Physical and Chemical Techniques Discharge

Groundwater discharge is associated with salinity and pollution problems.

The widepsread presence of millions of saline lakes in North America, Africa and Australia, show that across the geological record, most salinity and desertification problems have been caused by saline groundwater discharge.

In recent times, dryland salinity has spread widely in southern Australia, resulting in the loss of more than 50% of the fresh streams in Western Australia and causing major salinity problems in the Murray River in South Australia.

The aims of this book are: to define the discharge mechanisms that occur in nature; to explain how and where discharge takes place and what the effects of soil, water table and vegetation on discharge are; to introduce the mechanisms of biological discharge (plants, etc) and the cirical role it has in controlling groundwater recharge through its discharge mechanism (evapotranspiration); to present the various physical, chemical and isotope techniques used for determining discharge rates; and to discuss the various options available for enhancing groundwater discharge.