title: Long term fluctuations of groundwater mine pollution in a sulfide mining district with dry Mediterranean climate: Implications for water resources management and remediation.
abstract: Water resources management and restoration strategies, and subsequently ecological and human life quality, are highly influenced by the presence of short and long term cycles affecting the intensity of a targeted pollution. On this respect, a typical acid mine drainage (AMD) groundwater from a sulfide mining district with dry Mediterranean climate (Iberian Pyrite Belt, SW Spain) was studied to unravel the effect of long term weather changes in water flow rate and metal pollutants concentration. Three well differentiated polluting stages were observed and the specific geochemical, mineralogical and hydrological processes involved (pyrite and enclosing rocks dissolution, evaporitic salts precipitation-redisolution and pluviometric long term fluctuations) were discussed. Evidencing the importance of including longer background monitoring stage in AMD management and restoration strategies, the present study strongly advise a minimum 5-years period of AMD continuous monitoring previous to the design of any AMD remediation system in regions with dry Mediterranean climate.
authors.affiliation: Geology Department, University of Huelva, Campus "El Carmen", Av. 3 de Marzo s/n, E-21071 Huelva, Spain; Mining Engineering Department, University of Chile, Avda. Tupper 2069, 8370451 Santiago, Chile; Advanced Mining Technology Center, University of Chile, Avda. Tupper 2007, 8370451 Santiago, Chile. Electronic address: mcaraballo@ing.uchile.cl.
authors.forename: Manuel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Caraballo
authors.affiliation: Geology Department, University of Huelva, Campus "El Carmen", Av. 3 de Marzo s/n, E-21071 Huelva, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Macías
authors.affiliation: Geology Department, University of Huelva, Campus "El Carmen", Av. 3 de Marzo s/n, E-21071 Huelva, Spain.
authors.forename: José Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Nieto
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDÆA - CSIC, Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ayora
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods; D060587:Groundwater / Q000737:chemistry*; D008906:Mining; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry; D013030:Spain; D013440:Sulfides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D062066:Water Resources
chemical_list: D013440:Sulfides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Acid mine drainage; Climate change; Evaporitic salts; Passive treatment systems