Article, 2024
The Cultural Ecohydrogeology of Mediterranean-Climate Springs: A Global Review with Case Studies
Environments,
ISSN
2076-3298,
Volume 11,
6,
Page 110,
10.3390/environments11060110
Contributors
Pascual, Roger
[1]
Piana, Lucia
0009-0000-9787-2486
[2]
Bhat, Sami Ullah
0000-0003-1358-9507
[3]
Castro, Pedro Fidel
[4]
Corbera, Jordi
0000-0003-3583-3929
[5]
Cummings, Dion
[6]
[7]
Delgado, Cristina
[8]
Eades, Eugene
[7]
Fensham, Roderick John
0000-0003-3658-5867
[9]
[10]
Fernández-Martínez, Marcos
0000-0002-5661-3610
[5]
[11]
[12]
[13]
Ferreira, Verónica
0000-0001-7688-2626
[14]
Filippini, Maria
0000-0001-5050-5072
[2]
García, Guillermo
[1]
Gargini, Alessandro
0000-0002-9271-219X
[2]
Hopper, Stephen Donald
0000-0002-0364-2856
[7]
Knapp, Lynette
[6]
[7]
Lewis, Ian D
[15]
Peñuelas, Josep
0000-0002-7215-0150
[11]
[12]
[13]
Preece, Catherine
0000-0001-6584-3541
[16]
Resh, Vincent H
[17]
Romero, Estela
0000-0003-3115-7572
[12]
[13]
[18]
Samraoui, Boudjéma
0000-0002-0608-9021
[19]
Samraoui, Farrah
0000-0003-2407-3004
[20]
Segadelli, Stefano
0000-0001-5260-6256
[21]
Skoulikidis, Nikolaos Th.
[22]
Solak, Cüneyt Nadir
0000-0003-2334-4271
[23]
Solé, Jaume
[1]
Villholth, Karen Grothe
0000-0002-7552-6715
[24]
Wani, Huma Khurshid
0009-0006-0830-1598
[3]
Cantonati, Marco
0000-0003-0179-3842
(Corresponding author)
[2]
Stevens, Lawrence E
0000-0003-4377-974X
[25]
Affiliations
- [1]
BioSciCat, Catalan Society of Sciences for the Conservation of Biodiversity, Apodaca 25, Baixos, 43004 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain;, rpascual@bioscicat.org, (R.P.);, ggarcia@bioscicat.org, (G.G.);, jsole@bioscicat.org, (J.S.)
[NORA names:
Spain; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [2]
University of Bologna
[NORA names:
Italy; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [3]
University of Kashmir
[NORA names:
India; Asia, South];
- [4]
University of the Balearic Islands
[NORA names:
Spain; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [5]
Delegació de la Serralada Litoral Central, Institució Catalana d’Història Natural (ICHN), 08302 Mataró, Catalonia, Spain;, corberajordi@gmail.com, (J.C.);, m.fernandez@creaf.uab.cat, (M.F.-M.)
[NORA names:
Spain; Europe, EU; OECD];
(... more)
- [6]
Merningar Noongar, University of Western Australia, Albany Campus, 35 Stirling Tce, Albany 6330, Australia;, dion.cummings@gmail.com, (D.C.);, lynette.knapp@uwqa.edu.au, (L.K.)
- [7]
University of Western Australia
[NORA names:
Australia; Oceania; OECD];
- [8]
Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Campus As Lagoas Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain;, cdelgado@uvigo.gal
[NORA names:
Spain; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [9]
Queensland Herbarium, Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong 4066, Australia
[NORA names:
Australia; Oceania; OECD];
- [10]
University of Queensland
[NORA names:
Australia; Oceania; OECD];
- [11]
August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute
[NORA names:
Spain; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [12]
CREAF, Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain;, josep.penuelas@uab.cat, (J.P.);, estela.romero@creaf.uab.cat, (E.R.)
