Gianluigi Busico

University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" · Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies

The primary goal of this study is to predict the current and future water quality index for irrigation (WQII) of the western Mitidja alluvial aquifer in northern Algeria. The modified WQII was used to evaluate groundwater suitability for irrigation through geographic information system (GIS) techniques. Additionally, a long short-term memory (LSTM)...

Nowadays the salinization of freshwater resources due to seawater intrusion represent a worldwide issue. Accordingly, this study aims to identify and locate the freshwater-saltwater interface in the downstream part of the Nador wadi plain (Algeria), a coastal area characterized by a semi-arid mediterranean climate using a multi-methodologies approa...

In questo studio, è stato implementato uno strumento decisionale per la gestione sostenibile dell’acqua nelle regioni del Mediterraneo, facilmente comprensibile dalle parti interessate e basato sul modello SWAT, sul modello DPSIR e sull’approccio di campionamento giudato. L'approccio multi-modellazione è implementato in due bacini del Mediterraneo...

Groundwater is a primary source of drinking water; however, groundwater depletion constitutes a common phenomenon worldwide. The present research aims to quantify groundwater depletion in three aquifers in Greece, including the porous aquifers in the Eastern Thermaikos Gulf, Mouriki, and the Marathonas basin. The hypothesis is to reverse the phenom...

This review aims to examine the methods used to date in assessing aquifer vulnerability over the last three decades (1993-2023). In addition to a comprehensive review of prior AVA research, the novelty of this study lies in its specific focus on these methods and their application to the widely used DRASTIC and GALDIT models. We particularly emphas...

An accurate evaluation of river water quality could be challenging due to the complex hydrological and anthropogenic processes which affect its nature. Reliable water quality data are mandatory to identify long-term trends and regional variability at the watershed scale. In this study, a combined approach using time series, regression, and multivar...

Over the last few years, the Eastern Middle Cheliff plain has witnessed remarkable economic growth, particularly in the agricultural sector. However, the overexploitation of the alluvial aquifer, coupled with agricultural practices involving the use of fertilizers and pesticides, significantly contributed to the degradation of groundwater quality....

Groundwater monitoring is critically important, even though it is costly and often neglected. In this study, a judgmental monitoring of groundwater offering solutions based on a cost and time-effective research approach is presented. The method was performed in three Mediterranean areas in Greece and Italy to examine its advantages and disadvantage...

This study aims to delineate groundwater potential zones using an integrated approach of remote sensing (RS), geographical information system (GIS), and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method in the middle and high Cheliff basin, Algeria. Multiple data such as lithology, lineament density, geomorphology, slope, soil, rainfall, drainage density,...

The rapid decline in both quality and availability of freshwater resources on our planet necessitates their thorough assessment to ensure sustainable usage. The growing demand for water in industrial, agricultural, and domestic sectors poses significant challenges to managing both surface and groundwater resources. This study tests and proposes a h...

The evaluation of soil erosion rate, particularly in agricultural lands, is a crucial tool for long-term land management planning. This research utilized the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model to simulate soil erosion in a semiarid watershed located in South Portugal. To understand the evolution of the erosive phenomenon over time, soil er...

Groundwater is an essential natural resource and has a significant role in human and environmental health as well as in the economy. Management of subsurface storage remains an important option to meet the combined demands of humans and ecosystems. The increasing need to find multipurpose solutions to address water scarcity is a global challenge. T...

In Mediterranean region, groundwater (GW) is an almost ubiquitous source of fresh water and covers about 60% of the water demand. Indisputably, preserving GW reserves is of utmost importance to support economic activities (food production, tourism, industry, energy), as well as to ensure the health of humans and ecosystems. Due to its importance, t...

Multivariate statistical analysis has been widely used for the hydrochemical interpretation of groundwater data under different hydrological conditions with several techniques. This study deals with the spatial variation of hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater in different Mediterranean catchments and determines the natural and anthropog...

This work aimed at evaluating the impact of human activity and geology on the surface water quality of the Ouled Mellouk dam (northwestern Algeria). Specifically, methodology aims to assess seasonal variations of several parameters (EC, TDS, pH, SO42−, Cl−, Ca2+, Na+, HCO3−, NO3−, PO43− and Mg2+, organic matter, suspended solids, BOD5, COD) from 20...

Sidi Bouzid basin knows for several decades a fast-growing anthropogenic activity and, consequently, an increase in groundwater pollution which attracted researcher attention. For this task, we performed an exhaustive study to evaluate groundwater geochemical evolution. Our research begins with analyzing the geochemical process, then determining th...

