A critical assessment of widely used techniques for nitrate source apportionment in arid and semi-arid regions

The assessment of nitrate pollution origin using stable isotope techniques is a fundamental prerequisite for the application of sustainable groundwater management plans. Although nitrate pollution is a worldwide groundwater quality problem, existing knowledge on the origin of nitrate pollution in arid and semi-arid regions is still scarce. Using the example of the Grombalia aquifer (NE Tunisia), this work summarizes the main strengths and constraints of multi-isotope techniques targeting at nitrate source identification and apportionment The results highlighted that, even in the case of well-established methodologies, like those of isotope hydrogeochemistry (δ¹⁵N_NO3, δ ¹⁸O_NO3 and δ ¹¹B) and mixing modelling for source apportionment, it is fundamental to take into account regional and local end-members to avoid biased data interpretation and to fully exploit the potential of such accurate tools.