Why is the phenomenon of aquifer salinization particularly acute in coastal agricultural zones across southern Greece?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. over-pumping draws seawater inland
- Step 1: Intensive irrigation in coastal plains rapidly depletes the fresh groundwater table. This creates negative hydraulic pressure, causing adjacent seawater to infiltrate and salinize the coastal freshwater aquifers. Answer: over-pumping draws seawater inland. Why not the others: "excessive glacier runoff floods plains" refers to alpine glacial melting which does not occur in southern Mediterranean Greece; "heavy synthetic pesticide spraying" causes chemical water contamination rather than direct marine saline intrusion; "volcanic ash seals water tables" posits a rare volcanological event rather than chronic hydrological overdraft.
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