Jelena Parlov

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at University of Zagreb Faculty of Mining Geology and Petroleum Engineering

Nitrate ions (NO3−) are one of the most common contaminants in the groundwater of the Zagreb alluvial aquifer, which hosts strategic groundwater reserves of the Republic of Croatia and supplies drinking water to one million inhabitants of the capital city. To better understand the origin and the dynamics of NO3− in the unsaturated and saturated zon...

Previous studies have shown that the nitrification process in soils is influenced by soil moisture, soil pH, organic carbon and soil texture. The scientific research polygon of the Faculty of Mining, Geology, and Petroleum Engineering, University of Zagreb is situated within the first sanitary protection zone of the Velika Gorica well field. The...

Natural potential sources of nitrate contamination involve decaying of organic matter, bacterial production, atmospheric deposition, and soil N. The study presents the first results of nitrate distribution and migration through soil horizons of the Eutric Cambisols, one of the most common soils developed in the area of the Zagreb aquifer and situat...

The analysis of NO3- for both δ15N and δ18O has been made possible by the development of various laboratory methods for sample preparation, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Current methods such as the cadmium reduction method (Azide method) or the bacterial denitrification method require toxic chemicals or anaerobic bacterial culture...

In this study, isotopic composition of spring water was studied during the critical periods of a hydrological year in the fractured aquifer of Simonos Petra Monastery of Mount Athos in Northern Greece.

Due to the high vulnerability of the karst aquifer to the surface contaminants, a precisely defined catchment area has the highest priority. In this study, the influence of slope inclination, the doline density analysis, and the water budget analysis in the delineation process of a complex karst catchment area is discussed. To define hydrogeologica...

The unsaturated zone plays a crucial role in the hydrological cycle and is a key factor in modeling and understanding hydrological processes. It regulates water transfer from the land surface to the groundwater while providing protection, transfer, and attenuation of potential groundwater contaminants. This research presents the first results of co...

This paper shows an overview of extensive geotechnical and geological investigation of soils around cover-collapse sinkholes that appeared in a constrained area around Mečenčani and Borojevići villages following the 2020–2021 Petrinja earthquake sequence. A total of 122 new and 49 pre-existing historical sinkholes were recorded, mapped, and classif...

This research defines hydrogeochemical characteristics in the influence area of the Velika Gorica well field, which is located in the southern part of the Zagreb aquifer. Investigated area is characterized by various lithology, pedology, hydraulic properties and land use. The three main factors that determine the chemical characteristics of groundw...

Transboundary groundwater resources are very important sources of water for different uses and represent a significant role in some region, although monitoring and management are an major issue. The Bregana – Obrežje (Slovenia) / Sava – Samobor (Croatia) aquifers were identified by the International Network of Water-Environment Centres for the Balk...

This study demonstrates an approach to estimate the background value of nitrate as a basis for better groundwater management and protection in areas under long-term human impact. The aim was to determine the ambient background value (ABV) of nitrate in the catchment area of the Velika Gorica well field, a hydrogeologically homogeneous area within t...

The Athos peninsula is located in Northern Greece and constitutes one of the last unexplored areas of Greece regarding hydrogeological conditions. This study is focused on the Hydrosystem of the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petra with the aim of determining the hydrochemical regime of the fracture zone aquifer.

This article presents geotechnical reconnaissance data that characterize the formation of 122 new and 49 historical cover-collapse sinkholes within 1.13 km ² area in 12 months following the M W 6.4 earthquake that occurred on 29 December 2020, in Petrinja, Croatia. Data include a geological background, seismic sequence information, sinkhole geometr...

The Zagreb aquifer is the main source of potable water for the inhabitants of the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County. It presents a strategic water reserve protected by the Republic of Croatia. All previous studies related to the definition of the groundwater–surface interaction in the study area have been made based on the isotopic composition of th...

An extensive formation of numerous cover-collapse sinkholes occurred in the aftermath of the December 29, 2020, M6.4 earthquake, and its 2020–2021 sequence in Petrinja, Croatia. The total number of registered new sinkholes increased to 107, as of November 2021, appearing within two small areas of less than 1 km2, combined, surrounding Mečenčani and...

The work of the GEER Association is based in part on work supported by the National Science Foundation through the Geotechnical Engineering Program under US NSF Grant No. CMMI-1266418. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF....

This report summarizes the findings of a rapid damage and needs assessment that was led by the Government of Croatia, with technical assistance from the World Bank, following a series of earthquakes in December 2020. This assessment focuses on the December 29, 2020 earthquake. The assessment was carried out between January and March 2021, with data...

