FOODinteract Research Team (I3A-LAQV)

Wildfires are one of the main obstacles to the sustainability of forests and related ecosystems. The resulting devastation may cause severe economic and social costs, with the loss of lives and infrastructures, as well as the disturbance of the provision of goods and services, including ecosystem services, together with environmental damages such as the loss of carbon sequestration. Fires may also cause direct and indirect effects on the local water cycle, but little is known about the impact on groundwater quality. Our studies demonstrate the vulnerability of aquifers to wildfires, especially concerning the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which constitutes an issue yet poorly understood in terms of both the magnitude and persistence.

Impact of wildfire on groundwater quality