Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Study on the characteristics of water chemistry evolution in typical alpine karst basins

Researchers analyzed water chemistry evolution in alpine karst groundwater systems, tracing how geological and hydrological processes shape ion concentrations and water quality in these vulnerable freshwater sources.

2025
Article Tier 2

Understanding the impacts of human wastewater effluent pollution on karst springs using chemical contamination fingerprinting techniques

Researchers used multi-tracer chemical fingerprinting to trace human wastewater contamination into karst spring systems, finding that these highly permeable aquifers rapidly transmit pollutants including pharmaceuticals and potentially microplastics from surface sources to drinking water springs.

2024
Article Tier 2

Study on the Influence of Mining Activities on the Quality of Deep Karst Groundwater Based on Multivariate Statistical Analysis and Hydrochemical Analysis

This study examined how long-term coal mining activities in China affected deep karst groundwater chemistry, finding significant changes to water quality that threaten safe drinking water supply in mining regions.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in vulnerable karst environments: case study from the Slovenian classical karst region

Researchers sampled karst springs, caves, and other habitats in Slovenia's classical karst region and detected microplastics across multiple sites, including springs used for drinking water, raising concerns about plastic contamination of these ecologically sensitive and hydrologically connected underground environments.

2022 Acta Carsologica 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of the groundwater recharge processes of a shallow and deep aquifer system (Maggiore Valley, Northwest Italy): a hydrogeochemical and isotopic approach

Researchers analyzed water chemistry and isotopes across shallow and deep groundwater systems in northwest Italy, tracing how water from distant mountain recharge zones mixes before reaching a heavily used drinking water well field. The study clarifies potential pathways for pollutants to reach drinking water supplies, providing critical information for protecting this major regional water resource.

2023 Hydrogeology Journal 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Storage-Release Dynamics of Microplastics during rainfall events in Conduit-Fissure Coupled Karst Aquifers

Researchers used high-frequency monitoring in a karst groundwater system in southern China to track how rainfall events mobilize, transport, and store microplastics through conduit-fissure networks, revealing four distinct hydrological stages that sequentially release pre-deposited and newly infiltrated PET and PE fibers into spring water.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Does Microplastic Pollution in the Epikarst Environment Coincide with Rainfall Flushes and Copepod Population Dynamics?

Researchers examined whether microplastic pollution in epikarst environments coincides with rainfall flush events and copepod population dynamics, sampling water from karst springs over time to correlate plastic particle concentrations with hydrological and ecological variables. The study found that rainfall-driven infiltration pulses influenced microplastic transport through the karst system, with potential implications for epikarst invertebrate communities.

2024 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Climate Variation and Anthropogenic Activity on Karst Spring Discharge Based on the Wavelet Coherence Analysis and the Multivariate Statistical

Researchers analyzed climate variation and human activity effects on karst spring discharge using wavelet coherence analysis, finding that anthropogenic factors including land-use changes increasingly influence groundwater dynamics alongside natural climate variability.

2023 Sustainability 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in Karstic Hydrogeology, 2nd Edition

This edited volume presents recent advances in karstic hydrogeology, covering groundwater flow and behavior in karst systems characterized by soluble rocks including limestone and dolomite, where chemical dissolution creates unique hydrological pathways relevant to water resource management and contaminant transport.

2025 Water
Article Tier 2

An Overall Perspective for the Study of Emerging Contaminants in Karst Aquifers

This review examines emerging contaminant threats to karst aquifers, which supply about 25% of global drinking water, highlighting their high vulnerability to rapid surface-to-groundwater transport of microplastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other pollutants due to the open, fissured nature of carbonate rock systems.

2022 Resources 38 citations
Article Tier 2

The invisible problem of microplastics and microfibres in karst systems and aquifers: a multidisciplinary approach

This thesis investigates how microplastics and microfibres move through karst (limestone) systems and underground aquifers using a multidisciplinary approach, a concern because karst aquifers supply drinking water to roughly a quarter of the global population and are particularly vulnerable to contamination given their direct hydraulic connections to the surface.

2026 Politecnico di Torino
Article Tier 2

Microplastic particles in karst and alluvial aquifers

Researchers investigated the occurrence and characteristics of microplastic particles in both karst and alluvial aquifer systems, examining how plastic particles migrate through these distinct subsurface geological environments. The study addressed a significant knowledge gap regarding groundwater contamination by microplastics in aquifers that differ in their hydrogeological properties and filtration capacity.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic particles in karst and alluvial aquifers

Researchers studied microplastic particle occurrence and distribution in karst and alluvial aquifer systems, investigating how these subsurface environments serve as sinks or conduits for plastic pollution. The study contributed data on groundwater microplastic contamination in geologically distinct aquifer types.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

A Review of Heavy Metal Migration and Its Influencing Factors in Karst Groundwater, Northern and Southern China

This review examined the migration behavior of heavy metals in karst groundwater systems in southern and northern China, focusing on how karst geology creates unique pathways and controls on heavy metal transport, speciation, and bioavailability.

2023 Water 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of Hydrochemistry and Stable Isotopes in a Karst Region in Samcheok, Republic of Korea

This study monitored water chemistry and stable isotopes in a karst region in South Korea across different seasons and years, finding that land use and seasonal variation strongly influenced groundwater quality. Karst aquifers are vulnerable to contamination from surface runoff, including microplastics from agricultural and urban sources.

2021 Water 5 citations
Article Tier 2

The influence of stormwater infiltration on downslope groundwater chemistry

Researchers monitored monthly groundwater quality at a bore network downstream of a stormwater infiltration basin in Victoria, Australia, analysing nutrients, major ions, and heavy metals over an extended field program. They identified three groundwater clusters - shallow fresh water near the basin, deep saline water near the stream, and an intermediate mixed zone - revealing that infiltrated stormwater chemistry is transformed by subsurface interactions with soil, vegetation, and underground infrastructure.

2023 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Contaminant Trends in Urban Groundwater: Case Study from Ljubljana (Central Slovenia)

This case study from Ljubljana, Slovenia examined contaminant trends in urban groundwater, finding that without appropriate monitoring and prevention strategies, urban activities can significantly degrade aquifer quality.

2024 Water 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination in Karst Groundwater Systems

Springs and wells from two karst aquifers in Illinois were found to contain microplastics exclusively as fibers (up to 15.2 particles/L), with their presence correlated with phosphate, chloride, and triclosan, suggesting septic effluent as the source. The study demonstrates that karst groundwater systems used for drinking water are vulnerable to microplastic contamination infiltrating through their open, conduit-dominated architecture.

2019 Ground Water 479 citations
Article Tier 2

Purpose-Designed Hydrogeological Maps in Wide Interconnected Surface-Groundwater Systems: The Test Example of Parma Alluvial Aquifer and Taro River Basin (Northern Italy)

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper presents a methodology for designing hydrogeological maps of surface water and groundwater systems in northern Italy.

2023 Preprints.org 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Subterranean transport of microplastics as evidenced in karst springs and their characterization using Raman spectroscopy

Raman micro-spectroscopy confirmed the presence of microplastics in karst spring water from rural Romania, with concentrations of 0.034-0.06 fragments or fibres per liter, demonstrating subterranean transport of microplastics through karst aquifer systems.

2023 Spectrochimica Acta Part A Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 20 citations