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<p>Wetlands are biodiversity hotspots, critical for water purification and freshwater resources. Due to lower precipitation and higher temperatures in many places in the world, streamflow feeding wetlands is decreasing. Moreover, human water use restricts wetlands recharge. In this regard, the assessment of hydrological sources, in particular groundwater, becomes relevant. We studied the El Culebrón coastal wetland (ECCW) through isotopes, hydrochemistry, and hydrologic measurements. ECCW is distinctive because it carries water throughout the year, despite its location in an arid zone, &lt; 100&#xa0;mm&#xa0;yr<sup>‒1</sup> of precipitation, ~ 1000&#xa0;mm&#xa0;yr<sup>‒1</sup> of evapotranspiration, and a relatively small contributing watershed. Water contribution to the wetland was mostly from freshwater. Despite electrical conductivity, salinity, chloride, and density increasing downstream, there was a minor influence from the sea. Isotopic data (<sup>2</sup>H and <sup>18</sup>O) pointed towards an important influence of the Bellavista Canal (BC), which diverts water from another neighboring catchment for irrigation. Bayesian analyses suggested that 9.4% of water was rain, 2.3% was fog, 4.7% was seawater, and 83.7% was sourced from BC. Its surpluses are infiltrated into the aquifer groundwater, from which ECCW is fed. These patterns were supported by the water stage increasing after the end of the irrigation season, and conversely a decrease when BC started to provide water for irrigation. Thus, the sustainability of this wetland depends on groundwater originating from an artificial canal, and on inefficiencies in water transport/irrigation. This research concludes that sustainable water canal management is required to maintain the ECCW hydrological system in the future.</p>

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Contribution of groundwater to wetland sustainability in arid Chile: an integrated hydrological, physicochemical, and isotopic approach

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月6日

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  • Jaime G. Cuevas,
  • Mercedes González-Camaño,
  • Ricardo Oyarzún,
  • Etienne Bresciani,
  • Pedro Hervé-Fernández,
  • Paloma Núñez-Farías

摘要

Wetlands are biodiversity hotspots, critical for water purification and freshwater resources. Due to lower precipitation and higher temperatures in many places in the world, streamflow feeding wetlands is decreasing. Moreover, human water use restricts wetlands recharge. In this regard, the assessment of hydrological sources, in particular groundwater, becomes relevant. We studied the El Culebrón coastal wetland (ECCW) through isotopes, hydrochemistry, and hydrologic measurements. ECCW is distinctive because it carries water throughout the year, despite its location in an arid zone, < 100 mm yr‒1 of precipitation, ~ 1000 mm yr‒1 of evapotranspiration, and a relatively small contributing watershed. Water contribution to the wetland was mostly from freshwater. Despite electrical conductivity, salinity, chloride, and density increasing downstream, there was a minor influence from the sea. Isotopic data (2H and 18O) pointed towards an important influence of the Bellavista Canal (BC), which diverts water from another neighboring catchment for irrigation. Bayesian analyses suggested that 9.4% of water was rain, 2.3% was fog, 4.7% was seawater, and 83.7% was sourced from BC. Its surpluses are infiltrated into the aquifer groundwater, from which ECCW is fed. These patterns were supported by the water stage increasing after the end of the irrigation season, and conversely a decrease when BC started to provide water for irrigation. Thus, the sustainability of this wetland depends on groundwater originating from an artificial canal, and on inefficiencies in water transport/irrigation. This research concludes that sustainable water canal management is required to maintain the ECCW hydrological system in the future.