Description: Population growth, urbanization and global climate change have increased urban and agricultural water demands, stressing aquifer systems where groundwater is a source of water supply. The availability and utility of groundwater may further be threatened by factors stressing the quality of groundwater, such as industrial and domestic wastes and agricultural intensification. Consequences include, for example, over-allocation of groundwater, groundwater overdraft, declining well yields and land subsidence; degraded groundwater quality due to mobilization of natural pollutants (arsenic), salt contamination caused by seawater intrusion; increased demand for conjunctively used surface water, and resulting conflicts with junior users; and streamflow capture and resulting damage to ecosystems. These consequences may occur incrementally and inequitably across an aquifer. Natural environmental problems can further complicate use of groundwater and increase strain on the aquifer system; for example, underground structures, geothermal heating (such as heat islands), and geochemical evolution (such as karst formation, excessive salinity, acidity, fluoride, radioactivity, hardness, or turbidity). To address this issue, a joint symposium on the Trends and Sustainability of Groundwater in Highly Stressed Aquifers was held during the 8th Scientific Assembly of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, IAHS, and the 37th Congress of the International Association of Hydrogeology, IAH, in Hyderabad, India, September 2009. The symposium was organized by the IAHS International Commission on Groundwater (ICGW), supported IAH and by the IAHS International Commission on Water Quality (ICWQ). This symposium brought together scientists, including modellers, geochemists and hydro-geologists, with water supply managers and policy makers to discuss scientific and management ideas and approaches for improving the sustainability of highly stressed aquifers. The importance of this topic was reflected in the large number of contributions to the symposium. Selected papers from this symposium have been compiled in this volume. The editors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the reviewers who made valuable contributions to this volume. We thank Penny Perrins and Cate Gardner from IAHS Press for their professional approach and help with the processing of the manuscripts.

Description: Published

Description: V

Description: open

Description: The attention devoted to our valuable geological heritage land has been often lacking in Italy. We have experienced it, as field experimentalist or as science teachers. So, we need to improve the knowledge of Earth-science at any educational level and we think an empiric approach, can be the proper beginning for a successful scientific cognitive path. The geo-tourism essentially attracts foreigners. During our field experiences on active volcanoes, we are still surprised by local visitors who enjoy seasonal activities, like skiing on the flanks of Etna, or doing sea activities on the coastal beaches at Vulcano and Stromboli, but who are not interested in the ongoing volcanic processes. Consequently, we have integrated the social impetus that drives active citizenship with school education in order to relate our scientific knowledge to the professional and existential needs of young students. Two scientific workshops have been carried out in collaboration with the science school teacher, the researcher of a naturalistic association (Geode), and researchers of the INGV. The first (A.Y. 2015/2016) was targeted to the Aeolian isles of Vulcano and Stromboli, the second to M. Etna (2016/2017). Set goals: - to increase the sensibility, respect and care for natural environment, as well as the awareness of the natural phenomena characterizing it; - to overcome the traditional school setting organized in the classroom, using both field and laboratory approach; - use a more effective (and attractive) teaching style to increase young people cognitive abilities, training also the relational skills, like work ethics, orally speaking, and teamworks; - to foster the multi-disciplinar approach for solving complex problems; - to contaminate disciplines with digital technologies highlighting instrumental potentiality and versatility; - to orient young people into future professional applications. The didactic pathway provided information on geology, volcanology and on botanic-naturalistic aspects of the Aeolian archipelago, Mount Etna and surrounding areas. We formed groups of students, heterogeneous for class and address, ranging from 28 to 35 items. The didactic experience consisted into theoretical lessons in the classroom and excursions by land and by sea, through the most significant itineraries of Vulcano, Stromboli and Etna (Monti Rossi, Alcantara Gorges). The students were introduced to the volcanologist's task in the field of volcanic surveillance, through an operational approach. Volcanic surveillance is a fast evolving multi-disciplinar research field, aimed to the mitigation of risk. The application of geochemical and of geophysical principles and instrumentations, allow to monitor some changes of energy release occurring in volcanic system. Field activities have provided: a) learning of the main notions of orienteering (geographic map reading, compass, GPS, Google Earth); b) petrologic recognition in field and by microscope; c) sampling of volcanic fluids emitted from the fumaroles on the rim of the crater; d) simulation of geochemical explorations, using temperature and pH sensors on a mesh of acquisition points; e) identification of the main botanical species, typical of the visited areas. By returning the campaign data, students shared the acquired data and prepared a final presentation with some digital software: virtual padlet, power point presentation, genially presentation. The students' cognitive and soft skills were evaluated as inputs and outputs from the workshops, to qualify the experience, highlighting strengths and weaknesses in the perspective of continuous improvement. Following the release of L.107 / 2015 "La Buona Scuola", this workshop experience has been recognized as a school-work didactic method (“Alternanza Scuola Lavoro”) for high schools (L.107/2015 art.1, 33 – 43). In fact, one of the training objectives set out in Art. 1c.7e;i, is the deepening of the methodological dimension by expansion and innovation of teaching strategies.

Description: Published

Description: PISA

Description: 2SR. VULCANI - Servizi e ricerca per la Società