Despite efforts to protect the hydrosystems from increasing pollution, nitrate (NO3−) remains a major groundwater pollutant worldwide, and determining its origin is still crucial and challenging. To disentangle the origins and fate of high NO3− (>900 mg/L) in the Sidi Bouzid North basin (Tunisia), a numerical groundwater flow model (MODFLOW-2005) a...

In this research, the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) (McKee, 1993) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) (Vicente-Serrano et al., 2010) were applied to identify the drought severity in the Upper Volturno basin, Campania, Italy. The current study provides a brief drought analysis using SPI and SPEI and demonstrat...

In this study, a new approach integrating a groundwater vulnerability method and a numerical model for predicting groundwater resource sustainability under actual and future conditions of exploitation (2010–2030) is proposed in the semi-arid region of the Tebessa-Morsott alluvial aquifer (northeastern Algeria). The groundwater vulnerability method-...

Groundwater budgets and fluxes are affected by human activities and climate change. Numerical models are cost-effective tools to investigate the different components of the hydrologic cycle. In this study, a groundwater flow model of the unconfined aquifers of the Campania region (Italy) has been developed and calibrated in Processing Modflow 11, r...

An integrated approach using chemical and microbial indicators has been tested in two different sites of the Campania Plain (Southern Italy) with different land use covering and different hydrogeological features in order: (1) to define the water-rock interaction processes, (2) to differentiate sources of pollution in a detailed way (3) to evaluate...

Many countries today are facing severe water shortages as a result of extensive urban development and population grow. Meanwhile, the increasing pressure on water resources has turn out to be a threat to sustainable development requiring considerable attention both locally and globally. Several modeling techniques have been developed to understand...

The interaction between surface water and groundwater constitutes a critical process to understand the quantitative and qualitative regime of dependent hydrosystems. A multi-scale approach combining cross-disciplinary techniques can considerably reduce uncertainties and provide an optimal understanding of groundwater and surface water exchanges. Th...

In the recent years, the coastal aquifer of Jijel plain (North Algeria) located on the south of the Mediterranean Sea was utilized for cities growth and agricultural development of the region. Consequently, overexploitation and seawater intrusion were identified as major risks to the groundwater resource. In this work, a new approach integrating gr...

The many hydrodynamic implications associated with the geomorphological evolution of braided rivers are still not profoundly examined in both experimental and numerical analyses, due to the generation of three-dimensional turbulence structures around sediment bars. In this experimental research, the 3D velocity fields were measured through an acous...

Hydrological predictive models (HPM) represent a useful tool for surface water simulation analysis. In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was utilized to investigate the spatiotemporal variation of runoff, groundwater recharge, and evapotranspiration within a mountainous watershed in Campanian in the south-western part of Italy....

The aim of this study is the investigation of future variations of infiltration and runoff in Tsamantara basin, Holly Mountain (Greece) from 2020 to 2040. For a sustainable water resource management plan, the assessment of all relevant hydrological processes such as streamflow, recharge and evapotranspiration are mandatory for the proper quantifica...

The assessment of soil erosion rate, especially in agricultural lands, represents a fundamental tool for land management planning in the long-term period. In this study, the SWAT model was utilized to simulate soil erosion within a semi-arid watershed in South Portugal. The model was successfully calibrated and validated using real data of streamfl...

Dear Colleagues, This Special Issue will focus on the analysis and prediction of ecohydrological and ecohydraulical effects caused by the interaction between flow and riparian vegetation in natural and manmade vegetated waterways. Vegetation elements have a paramount impact on both hydrodynamic traits and water quality in vegetated water systems,...

Dear Colleagues, As is well known, the scientific fields of ecohydrology and ecohydraulics are rapidly advancing, as seen in the growing volumes of data from flume- and field-scale experimental measurements and numerical modeling. In this framework, artificial intelligence (AI) approaches (i.e., soft computing models, deep learning, artificial neu...

This Special Issue focuses on the proposal and application of current and emerging AI developments in the management of water resources and geosciences that, broadly speaking, are capable of analyzing, modeling, optimizing, and controlling the main ecohydrological and ecohydraulic traits of the examined water bodies and watersheds. The combination...

Riparian and Riverine vegetation is amongst the most impacting ecohydraulical and ecohydrological key factors in the management of water resources and both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, considerably affecting vegetated water systems almost worldwide. Drone- and satellite-based imagery of vegetated open channels and watersheds allow for site-s...

Dear collegues, me and Gianluigi Busico are very proud to share with you our hannpiness of have been selected as Guest Editors for a Special Issue in the MDPI Water Journal: "Experimental Analysis and Numerical Modeling in Ecohydrolgy and Ecohydraulics: From Groundwater to River Hydraulics" Deadline for manuscript submissions: 22 November 2022....

