Estimating groundwater recharge in the outcrop area of the Guarani Aquifer System
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21701/bolgeomin.123.3.008Keywords:
groundwater, Guarani Aquifer System, land use, rechargeAbstract
The Guarani aquifer system (GAS) is one of the most important groundwater reservoirs in South America. Its main groundwater recharge occurs in the outcrop areas of the Botucatu and Pirambóia formations. In these areas groundwater input, such as the infiltration of precipitation, is controlled mainly by climatic characteristics, soil proprieties and land use in the area. We provide here an estimation of the annual recharge into the Ribeirão da Onça basin, located in an outcrop area of the GAS, resulting from data collected during monitoring from September 2004 until August 2011. Fluctuations in the water table were measured at 11 piezometers, sited in different crops areas. Processing techniques for multispectral images were used to map land use. Recharge was estimated by a local-scale method (water-table fluctuation, WTF). Recharge estimates for areas with citrus and eucalyptus proved to be lower than for areas under grassland and sugar cane. Annual recharge rates estimated for the entire watershed ranged from 80 mm to 359 mm for annual precipitations of 1,175.5 mm and 1,807.7 mm. The assessment of recharge in outcrop areas is essential for a suitable future exploitation of the GAS.
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