Groundwater salinization is a serious problem affecting numerous coastal areas of the world. Airborne electromagnetics is already widely used to feed data-driven decision and management processes with accurate (hydro)geomodels and, by doing so, to mitigate the detrimental effects of saltwater intrusion.
In this perspective, airborne electromagnetic surveys were performed, in 2021, in Croatia, and, in 2023, in Sardinia (Italy). The overall goal of the surveys was to better understand the hydrogeology of the coastal areas leading to a more quantitative assessment of the saltwater intrusion and possible preferential paths.
In an attempt to find alternative energy sources, geothermal potentials are investigated more and more frequently around the world. Indeed, this was one of the objectives of the additional survey flown in Sardinia in the Campidano plain, in the proximity of Sardara.
Here, we present the preliminary, but extremely promising, results of data processing and inversion of those three datasets. We built (pseudo-)3D resistivity models based on 1D forward approximation. And we compare them against other available ancillary measurements and prior knowledge. Not surprisingly, freshwater is generally related to a relatively resistive unit, whereas potential geothermal fluids are associated with conductive features.