Groundwater quality is a consequence of cumulative effects of natural and anthropogenic processes occurring in unsaturated and saturated zone, which, in certain conditions, can lead to elevated concentrations of chemical substances in groundwater. In this paper, the concept of determining the ambient background value of a chemical substance in grou...

Tritium presents a natural radioactive isotope which can be used as a tracer in hydrology. This paper presents the usage of tritium in hydrogeological research of the Zagreb aquifer, which presents the country`s strategic water reserves and is protected by the Republic of Croatia. In the research area, higher tritium content in surface water and gr...

The main purpose of this study was to understand the interactions between precipitation, surface water, and groundwater in the Zagreb aquifer system using water stable isotopes. The Zagreb aquifer is of the unconfined type and strongly hydraulically connected to the Sava River. As the groundwater is the main source of drinking water for one million...

Correlation and cross-spectral analysis of hydrographs was performed on the karst area of the mountainous section of the Kupa River in two time periods. Since there are karst aquifers in this area that is a part of strategic groundwater reserves of potable water, such an analysis could give better insight into the behavior of these aquifers. The fu...

Water stable isotopes were used to investigate hydrological pathways and interactions between surface water and groundwater in the Zagreb aquifer system (Croatia). δ ² H and δ ¹⁸ O values indicate a spatial variability of the influence of individual groundwater sources inside the aquifer – local precipitation and the Sava River water. Fractions of...

Nitrates are among the most common groundwater contaminants worldwide, and the same situation is present within the Zagreb aquifer. The Zagreb aquifer presents the only source of potable water for inhabitants of the City of Zagreb and part of Zagreb County. Isotopic composition of water ( δ² H and δ¹⁸ O) and nitrates ( δ¹⁵ N and δ¹⁸ O), groundwater...

Nitrates present one of the most common groundwater contaminants in the world and one of the five major groups of contaminants in the study area. Gaussian simulation (GS) algorithm was used for determining the spatial distribution of average nitrate concentrations from 2010 to 2015 on 95 sampling points. Results indicate two main focus areas of nit...

This article presents results of hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical research conducted at south hills, Ivanščica Mountain, situated in the northwestern part of the Republic of Croatia. Research was carried out in the summer 2013, between July and September. Hydrogeological mapping was undertaken on approximately 20 km2 (at a scale of 1:25000), wi...

This paper presents estimation of geochemical ambient or current background concentrations of selected chemical parameters in groundwater of the Samobor alluvial aquifer which is located in the western part of the Zagreb area, the Croatian capital. When defining groundwater quality it is necessary to estimate background concentrations of chemical p...

This paper presents a conceptual model of the Zagreb aquifer system. The conceptual model can be applied to groundwater status risk assessment and pollution risk assessment at the local scale, thus satisfying both environmental and preventative/limitation objectives of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Groundwater Directive (GWD). Its main pu...

The fully automated objective-based method for master recession curve (MRC) separation was developed by using Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code. The core of the program code is used to construct an MRC by using the adapted matching strip method (Posavec et al. 2006). Criteria for separating the MRC into two or...

A Visual Basic spreadsheet macro was written to automate the estimation of groundwater recharge from stream or spring hydrographs using the adapted Meyboom’s method. The program fits exponential regression model available in widely accessible platform (i.e. MS Excel) to baseflow recessions that precede and follow groundwater recharge, and uses regr...

A new approach is proposed to recording of the groundwater data and knowledge. The program solution uses GIS technology, relational database, and graphical and tex-tual documents in a user-friendly way, by making the access to data from other applica-tions is within a single central application.

A Visual Basic spreadsheet macro was written to automate the estimation of groundwater recharge from stream or spring hydrographs using the adapted Meyboom's method. The program fits exponential regression model available in widely accessible platform (i.e. MS Excel) to baseflow recessions that precede and follow groundwater recharge, and uses regr...

The Zagreb aquifer system is located in the NW part of the Republic of Croatia, in the urban area of the Croatian capital, along the Sava River. Numerous well fields are accommodated within this aquifer system, which are crucial for the water supply of the City of Zagreb and its greater region. The aquifer is unconfined and connected to the Sava Ri...

Observation Head Browser is an auxiliary tool for development of the groundwa-ter table maps that constitute the basis for a spatial-temporal analysis of the groundwater tables. The Observation Head Browser is used for browsing of systematically organized groundwater table data on a specific date, and for processing of data used to compile the grou...