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Water supply in times of climate change — Tracer tests to identify the catchment area of an Alpine karst spring, Tyrol, Austria

Schäffer, Rafael ; Sass, Ingo ; Heldmann, Claus-Dieter (2020)
Water supply in times of climate change — Tracer tests to identify the catchment area of an Alpine karst spring, Tyrol, Austria.
In: Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 2020, 52 (1)
doi: 10.25534/tuprints-00013341
Article, Secondary publication, Publisher's Version

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Item Type: Article
Type of entry: Secondary publication
Title: Water supply in times of climate change — Tracer tests to identify the catchment area of an Alpine karst spring, Tyrol, Austria
Language: English
Date: 21 August 2020
Place of Publication: Darmstadt
Year of primary publication: 2020
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Journal or Publication Title: Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research
Volume of the journal: 52
Issue Number: 1
DOI: 10.25534/tuprints-00013341
Corresponding Links:
Origin: Secondary publication via sponsored Golden Open Access
Abstract:

Climate change and glacial retreat are changing the runoff behavior of Alpine springs and streams. For example, in the extremely dry and hot summer of 2018, many springs used for drinking water supply lost up to 50 percent of their average discharge; a few springs have even run dry. In order to ensure drinking water supply in the future, springs featuring large and constantly sufficient discharge rates will have to be identified and tapped. A case study was undertaken at the Tuxbachquelle because catchment area and temporal variation of physicochemical and hydrochemical properties were previously unknown. Tracer tests with uranine proved a hydraulic connection between this karst spring and a stream a few kilometers uphill. At low runoff, uranine needed about 4½ hours from the sink to the spring, whereas at high runoff more than four days was required. It became evident that discharge, electrical conductivity, temperature, and turbidity of the Tuxbachquelle respond within a few hours to precipitation events. The water quality and an examination of the water balance resulted in a significantly larger catchment area. It is assumed that widely karstified calcite marble subterraneously drains a considerable part of the Tuxertal (Tux Valley), including some active rock glaciers.

Status: Publisher's Version
URN: urn:nbn:de:tuda-tuprints-133415
Classification DDC: 500 Science and mathematics > 550 Earth sciences and geology
Divisions: 11 Department of Materials and Earth Sciences > Earth Science > Geothermal Science and Technology
Zentrale Einrichtungen > University and State Library Darmstadt (ULB)
Date Deposited: 21 Aug 2020 08:56
Last Modified: 07 Aug 2024 11:53
URI: https://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/id/eprint/13341
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