Recharge estimates for various land uses in the Guarani Aquifer System outcrop area

Abstract

The Guarani Aquifer System (GAS) is a subsurface reservoir that contains the largest volume of fresh groundwater in South America. Despite the relevance of the GAS, a lack of attention has been paid to land use effects on its recharge. We present the most detailed long-term (2004–2011) results of land-use effects on recharge in an outcrop area of the GAS. Water table fluctuations (WTFs) were measured at 11 monitoring wells, which are distributed between different land uses (i.e. eucalyptus, sugarcane, citrus and grassland). Recharge was estimated using a point-scale method (WTF) for each monitored well. The annual recharge estimates for different land uses are eucalyptus forest (135 mm year-1), sugarcane (248 mm year-1), citrus areas (296 mm year-1) and grassland (401 mm year-1). The results indicate that the evapotranspiration seems to be a key parameter in the assessment of recharge in the study area.