Ionic Runoff as a Way to Determine the Degree of Karst Denudation (Case Study Jasov Plateau, Slovak Karst, Slovakia)

Estimation of the catchment area of a karst spring is not possible in all areas for various reasons. The Slovak Karst is protected by the highest degree of protection and karst springs are used as a source of drinking water for the second largest city in Slovakia, Kosice. From this reason, no results on ionic runoff or chemical denudation have been published from this area and the most appropriate way to obtain information about the denudation rate is to determine the ionic runoff. This paper provides an overview of ionic runoff results based on sampling and analysis of karst water from six springs in the period November 2013-October 2016 (three hydrological years) and periodic measurements. Springs have significantly fluctuated flow rates from 0 L/s in summer and autumn up to 192 L/s, and episodic events during the snow melting and heavy rain in the spring of 2013 are also known (more than 380 L/s). The total value of ionic runoff for the area of 40,847 m(3)/y.km(2) is comparable with the Vracanska Plateau in Bulgaria, which lies at a similar altitude and with a similar amount of precipitation.

Automated summary

This study provides an overview of the ionic runoff of six karst springs in the Slovak Karst region, showing significant flow rate fluctuations and a total ionic runoff value comparable to a plateau in Bulgaria.