Nitrate pollution and quality degradation of Ionian coastal groundwater (Southern Italy)

The study area lies in the southernmost part of the Basilicata (or Lucania) region in Southern Italy, along the Ionian coastal plain, known as the Piana di Metaponto (Metaponto Plain), stretching across the central and lower valleys of the Sinni, Agri, Cavone, Basento and Bradano rivers (Figure 1).