- [13]
Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications
[NORA names:
Spain; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [14]
University of Coimbra
[NORA names:
Portugal; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [15]
Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources
[NORA names:
Australia; Oceania; OECD];
- [16]
Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology
[NORA names:
Spain; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [17]
Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, University of California, Berkleley, CA 94720, USA;, resh@berkeley.edu
[NORA names:
United States; America, North; OECD];
- [18]
University of Barcelona
[NORA names:
Spain; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [19]
Badji Mokhtar University
[NORA names:
Algeria; Africa];
- [20]
University of Guelma
[NORA names:
Algeria; Africa];
- [21]
Geological Survey Emilia-Romagna Region, Viale della Fiera, 8, 40127 Bologna, Italy;, stefano.segadelli@regione.emilia-romagna.it
[NORA names:
Italy; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [22]
Hellenic Center for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, 19013 Attika, Greece;, nskoul@hcmr.gr
[NORA names:
Greece; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [23]
Dumlupinar University
[NORA names:
Turkey; Asia, Middle East; OECD];
- [24]
Water Cycle Innovation, Schaldemosevej 3, 1tv, 8900 Randers, Denmark;, karen@watercycleinnovation.com
[NORA names:
Denmark; Europe, EU; Nordic; OECD];
- [25]
Springs Stewardship Institute, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA;, larry@springstewardship.org
[NORA names:
United States; America, North; OECD]
(less)
Abstract
Cultures in Mediterranean climate zones (MCZs) around the world have long been reliant on groundwater and springs as freshwater sources. While their ecology and cultural sustainability are recognized as critically important, inter-relationships between springs and culture in MCZs have received less attention. Here we augmented a global literature review with case studies in MCZ cultural landscapes to examine the diversity and intensity of cultural and socio-economic relationships on spring ecohydrogeology. MCZs are often oriented on western and southern coasts in tectonically active landscapes which control aquifer structure, the prevalence of westerly winds, and aridity, and generally expose associated habitats and cultures to harsh afternoon sunlight. Cultural appreciation and appropriation of springs ranges widely, from their use as subsistence water supplies to their roles in profound traditions such as Greco-Roman nymphalea as well as Asian and Abrahamic spiritual cleansing and baptism. The abandonment of traditional ways of life, such as rural livestock production, for urban ones has shifted impacts on aquifers from local to regional groundwater exploitation. The commoditization of water resources for regional agricultural, industrial (e.g., mining, water bottling, geothermal resorts), and urban uses is placing ever-increasing unsustainable demands on aquifers and spring ecosystems. When the regional economic value of springs approaches or exceeds local cultural values, these irreplaceable aquatic ecosystems are often degraded, over-looked, and lost. Sustainable stewardship of springs and the aquifers that support them is a poorly recognized but central conservation challenge for modern Mediterranean societies as they face impending impacts of global climate change. Solutions to this crisis require education, societal dialogue, and improved policy and implementation.
Keywords
Global,
Mediterranean climate zone,
Mediterranean societies,
abandonment,
activity landscape,
appreciation,
approach,
appropriateness,
aquatic ecosystems,
aquifer,
aquifer structure,
aridity,
attention,
baptism,
case study,
cases,
challenges,
changes,
cleansing,
climate change,
climate zones,
coast,
commoditization,
conservation,
conservation challenges,
crisis,
cultural appreciation,
cultural landscape,
cultural sustainability,
cultural values,
culture,
dialogue,
diversity,
ecology,
ecosystem,
education,
exploitation,
freshwater,
freshwater sources,
global climate change,
global literature review,
groundwater,
groundwater exploitation,
habitat,
impact,
impacts of global climate change,
impending impact,
implementation,
improve policies,
intensity,
inter-relationships,
landscape,
life,
literature review,
livestock production,
local cultural values,
ones,
over-looked,
policy,
prevalence,
production,
regional economic value,
relationship,
resources,
review,
societal dialogue,
society,
socio-economic relationships,
solution,
source,
southern coast,
spiritual cleansing,
spring,
spring approach,
spring ecosystems,
structure,
study,
subsistence,
sunlight,
sustainability,
sustainability stewardship,
tectonically active landscapes,
tectonics,
tradition,
traditional way,
urban ones,
urban use,
use,
values,
water,
water resources,
way,
westerly winds,
wind,
world,
zone
Funders
Data Provider: Digital Science