Surface Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Monitoring Reveals Karst Unsaturated Zone Recharge Dynamics during a Rain Event

Understanding karst unsaturated zone (UZ) recharge dynamics is crucial for achieving sustainable management of karst hydrosystems. In this paper, we provide the first report of the application of surface nuclear magnetic resonance (SNMR) monitoring of a karst UZ during a typical Mediterranean rain event. This 79 days’ SNMR monitoring is a part of a more than 2 years of SNMR monitoring at the Low Noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB) experimental site located within the Fontaine de Vaucluse karst hydrosystem (southeastern France). We present eight SNMR soundings conducted before and after the rain event that accumulated 168 mm in 5 days. The obtained results demonstrate the applicability and the efficiency of SNMR for investigating infiltration dynamics in karst UZs at the time scale of a few days. We present the SNMR amplitudes that highlight strong signal variations related to water dynamics in the karst UZ. Infiltrated water cause increased SNMR signal during 5 days after the rain event. A significant draining process of the medium starts 15 days after the main event. Finally, after 42 days, the SNMR signal returns close to the initial state.