干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): Hydrodynamics of salt flat basins: The Salar de Atacama example

Arid

DOI	10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.190
	Hydrodynamics of salt flat basins: The Salar de Atacama example
	Marazuela, M. A.1,2,3; Vazquez-Sune, E.1; Ayora, C.1; Garcia-Gil, A.4; Palma, T.1,2,3
通讯作者	Marazuela, M. A.
来源期刊	SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
ISSN	0048-9697
EISSN	1879-1026
出版年	2019
卷号	651 页码:668-683
英文摘要	The Salar de Atacama is one of the most well-known saline endorheic basins in the world. It accumulates the world main lithium reserves and contains very sensitive ecosystems. The objective of this work is to characterize the hydrodynamics of the Salar de Atacama, and to quantify its complex water balance prior to the intense brine extraction. The methodology and results can be extrapolated to the groundwater flow and recharge of other salt flats. A three-dimensional groundwater flow model using low computational effort was calibrated against hundreds of hydraulic head measurements. The water infiltrated from the mountains ascends as a vertical flux through the saline interface (mixing zone) produced by the density contrast between the recharged freshwater and the evaporated brine of the salt flat nucleus. This water discharges and is largely evaporated from lakes or directly from the shallow water table. On the other hand, the very low hydraulic gradients, coupled with the presence of the mixing zone that operates as barrier, leads the salt flat nucleus to act as a hydrodynamically quasi-isolated area. The computed water table shows the lowest hydraulic head in the salt flat nucleus near the discharge at the mixing zone. The groundwater balance of the Salar de Atacama in its natural regime was quantified resulting in an inflow/outflow of 14.9 m(3).s(-1). This balance considers the basin as an endorheic system. The very low infiltration values that are generally assumed for hyperarid basins are not consistent with the hydrogeology of the Salar de Atacama. Indeed, very high infiltration rates (up to 85% of rainfall) occur because of the high degree of fracturing of rocks and the scarce vegetation. This high infiltration is consistent with the light isotopic composition of the water from the recharge area (Altiplano). Therefore, the existence of additional inflows outside the basin is unlikely. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
英文关键词	Groundwater recharge Water balance Numerical model Saltwater intrusion Brine Lithium
类型	Article
语种	英语
国家	Spain
开放获取类型	Green Submitted
收录类别	SCI-E
WOS记录号	WOS:000447915400066
WOS关键词	REGIONAL GROUNDWATER-FLOW ; DE-ATACAMA ; LITHIUM ; DESERT ; CLIMATE ; BRINE ; WATER ; AQUIFER ; ORIGIN ; FRESH
WOS类目	Environmental Sciences
WOS研究方向	Environmental Sciences & Ecology
资源类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/218615
作者单位	1.CSIC, Inst Environm Assessment & Water Res IDAEA, Jordi Girona 18, ES-08034 Barcelona, Spain; 2.Tech Univ Catalonia UPC, Dept Civil & Environm Engn, Jordi Girona 1-3, Barcelona 08034, Spain; 3.UPC CSIC, Associated Unit Hydrogeol Grp, Barcelona, Spain; 4.Geol & Min Inst Spain IGME, Manuel Lasala 44,9 B, Zaragoza 50006, Spain
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Marazuela, M. A.,Vazquez-Sune, E.,Ayora, C.,et al. Hydrodynamics of salt flat basins: The Salar de Atacama example[J],2019,651:668-683.
APA	Marazuela, M. A.,Vazquez-Sune, E.,Ayora, C.,Garcia-Gil, A.,&Palma, T..(2019).Hydrodynamics of salt flat basins: The Salar de Atacama example.SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT,651,668-683.
MLA	Marazuela, M. A.,et al."Hydrodynamics of salt flat basins: The Salar de Atacama example".SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 651(2019):668-683.