After more than a year from the first confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, the role of meteorological factors in the transmission of the virus still needs to be correctly determined. In this scenario of deep uncertainty, the present study aims to investigate the effects of temperature and relative humidity on daily new cases of COVID-...

The proposed study aims to assess groundwater quality and suitability of the Upper and Middle Cheliff plains (northwest of Algeria) for irrigation and drinking. Here the groundwater is the main source for domestic, agricultural and industrial activities similarly to any other region of the world. The suitability for drinking and for irrigation was...

An assessment of the intrinsic aquifer vulnerability of South America is presented. The outcomes represent the potential sensitivity of natural aquifers to leaching of dissolved compounds from the land surface. The study, developed at continental scale but retaining regionally a high resolution, is based on a critical application of the DRASTIC met...

In the last decades, groundwater level reduction and groundwater quality degradation has been observed due to agricultural, residential and tourism development. Groundwater overexploitation is worldwide considered as one of the main causes of the salinization phenomenon. Additionally, the overuse of ammonium fertilizers in agricultural areas has be...

Uranium (U) pollution in groundwater has become a serious problem worldwide. Even in low concentrations, U has both radiological and toxicological impacts on human health. In this study an integrated hydrogeological approach was applied to conceptualize an aquifer system, and determine the origin of U detected in the aquifer of the eastern Halkidik...

A two-level modeling strategy is formulated to predict groundwater levels (GWL) within a portion of Lake Urmia’s aquifer in NW Iran during 14 years (2001–2015), which both aquifer and lake suffer significant water decline. At Level 1, three artificial intelligence (AI) models were trained and tested, which comprise artificial neural network (ANN),...

Several groundwater vulnerability methodologies have been implemented throughout the years to face the increasing worldwide groundwater pollution, ranging from simple rating methodologies to complex numerical, statistical, and hybrid methods. Most of these methods have been used to evaluate groundwater vulnerability to nitrate, which is considered...

Several groundwater vulnerability methodologies have been implemented throughout the years to face the increasing worldwide groundwater pollution, ranging from simple rating methodologies to complex numerical, statistical, and hybrid methods. Most of these methods have been used to evaluate groundwater vulnerability to nitrate, which is considered...

Coastal areas have become increasingly vulnerable to groundwater salinization, especially in the last century, due to the combined effects of climate change and growing anthropization. In this study, a novel methodology named GALDIT-SUSI was applied in the floodplain of the Volturno River mouth for the current (2018) and future (2050) evaluation of...

The Italian Apennines are among the most important sources of freshwater for several Italian regions. With evidences of deep CO 2-rich fluids intruding into aquifers in the nearby central-southern Apennines, a thorough investigation into the geochemistry of groundwater became critical to ensure the water quality in the area. Here, we show the main...

Groundwater is a primary source of drinking water in the Mediterranean, however, climate variability in conjunction with mismanagement renders it vulnerable to depletion. Spatiotemporal studies of groundwater recharge are the basis to develop strategies against this phenomenon. In this study, groundwater recharge was spatiotemporally quantified usi...

Trace element (TE) pollution in groundwater resources is one of the major concerns in both developing and developed countries as it can directly affect human health. Arsenic (As), Barium (Ba), and Rubidium (Rb) can be considered as TEs naturally present in groundwater due to water-rock interactions in Campania Plain (CP) aquifers, in South Italy. T...

The Mitidja plain area, located in north Algeria, is one of the main agricultural plains in the Mediterranean basin where water supplies are mainly provided by groundwater resource. Due to the effects of a rapid population increase, followed by an intensification of agricultural activities, a proper groundwater vulnerability assessment became urgen...

The Mitidja plain area, located in north Algeria, is one of the main agricultural plains in the Mediterranean basin where water supplies are mainly provided by groundwater resource. Due to the effects of a rapid population increase, followed by an intensification of agricultural activities, a proper groundwater vulnerability assessment became urgen...

The Italian Apennines represent the most important source of freshwater for the Campania region (Southern Italy), as well as a perfect landscape to carry out studies on innovative topics regarding environmental sciences. This paper deals with the study of the hydrochemistry of 28 fresh springs located in the Matese ridge, North of Caserta Province,...

In shallow alluvial aquifers characterized by coarse sediments, the evapotranspiration rates from groundwater are often not accounted for due to their low capillarity. Nevertheless, this assumption can lead to errors in the hydrogeological balance estimation. To quantify such impacts, a numerical flow model using MODFLOW was set up for the Tronto r...

