Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T01:13:00.778Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Radiocarbon in Seawater Intruding into the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Aquifer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Y Yechieli*
Affiliation:
Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkhei Israel Street, Jerusalem 95501, Israel
O Sivan
Affiliation:
Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkhei Israel Street, Jerusalem 95501, Israel Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
B Lazar
Affiliation:
Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel The Moshe Shilo Minerva Center for Marine Biogeochemistry, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
A Vengosh
Affiliation:
Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
D Ronen
Affiliation:
Hydrological Service, Jerusalem 91063, Israel
B Herut
Affiliation:
Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Haifa 31080, Israel
*
Corresponding author. Email: [email protected].
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Saline groundwaters from the Israeli coastal aquifer were analyzed for their radiocarbon and tritium content to assess the rate of seawater penetration. The low 14C values (28–88 pMC versus 100–117 pMC in seawater) imply an apparent non-recent seawater source, or water-rock interactions along the penetration route. The latter process is supported by measurable tritium values at some locations, which imply a relatively rapid rate of seawater intrusion. In other locations, low tritium values (<2 T.U.) indicate that recent seawater (<50 yr) did not penetrate inland. The low δ13C values in saline groundwater (average of −5.3‰ versus 0‰ in seawater) indicate that the dissolved carbon pool is comprised of a significant fraction of organic carbon. A linear negative correlation between δ13C and 14C implies that this organic source is old (low 14C values).

Type
II. Our ‘Wet’ Environment
Copyright
Copyright © 2001 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

References

Bear, J, Kapuler, Y. 1981. A numerical solution for the movement of an interface in a layered coastal aquifer. Journal of Hydrology 50:273–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruce, D, Friedman, GM, Kaufman, A, Yechieli, Y. 2001. Spatial variations of radiocarbon in the coastal aquifer of Israel – indicators of open and closed systems. Radiocarbon. This issue.Google Scholar
De Breuck, W, De Moor, G. 1991. The evaluation of coastal aquifer of Belgium. Hydrogeology of salt water intrusion – a selection of SWIM papers. Volume 2. p 3548.Google Scholar
Hann, J. 1991. Aspects of groundwater salinization in the Wittmund (East Freisland) coastal area. Hydrogeology of salt water intrusion – a selection of SWIM papers. Volume 2. p 251–70.Google Scholar
Issar, A. 1968. Geology of the central coastal plain of Israel. Israel Journal of Earth-Sciences 17:1629.Google Scholar
Jones, BF, Vengosh, A, Rosenthal, E, Yechieli, Y. 1999. Geochemical investigations. In: Bear, et al., editors. Seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers – concepts, methods and practices. p 5172.Google Scholar
Kolton, Y. 1988. Examination of the connection between groundwater and seawater in the Pleistocene aquifer in the continental shelf of the Mediterranean sea coast in Central Israel. Tahal report 01/88/31. In Hebrew.Google Scholar
Melloul, AJ, Zeitoun, DG. 1991. A semi-empirical approach to intrusion monitoring in Israeli coastal aquifer. Seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers – concepts, methods and practices. p 543–58.Google Scholar
Mook, WG. 1980. Carbon-14 in hydrogeological studies. In: Fritz, P, Fontes, J-Ch, editors. Handbook of environmental isotope geochemistry. Volume 1. The terrestrial environment. New York: Elsevier Scientific Publishers. p 4974.Google Scholar
Nativ, R, Weisbrod, N. 1994. Hydraulic connections among sub-aquifers of the Coastal Plain Aquifer, Israel. Groundwater 32(6):9971007.Google Scholar
Pearson, FJ, Hanshaw, BB. 1970. Sources of dissolved carbonate species in groundwater and their effects on carbon-14 dating. Vienna: IAEA Isotope Hydrology. p 271–86.Google Scholar
Sivan, O, Herut, B, Yechieli, Y, Boaretto, E, Heinemeier, J, Lazar, B. Inverse diffusive fluxes of 14C to 12C in deep sea sediment – impact on pore water dating. Submitted for publication in Limnology and Oceanography. Forthcoming.Google Scholar
Yechieli, Y, Ronen, D, Vengosh, A. 1996. Preliminary 14C study of groundwater at the fresh-saline water interface of the Mediterranean coastal plain aquifer in Israel. Proceedings of the 14th Salt Water Intrusion Meeting. Malmo, Sweden. p 8490.Google Scholar
Yechieli, Y, Ronen, D, Vengosh, A. 1997. Isotopic measurements and groundwater dating at the fresh-saline water interface region of the Mediterranean coastal plain aquifer of Israel. Geological Survey Report GSI/28/96.Google Scholar