Isotope signatures and hydrochemistry as tools in assessing groundwater occurrence and dynamics in a coastal arid aquifer

Nancy Edith Ornelas Soto; Arturo Hernández Antonio; Jurgen Mahlknecht

Isotope signatures and hydrochemistry as tools in assessing groundwater occurrence and dynamics in a coastal arid aquifer

dc.creator	Nancy Edith Ornelas Soto
dc.creator	Arturo Hernández Antonio
dc.creator	Jurgen Mahlknecht
dc.date	2016
dc.date.accessioned	2018-10-19T14:22:09Z
dc.date.available	2018-10-19T14:22:09Z
dc.description	Groundwater from the La Paz arid coastal aquifer in Baja California, Mexico, is essentially the only source of drinking water for the local population and tourists, as well as irrigation water for agricultural needs. The intensive exploitation of the aquifer and water cycling has resulted in groundwater abatement (up to 10 m) and high salinity (up to ~5800 mg l−1). A study using hydrochemistry, isotopic (deuterium, oxygen-18 and carbon-14) and gaseous tracers (chlorofluorocarbons CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113), as well as multivariate statistics, was developed to elucidate groundwater composition, flow and occurrence. Groundwater is of meteoric origin, and a large proportion is subject to evaporation. The primary natural recharge is generated in the El Novillo and Las Cruces ranges, and groundwater subsequently flows in a SE–NW direction toward the coast. The initial water type is the result of discordant dissolution of silicate minerals and ion exchange on soils. In the lower plain portion, the aquifer system is recharged from irrigation return flow and seawater intrusion, which significantly affects groundwater chemistry. Nitrate and chloride concentrations indicate that groundwater is highly affected by an overuse of fertilizers in agricultural activities, but there is little effect from urban activities. Seawater intrusion has progressed rapidly during the past decade, and the impact currently extends 13 km inland. Radiocarbon residence time calculations suggest that groundwater is modern, with the exception of Chametla and El Centerario sites in the central and western lowlands with ages of up to ~5000 years. These waters indicate an additional recharge source for the upconing of fossil groundwater or regional flow. © 2016, The Author(s).
dc.identifier.doi	10.1007/s12665-016-5617-2
dc.identifier.issn	18666280
dc.identifier.issue	9
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/11285/630647
dc.identifier.volume	75
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Springer Verlag
dc.relation	https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84966332550&doi=10.1007%2fs12665-016-5617-2&partnerID=40&md5=f687661236dbef2eb9c3c6e85f43d924
dc.relation	Investigadores
dc.relation	Estudiantes
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
dc.source	Environmental Earth Sciences
dc.subject	Agriculture
dc.subject	Aquifers
dc.subject	Arid regions
dc.subject	Carbon
dc.subject	Contamination
dc.subject	Groundwater
dc.subject	Groundwater geochemistry
dc.subject	Groundwater pollution
dc.subject	Groundwater resources
dc.subject	Hydrochemistry
dc.subject	Hydrogeology
dc.subject	Ion exchange
dc.subject	Irrigation
dc.subject	Isotopes
dc.subject	Mercury (metal)
dc.subject	Multivariant analysis
dc.subject	Potable water
dc.subject	Salt water intrusion
dc.subject	Seawater
dc.subject	Silicate minerals
dc.subject	Silicates
dc.subject	Water
dc.subject	Agricultural activities
dc.subject	Chloride concentrations
dc.subject	Coastal aquifers
dc.subject	Groundwater composition
dc.subject	Hydro geochemistries
dc.subject	Intensive exploitations
dc.subject	Irrigation return flows
dc.subject	Multivariate statistics
dc.subject	Recharging (underground waters)
dc.subject	aquifer pollution
dc.subject	arid region
dc.subject	coastal aquifer
dc.subject	concentration (composition)
dc.subject	drinking water
dc.subject	exploitation
dc.subject	hydrogeochemistry
dc.subject	hydrology
dc.subject	ion exchange
dc.subject	isotopic composition
dc.subject	multivariate analysis
dc.subject	recharge
dc.subject	residence time
dc.subject	saline intrusion
dc.subject	salinity
dc.subject	silicate mineral
dc.subject	tracer
dc.subject	Baja California Sur
dc.subject	La Paz [Baja California Sur]
dc.subject	Las Cruces
dc.subject	Mexico [North America]
dc.subject	New Mexico
dc.subject	United States
dc.subject.classification	7 INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA
dc.title	Isotope signatures and hydrochemistry as tools in assessing groundwater occurrence and dynamics in a coastal arid aquifer
dc.type	Artículo
refterms.dateFOA	2018-10-19T14:22:09Z

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1

Name:: 84966332550.pdf
Size:: 116.26 KB
Format:: Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:: Abstract

Download

Collections

Artículo