Camassa, Ariani & Wittmann 1999
Camassa, Ariani & Wittmann 1999
CAMASSA, M., A. P. ARIANI & K. J. WITTMANN, 1999: The dolinas system of Torre Castiglione (Apulia, southern Italy): description and environmental characteristics. Abstracts of the 14th International Symposium of Biospeleology. Croatian Biospeleological Society, Makarska, p. 36.
Dolinas are somewhat uncommon among the karstic phenomena extending over vast areas of Apulia in southern Italy. A number of brackish water dolinas (locally termed 'spunnulate') is known from the lonian coast near Porto Cesareo (Gulf of Taranto). These collapse cavities are of Quaternary, probably Pleistocene origin. Five `spunnulate', scattered over less than 1 km2, were studied monthly from May 1998 to April 1999. The area occupied by the dark zone ranged between 1% (SP 4) and 100% (SP 1, SP 13) of the accessible water surface; maximum depth ranged between 0.7 m (SP 13) and 4.0 m (SP 4). Salinity (S) showed relatively small temporal (seasonal) fluctuations within each dolina, where average values increased with decreasing sea distance, from a salinity of about 6 at 450 nn (SP 2) to about 8 at 110 m (SP 6). Temperature was generally in the range of 16-18 °C at 0.2 m depth, however a maximum of 27 'C was found at the surface in August (SP 4): pH ranged from about 7 (SP 1, in May and September) to 9.5 (SP 6, in February). The available data, especially salinity and temperature values, clearly indicate that all the studied dolinas are interconnected by karstic cavities in the underground, and that they reach Jeep groundwaters contamined by sea water deeply intruding the land-mass.
biospeleology; dolinas system; salinity measurements; temperature measurements; Apulia; southern Italy