Summary

The optimal use of coastal aquifer resources has a significant social and economic impact and affects the development of coastal areas, which have high population density and agricultural exploitation. The coast represents a frontier in knowledge with high scientific interest due to the difference in study techniques on land and at sea, which prevent a detailed determination of this connection zone. The META project will comprehensively analyze coastal aquifers through an innovative methodology. Areas will be selected for a detailed analysis of detrital aquifers with high and low recharge, as well as aquifers whose behavior is conditioned by variations in the depth of the basement. In addition, aquifers in carbonate massifs, where the flow is determined by karstification and fracturing, will be analyzed. These aquifers represent the different types recognized in the Andalusian Mediterranean coast. The proposed methodology will successively determine the structure of the aquifer; the distribution of freshwater and saline water and its temporal evolution; the characterization of submarine freshwater springs; and finally integrate the whole into hydrogeological numerical models to evaluate their reserves, considering aquifers as a land-sea continuum. The methods used will be multidisciplinary, employing geological, geophysical, and hydrogeological techniques in both terrestrial and marine environments. Due to the limited information on freshwater reserves in the coastal strip, new instrumentation will be developed for radon, temperature, and salinity sampling adapted to the needs of this area, which is critical for hydrogeological functioning and coastal ecosystems. The META project represents a contribution to the Blue Economy action line, as it presents frontier applications in the study of marine aquifer water resources that must be analyzed comprehensively.