Limestone areas prone to karst development tend to increase groundwater vulnerability to pesticide movement.

Limestone areas prone to karst development tend to increase groundwater vulnerability to pesticide movement.

• A. Yes
• B. No
• C. Only In Floodplains
• D. Only With Acidic Pesticides

Answer: (A)

Karst limestone creates highly permeable underground networks—fractures, channels, and voids formed by dissolution. When pesticides are applied on the surface, water can infiltrate quickly and travel through these conduits to groundwater with little filtration. Shallow soils or thin soil cover in karst areas reduce natural attenuation, so contaminants reach groundwater fast. Because of these fast, preferential flow paths, groundwater in karst regions is especially vulnerable to pesticide movement. This vulnerability isn’t limited to floodplains, nor does it require the pesticide to be acidic, so the statement is true.

Karst limestone creates highly permeable underground networks—fractures, channels, and voids formed by dissolution. When pesticides are applied on the surface, water can infiltrate quickly and travel through these conduits to groundwater with little filtration. Shallow soils or thin soil cover in karst areas reduce natural attenuation, so contaminants reach groundwater fast. Because of these fast, preferential flow paths, groundwater in karst regions is especially vulnerable to pesticide movement. This vulnerability isn’t limited to floodplains, nor does it require the pesticide to be acidic, so the statement is true.