| Title | A multi-method approach for the assessment of natural background levels in groundwater |
| Abstract | The assessment of geochemical Natural Background Levels (NBLs) in groundwater, aims at distinguishing the naturally high levels of geogenic compounds from anthropogenic pollution. This is a fundamental issue in groundwater management, in particular when the concentration of inorganic compounds exceeds the threshold values set for the evaluation of the groundwater chemical status, as requested by environmental regulations.
In this paper, we describe a new procedure that integrates the pre-selection method and statistical techniques, using the example of two case studies.
The pre-selection aims to identify suitable groundwater samples for the NBLs assessment. The nitrate concentration threshold, for the removal of the groundwater samples affected by human activities, is established locally through different graphical and statistical approaches. Then, the statistical distribution of each compound is analyzed and the outliers are identified. Normality tests on the datasets allow one to select the most appropriate value, e.g. one percentile, to be adopted as NBL within the data distribution.
In the selected case studies, we have defined the NBLs for As, F, Mn, Fe and SO4. The two sites are part of a volcanic-sedimentary aquifer in central Italy, where the geochemical background is frequently well above the standards for human consumption.
The results of the simple and easily reproducible pre-selection method are strengthened by integration with statistical techniques, notably in selecting the appropriate percentile. New criteria are suggested for the choice of the nitrate threshold to be used for the pre-selection of uncontaminated samples. |
| Source | Science of the total environment 659, pp. 884–894 |
| Keywords | Natural background levelpre-selectionnitratesarsenicQ-Q plotoutliers |
| Journal | Science of the total environment |
| Editor | Elsevier, Lausanne ;, Paesi Bassi |
| Year | 2019 |
| Type | Articolo in rivista |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.350 |
| Authors | Parrone D., Ghergo S., Preziosi E. |
| Text | 397928 2019 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.350 Scopus 2 s2.0 85059510582 ISI Web of Science WOS WOS 000457293700087 Natural background level pre selection nitrates arsenic Q Q plot outliers A multi method approach for the assessment of natural background levels in groundwater Parrone D., Ghergo S., Preziosi E. IRSA CNR, Water Research Institute National Research Council, Via Salaria km 29.300, PB 10, 00015 Monterotondo, Rome, Italy The assessment of geochemical Natural Background Levels NBLs in groundwater, aims at distinguishing the naturally high levels of geogenic compounds from anthropogenic pollution. This is a fundamental issue in groundwater management, in particular when the concentration of inorganic compounds exceeds the threshold values set for the evaluation of the groundwater chemical status, as requested by environmental regulations. In this paper, we describe a new procedure that integrates the pre selection method and statistical techniques, using the example of two case studies. The pre selection aims to identify suitable groundwater samples for the NBLs assessment. The nitrate concentration threshold, for the removal of the groundwater samples affected by human activities, is established locally through different graphical and statistical approaches. Then, the statistical distribution of each compound is analyzed and the outliers are identified. Normality tests on the datasets allow one to select the most appropriate value, e.g. one percentile, to be adopted as NBL within the data distribution. In the selected case studies, we have defined the NBLs for As, F, Mn, Fe and SO4. The two sites are part of a volcanic sedimentary aquifer in central Italy, where the geochemical background is frequently well above the standards for human consumption. The results of the simple and easily reproducible pre selection method are strengthened by integration with statistical techniques, notably in selecting the appropriate percentile. New criteria are suggested for the choice of the nitrate threshold to be used for the pre selection of uncontaminated samples. 659 Published version https //www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718352434 Un approccio multi metodologico per la valutazione dei livelli di fondo naturale nelle acque sotterranee 22/12/2018 A multi method approach for the assessment of natural background levels in groundwater PArrone et al 2019 STOTEN Parrone_al_2019_STOTEN.pdf Articolo in rivista Elsevier 0048 9697 Science of the total environment Science of the total environment Sci. total environ. danieleparrone PARRONE DANIELE stefano.ghergo GHERGO STEFANO elisabetta.preziosi PREZIOSI ELISABETTA |
