of critical importance to sustain water resources. In Greece, starting from the 1970’s, water demands for agricultural, domestic and industrial use increased significantly, mainly in coastal areas (Daskalaki & Voudouris, 2008). The main Hellenic aquifers are hosted in alluvial deposits, in Neogene deposits and in carbonate rocks. The latter cover about 35% of the country and are located in Western, Central and Southern …

Sicily: a geological laboratory

“Geologists at risk of extinction”: this is the opening sentence of an article of March 29, 2016 of “Il Sole 24ORE”, (1) that fits well the difficult situation that this professional category is experiencing in recent years. It has been witnessed, in fact, a strong reduction in the educational offer in both the school and university system, with the number of Departments in Earth Sciences dropped from 29 to 8, accompanied by a progressive reduction in enrollment and graduates, from 1140 in 2002 to 586 in 2008 (2). Numbers that make you think, especially if contextualized to the Italian territory, widely characterized by the hydrogeological, seismic and volcanological risk, in whose preventi…