Agricultural Nitrate Leaching into Groundwater Case of Study in Apulia Region

• Published in: Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology Vol. 25; no. 12; pp. 387 - 394
• Main Authors: Calabrese, Angelantonio, Campanale, Mariavirginia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Polish Society of Ecological Engineering (PTIE) 01-12-2024
• Subjects: correlation concentration of nitrate; groundwater; nitrate leaching; soil
• ISSN: 2719-7050; 2719-7050
• DOI: 10.12912/27197050/195114

Nitrogen compounds, which are naturally present in the environment, are essential for the sustenance of life and for the growth of plants. However, to meet the needs of agricultural production and increase crop yields, they are often added in the form of fertilizers to the soil. These nitrogen compounds can then infiltrate deep soil layers, leach until they reach underground aquifers. Leaching of nitrates from soil is a serious environmental problem in modern agriculture as it can contaminate groundwater and degrade soil quality. Both nitrogen fertilization practices and irrigation methods contribute greatly to increased nitrate leaching. The present study aims to demonstrate the real impact of nitrate used in agriculture on groundwater comparing concentration of the chemical element between the soil and the aquifer at different depths. The case study involves a series of soil and groundwater sampling with the related analyses for the identification of nitrate concentrations. The sites considered as case of study have the same type of soil (lithology, texture) and the same land use (arable land with the same type of fertilization and irrigation). The experimentation carried out has shown that there is a correlation between the nitrate present in the soil and that present in the groundwater only for a limited distance from the emission point (<10m from the ground level), while for higher soil packages the correlation is absent as structures, such as vadose areas, intervene which intercept and accumulate nitrate leaching. This study demonstrate that a contamination of nitrate in the groundwater is correlated to the agricultural activities present in the impacting area only to a depth of 10 m and which therefore needs further investigation.