Geostatistical analysis of groundwater nitratesdistribution in the Plain d’Alsace

The groundwater of the Plaine d’Alsace (France) is one of the largest water reservoir in Europe. It is highly vulnerable to pollutants coming from anthropic activities (industrial and agricultural). The monitoring carried on by the local agencies on the groundwater pollution concurred to form a very large public database on water quality. In this study the nitrate concentration has been examined in detail for two years, namely 1997 and 2003, for which dense sampling was available, and the evolution of the distribution of the pollutant has been highlighted.