Abstract
The correct management of groundwater depends on information regarding the evolutionary processes of groundwater and the characterization of spatial variability of recharge mechanisms. GIS-based index models have become a reliable alternative for map** and interpreting recharge models due to their adaptability and reliability in estimating recharge. Furthermore, stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen in water (δ2H and δ18O) help determine the origin and monitoring of water in the hydrological cycle. This paper aims to contribute to the knowledge of groundwater recharge by develo** a conceptual recharge model using stable isotopes and estimating the recharge amount using a spatially distributed water balance model based on GIS for the Zamora River Basin (ZRB) in Ecuadorian Amazon. Due to the basin's size and geography, it was necessary to divide it into six precipitation blocks. The high precipitation rates resulted in high (18.22%) and moderate (30.93%) recharge zones across the basin. The analysis of stable isotopes in water indicates that precipitation water comes from the east, from the Amazon plain. In the valleys, precipitation enriched in δ18O suggests that it has undergone a recycling process in the basin; groundwater recharge comes from these precipitations. This analysis provides a simplified representation of reality that can assist in predicting the impacts of human activities on the basin.
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Data availability
The data generated and analyzed are shown in this manuscript. Details of how the data were obtained and processed are given in the methodology section. Data sets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
Thanks to the Ministry of Agriculture of Livestock of Ecuador for providing the geospatial information for this study, to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition of Ecuador for sharing the isotopic information of the ECU7007 project, and National Institute of Hydrology and Meteorology for the meteorological data. There are no conflicts of interest to declare.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by AG, BC, and PG. The first draft of the manuscript was written by AG and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Gualli, A., Galvão, P., Buenaño, M. et al. Estimating groundwater recharge and precipitation sources of the Zamora River Basin, southeastern Ecuador, using GIS and stable isotopes. Environ Earth Sci 82, 400 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-023-11097-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-023-11097-6