Assessment of intensive agricultural use of soil and groundwater vulnerability by means of GIS facilities. Part I: a predictive study

摘要

A procedure for soil and groundwater vulnerability assessment due to activities like shedding of fertilisers, sprinkling and soil sterilisation in intensive growing, especially in greenhouses, is presented. The relationship between evaluated and expected contaminant concentrations in air, soil and groundwater, transit time, aquifer vulnerability, soil morphology and permeability are studied through a matrix of impact evaluation. Our work has been carried out on a sample area based in the south-east of Sicily, particularly rich in greenhouses. A G.I.S. is proposed for that specific area for a proper sustainable environment that, on the one hand, protects the economic interests linked to the activities and, on the other hand, has respect for the environment.