In this study, the modified SINTACS method, a rating-based groundwater vulnerability approach, was applied to data from the Campanian Plain, southern Italy, to identify groundwater vulnerable areas accurately. To mitigate the subjectivity of SINTACS rating and weighting schemes, a modified SINTACS model was formulated by optimizing parameter rating...

The Mediterranean region is under pressure for a more sustainable use of water resources in view of the actual and future climate change. Under this pressure, the need to better assess the links between groundwater availability and quality and irrigated agriculture, is becoming urgent. Through the hydrogeologic and hydrochemical characterization of...

Groundwater quality deterioration and overexploitation constitute two critical environmental issues worldwide. In this study, with the aim to achieve a groundwater sustainability purpose, a preliminary hydrogeochemical survey is conducted in the Flamouria basin, Pella prefecture, Northern Greece using available and collected data. For this purpose,...

A significant rise of groundwater pollution has been registered worldwide, where nitrate has been recognized as the most widespread pollutant. In this context, the groundwater vulnerability assessment and more specifically the delineation of "Nitrate Vulnerable Zones" represents a reliable cost-effective tool for groundwater management. In this stu...

Hydrological predictive models represent the most recently developed tools in the field of water simulation. In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was applied in the Aspio basin in central Italy. After a calibration and validation procedure based on daily streamflow-observed data, the sediment erosion rate from the basin wa...

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is a physical model designed to predict the hydrological processes that could characterize natural and anthropized watersheds. The model can be forced using input data of climate prediction models, soil characteristics and land use scenarios to forecast their effect on hydrological processes. In this study,...

Human activities are deeply connected with groundwater reservoirs, so protecting them from pollution has become a priority in many regions of the world. Nitrate is considered the main groundwater pollutant since it is directly linked to many human activities. Agricultural activities and domestic wastewater have been identified as the main sources o...

Groundwater resources constitute the main source of clean fresh water for domestic use and it is essential for food production in the agricultural sector. Groundwater has a vital role for water supply in the Campanian Plain in Italy and hence a future sustainability of the resource is essential for the region. In the current paper novel data mining...

Forest wildfires usually occur due to natural processes such as lightning and volcanic eruptions, but at the same time they are also an effect of uncontrolled and illegal anthropogenic activities. Different factors can influence forest wildfires, like the type of vegetation, morphology, climate, and proximity to human activities. A precise evaluati...

Groundwater resources are the main supply of freshwater for human activities. However, in the last fifty years aquifers have become more susceptible to chemical pollution due to human activities. The concept of groundwater vulnerability constitutes a worldwide accepted tool for water protection and planning. However, the existing methods and modifi...

Deterioration of groundwater quality due to the introduction of pollutants from natural and anthropic sources has become a major environmental issue. We tested three methodologies in assessing groundwater quality and intrinsic aquifer vulnerability in the Agro-Aversano area (Southern Italy). A geographic information system (GIS)-based groundwater q...

The Italian Apennines represent the most important source of freshwater for the Campania region (Southern Italy), as well as a perfect landscape to carry on studies on innovative topics regarding environmental sciences. This paper deals with the study of the hydrochemistry of 28 fresh springs located in the Matese ridge, North of Caserta Province,...

Coastal freshwater resources are commonly under high risk of being contaminated from seawater. The main processes that affect seawater intrusion are groundwater overexploitation, land use change, and climate change effects. In this context coastal lagoons represent the more sensitive environments prone to seawater intrusion. Numerical modelling is...

While the effects of climate change on the thermal regimes of surface waters have already been assessed by many studies, there is still a lack of knowledge on the effects on groundwater temperature and on the effects on spring water quality. The online available dataset of the Campania Environmental Agency (ARPAC) was analysed via spatial, temporal...

In the last years, because of uncontrolled human activities, a significant increase of groundwater pollution occurred worldwide, with nitrate being among the most widespread pollutants. The assessment of groundwater vulnerability represents an important tool for developing groundwater quality plans and in the delimitation of “Nitrate Vulnerable Zon...

The salinization of coastal aquifers is one of the major environmental issue worldwide. Overexploitation is the most common reason of salinization, since it generates a piezometric inversion, which in turn leads to groundwater flow from the coast towards inland. This also occurs in water bodies connected to the sea like lagoons, rivers, torrents an...

Coastal aquifers are susceptible to seawater intrusion, especially touristic areas where the overexploitation combined with the agricultural use of groundwater represent a severe issue for water management. GALDIT methodology was applied as a management tool to identify and prevent salinization of the aquifer. GALDIT methodology needs six input par...