INSERT BUSINESS UNIT NAME Identification of water origin and water-rock interaction in a complex multi-aquifer system in the Dead Sea Rift by applying chemistry and isotopes Von der Fakultät für Geowissenschaften, Geotechnik und Bergbau der Technischen Universität Bergakademie Freiberg genehmigte DISSERTATION zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades doctor rerum naturalium Dr. rer. nat. vorgelegt von Dipl. Ing. Cornelia Maria Wilske geboren am 10.August 1983 in Berlin Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Broder Merkel, TU Bergakademie Freiberg Prof. Dr. Amitai Katz, The Hebrew University Jerusalem Dr. habil. Christian Siebert, Helmholtz-Z. f. Umweltforschung GmbH – UFZ, Halle Tag der Verleihung: 28.03.2019 Foreword This study was set up at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ (Department Catchment Hydrology in Halle) and contributes to the water resources research around the Dead Sea of accomplished projects: IWRM SMART II (Integrated Water Management, Sustainable Management of Available Water Resources with Innovative Technologies, 2010-2014, C. Siebert [27.06.2018]) and DESERVE (DEad SEa Research Venue, 2012 - 2017, KIT [2018]). The main goal of SMART II consisting of an international research consortium of Palestinian, Israeli, Jordanian and German scientists, deals with the dramatic water situation in the Jordan valley and adjacent countries and focuses on development of transferrable methods for sustainable water management in semi-arid water regions. DESERVE is a cooperation of KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), GFZ (German research centre for geosciences) and UFZ including partners from Israel (Hebrew University Jerusalem, The Institute of Earth Sciences (IES); Tel Aviv University (TAU), TAU Weather Research Center (TAU WeRC)) and Jordan (Al Balqa Applied University (BAU), Alhuson University College, Jordan) and Palestine. This project focus on environmental risks, water availability, and climate change under the unique conditions of the Dead Sea region and combines atmospheric, hydrological, and lithospheric research to understand processes and develop prediction models, remediation strategies, and risk assessments [KIT, 2018]. Dissertation I Cornelia Wilske I iii Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................... iii Contents iv Figure ................................................................................................................................... vi Tables .................................................................................................................................... x Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................... xi Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................................. xiii Abstract ...................................................................................................................................xv Zusammenfassung ............................................................................................................................. xvi 1 Introduction 18 1.1 Objective ................................................................................................................................ 19 1.2 Structure of the thesis ........................................................................................................... 20 2 The Dead Sea basin and its adjacent western aquifer system 21 2.1 Geography.............................................................................................................................. 21 2.2 Climate .................................................................................................................................. 21 2.3 Vegetation and land use ........................................................................................................ 21 2.4 Geology/ Hydrogeology ......................................................................................................... 22 3 Methodology 29 3.1 Sampling ................................................................................................................................ 29 3.2 Sampling procedures and analytical methods ...................................................................... 32 3.2.1 Groundwater and rock analyses ............................................................................... 33 3.2.2 Age tracer in groundwater ....................................................................................... 36 3.3 Statistical data evaluation method ........................................................................................ 37 Dissertation I Cornelia Wilske I iv 4 Results and discussion 40 4.1 Groundwater origin and evolution ........................................................................................ 40 4.1.1 Evaluation of meteoric water input ......................................................................... 41 4.1.2 Groundwater types and evolution ........................................................................... 42 4.1.3 Relation of Ca, Sr and Mg ......................................................................................... 46 4.1.4 Strontium isotopes ................................................................................................... 49 13 4.1.5 Stable isotopes patterns - δ CDIC ............................................................................. 54 4.1.6 Proving groundwater origin with REE+Y .................................................................. 56 4.1.7 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 59 4.2 Modification of Cretaceous groundwater in the Lower Jordan Valley ................................. 60 4.2.1 δ34S pattern in the Cretaceous groundwater and springs ....................................... 61 4.2.2 Trace elements - Identification of saline patterns in Cretaceous and Quaternary aquifers .................................................................................................................................. 64 4.2.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 73 4.3 Groundwater dating of W Dead Sea aquifer system ............................................................. 74 4.3.1 Dating parameters .................................................................................................... 75 4.3.2 Application of lumped parameter models ............................................................... 78 4.3.3 Results of dating tracer distribution ......................................................................... 81 4.3.4 Infiltration times from anthropogenic organic trace pollutants and nitrate ........... 84 4.3.5 Lumped parameter model - evaluation of infiltration times ................................... 85 4.3.6 Conclusions of groundwater dating ......................................................................... 90 5 Summary and outlook 92 References .................................................................................................................................. 94 Appendix A ................................................................................................................................ 103 Dissertation I Cornelia Wilske I v Figures Figure 1 Regional plate tectonic pattern showing main Levant features like Dead Sea transform and Gondwanian elements (modified after Flexer et al. [2005] and Hirsch et al. [1995]), Projection UTM, WGS 1984 ............................................................................................................... 22 Figure 2 Geological map 1:200.000 (Projection UTM Zone 36 N, WGS 1984) with structural elements, fold structures after Begin [1974], Mor and Burg [2000], Raz [1986], Roth [1973], Shachnai [2000], Sneh and Avni [2011]; Sneh and Roth [2012], * after Gräbe et al. [2013] ............ 23 Figure 3 Hydro -/ Geological map of the Western Dead Sea catchment (Projection UTM Zone 36N, WGS 1984) including sampling locations, subset A* corresponds to Figure 5, subset A** corresponds to Figure 4, geological map and cross section after (e.g. Begin [1975], Mor and Burg [2000], Roth [1973], Sneh and Avni [2011]), * after Gräbe et al. [2013] .................................. 30 Figure 4 Geological situation of sampling locations surrounding Samia and Auja (subset A** of Figure 3, including legend), morphologic contour lines (50 m SRTM) .............................................. 30 Figure 5 Sampling map of Ein Feshkha (subset A* of figure 3), left side: topographic map [Mallast et al., 2013], right side: geological map; sampling points are located on deltaic platform of post - Lisan Alluvium (largely Holocene), geologic and fault distribution after (Begin [1974], Lubberts and Ben-Avraham [2002]) ...................................................................................... 32 Figure 6 Sampling of CFCs and SF6 from well pump; left: well pump and 10l container for sampling, right: 10l container with glass bottle and tin connected with a tube to the pump during flushing with water ................................................................................................................. 36 Figure 7 Stable water isotopes of the groundwater