| Volumes Contents of Volume 22 |
www.adv-geosci.net/22/51/2009/
doi:10.5194/adgeo-22-51-2009
© Author(s) 2009. This work is distributed
under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Interaction of water components in the semi-arid Huasco and Limarí river basins, North Central Chile
1Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Department Hydrogeology, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
2Departamento Ingeniería de Minas, Universidad de La Serena, Casilla 554, La Serena, Chile
3Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Aridas (CEAZA), Benavente 980, La Serena, Chile
4Technical University Magdeburg-Stendal, Department Water Management, Breitscheidstraße 2, 39114 Magdeburg, Germany
5EAWAG – Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department Water Resources and Drinking Water, Dübendorf, Switzerland
6Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Department Isotope Hydrology, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
Abstract. For sustainable water resource management in semi-arid regions, sound information is required about interactions between the different components of the water system: rain/snow precipitation, surface/subsurface run-off, groundwater recharge. Exemplarily, the Huasco and Limarí river basins as water stressed river catchments have been studied by isotope and hydrochemical methods for (i) the origin of water, (ii) water quality, (iii) relations of surface and groundwater.
Applying the complex multi-isotopic and hydrochemical methodology to the water components of the Huasco and Limarí basins, a differentiation of water components concerning subsurface flow and river water along the catchment area and by anthropogenic impacts are detected. Sulphate and nitrate concentrations indicate remarkable input from mining and agricultural activities along the river catchment.
The 2H-18O relations of river water and groundwater of both catchments point to the behaviour of river waters originated in an arid to semi-arid environment.
Consequently, the groundwater from several production wells in the lower parts of the catchments is related to the rivers where the wells located, however, it can be distinguished from the river water. Using the hydrological water balance and the isotope mixing model, the interaction between surface and subsurface flows and river flow is estimated.
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Citation: Strauch, G., Oyarzún, R., Reinstorf, F., Oyarzún, J., Schirmer, M., and Knöller, K.: Interaction of water components in the semi-arid Huasco and Limarí river basins, North Central Chile, Adv. Geosci., 22, 51-57, doi:10.5194/adgeo-22-51-2009, 2009. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
