Assessment of hydrochemical processes and groundwater hydrodynamics in a multilayer aquifer system under long-term irrigation condition: A case study of Nefzaoua basin, southern Tunisia

The hydrochemical and isotopic investigation of the Nefzaoua aquifer system demonstrates that groundwater mineralization in is controlled by natural and anthropogenic processes including water-rock interaction and irrigation return flow. It identifies all of the water bodies that flow within the aquifer system and their circulation patterns. The isotopically depleted paleowaters, identified within the deep and intermediate aquifers, undergo significant enrichment by evaporation during irrigation and recharged the shallow aquifer by return flow. Subsequently, they infiltrate to the intermediate aquifer which receives also rainfall modern recharge.