Estimation of quantitative descriptors of northeastern Mediterranean karst behavior: multiparametric study and local validation of the Siou-Blanc massif (Toulon, France)

Key parameters controlling the recharge and behavior of Mediterranean karsts were selected in order to make a quantitative description of northeastern Mediterranean karsts on a regional scale. The methodology was applied to an actual karstic aquifer on the Siou-Blanc Plateau (France). For the recharge study, it was observed that the average yearly rainfall value and δ18O measurements in springs can be considered as good descriptors of climatic variations observed in the Mediterranean area. They can be used to estimate the intake area and the infiltration coefficient. A comparison with a numerical (double permeability) flow model (MODFLOW) on the Siou-Blanc karst improves these exponential relations between effective rainfall and δ18O measurements. Infiltrated water, which flows though different rock types, induces contrasts in the water chemistry. An instantaneous physical and chemical analysis of all the springs of the Siou-Blanc aquifer displays the same expected functioning and variations as had been forecast using the conceptual scheme. Thus, it can be applied to wide areas associated with a northeastern Mediterranean climate for a first approach of a karst study; such a model enables a useful estimation of recharge and behavior with few simple data.