The influence of surface water evaporation on salt water intrusion in Ravenna, Italy. Implications for climate change.

We investigate to what extent open surface water evaporation contributes now, and in a possible future, to the salinization of quarry lakes in the Quinto Basin, Ravenna Italy. Net evaporation rates are currently up to 894 mm/yr. Numerical models show that evaporation is one of the driving forces for salinization of the unconfined aquifer. Evapotranspiration by pine trees and drainage of the polders around the quarries contribute as well. Evaporation depends on many weather variables and in the future IPPC climate scenarios A1B and A2 for the area, evaporation may slightly decrease, because of decreasing wind and increasing air humidity in winter, even though average temperatures will increase.