Brackish Karstic Springs Model: Application to Almiros Spring in Crete

A mathematical model is proposed to simulate brackish karstic springs. Rainfall data constitutes model input information while output information is the discharge and the chloride concentration of the water versus time. The model was constructed by considering the mass and mechanical energy balance on the hydrodynamic analog, which includes three reservoirs outflowing in a tube that lies adjacent to the spring. Two reservoirs emulate the karstic system, and the third one emulates the sea. The discharge of the spring is given by the sum of the discharge of the reservoirs, and the chloride concentration by the solution of the mixing problem between the fresh and the salty water, which exists in the tube leading to the spring. The model is applied to the spring of Almiros at Heraklion, Crete, Greece. The agreement between model values and field measurements is very good for depletion periods and satisfactory for recharge periods.