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Oases are complex ecosystems, with permanent water bodies, springs, and vegetated areas, which are located in areas where the frequency of rain is a critical factor for the maintenance and subsistence of flora and fauna. These ecosystems have been of great importance providing resources for the settlement of human societies. In addition to the natural stress to which they are confronted, oases are facing pressures related to coastal development and climate change. New research is necessary to understand the effects of these pressures, to define strategies to promote mitigation measures to limit their deterioration. In this paper, we proposed a multi-criteria methodology to define and quantify recent and future pressures to an oasis affected by climate change and coastal development and the definition of priority areas for the installation of mitigation and adaptation measures This methodology was applied to Todos Santos oasis, one of the most important wetlands in Baja California Sur state, which has been affected in recent years by coastal development. The results indicate that the integration of MODFLOW models, CCRP index, chemistry data, and geospatial analysis provides effective tools to generate information on the possible future of oases, contributing greatly to land planning, nature conservation and sustainable management of these ecosystems.
Miguel Angel Imaz-Lamadrid; Jobst Wurl; Oscar Arizpe-Covarrubias; Eleonora Romero-Vadillo. Deterioration of oases subject to climate change and coastal development: The case of Todos Santos Oasis, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Groundwater for Sustainable Development 2020, 11, 100401 .
AMA StyleMiguel Angel Imaz-Lamadrid, Jobst Wurl, Oscar Arizpe-Covarrubias, Eleonora Romero-Vadillo. Deterioration of oases subject to climate change and coastal development: The case of Todos Santos Oasis, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Groundwater for Sustainable Development. 2020; 11 ():100401.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMiguel Angel Imaz-Lamadrid; Jobst Wurl; Oscar Arizpe-Covarrubias; Eleonora Romero-Vadillo. 2020. "Deterioration of oases subject to climate change and coastal development: The case of Todos Santos Oasis, Baja California Sur, Mexico." Groundwater for Sustainable Development 11, no. : 100401.
Groundwater provides the most important of the water resources used in the maintenance of communities in arid and semi-arid regions. In these areas, the usage of deep wells with motorized pumps in combination with the lack of effective regulatory policies and high human population growth (increase the water demand) impact the quality of the groundwater. This is especially the case for the San José del Cabo aquifer, in Baja California Sur. In the present study the groundwater flow system is analyzed in order to recognize the impact from variations in groundwater extraction and recharge on the phreatic levels and discharge values. In order to achieve this goal, a groundwater model was generated using the MODFLOW program. Different scenarios of extraction and recharge were calculated, based on different estimations of population growth. All the scenarios result in decreasing groundwater levels. As an important result, a relationship between the phreatic level and the extraction volume was found for the middle zone of the aquifer, where an average annual decrease of 0.5 m was observed from every 5 × 106 m3 additional extraction volume. This zone is up to three times more susceptible to changes in extraction values than the southern zone. As the results show, the San José del Cabo aquifer is in a fragile state where an increment in extraction is not an option without the use of remediation technics or new sources for water supply.
Javier Alexis Trasviña-Carrillo; Jobst Wurl; Miguel Angel Imaz-Lamadrid. Groundwater Flow Model and Statistical Comparisons Used in Sustainability of Aquifers in Arid Regions. Resources 2019, 8, 134 .
AMA StyleJavier Alexis Trasviña-Carrillo, Jobst Wurl, Miguel Angel Imaz-Lamadrid. Groundwater Flow Model and Statistical Comparisons Used in Sustainability of Aquifers in Arid Regions. Resources. 2019; 8 (3):134.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJavier Alexis Trasviña-Carrillo; Jobst Wurl; Miguel Angel Imaz-Lamadrid. 2019. "Groundwater Flow Model and Statistical Comparisons Used in Sustainability of Aquifers in Arid Regions." Resources 8, no. 3: 134.
In arid and semiarid zones, groundwater plays a key role in the ecology and availability of freshwater. Coastal lagoons in arid zones have great importance as a refuge for species of flora and fauna, as a source of freshwater, and for recreational purposes for local communities and tourism. In addition, as environments under natural stress, they are suffering pressure from anthropogenic activities and climate change, especially in zones with intense touristic development as in the case of the Baja California Peninsula in northwest Mexico. In this paper, we analyze the future of a coastal lagoon impacted by climate change and anthropogenic pressures. We constructed a groundwater MODFLOW-SWI2 model to predict changes in freshwater–saltwater inputs and correlated them with the geospatial analysis of the distribution and evolution of the water body and surrounding vegetation. The methodology was applied to the San Jose lagoon, one of the most important wetlands in the Baja California peninsula, which had been affected by anthropogenic activities and endangered by climate change. According to our water balance, the deficit of the San Jose aquifer will increase by 2040 as a result of climate change. The water table north of the lagoon will drop, affecting the amount of freshwater inflow. This reduction, together with an increase of evapotranspiration and the sea-level rise, will favor an increase of mineralization, reducing the surface water and groundwater quality and in consequence affecting the vegetation cover. Without proper management and adequate measures to mitigate these impacts, the lagoon may disappear as a freshwater ecosystem. Results of this research indicate that the use of a groundwater flow model, together with a geospatial analysis provide effective tools to predict scenarios for the future of coastal lagoons, and serve as a basis for land planning, nature conservation, and sustainable management of these ecosystems.
Miguel Angel Imaz-Lamadrid; Jobst Wurl; Ernesto Ramos-Velázquez. Future of Coastal Lagoons in Arid Zones under Climate Change and Anthropogenic Pressure. A Case Study from San Jose Lagoon, Mexico. Resources 2019, 8, 57 .
AMA StyleMiguel Angel Imaz-Lamadrid, Jobst Wurl, Ernesto Ramos-Velázquez. Future of Coastal Lagoons in Arid Zones under Climate Change and Anthropogenic Pressure. A Case Study from San Jose Lagoon, Mexico. Resources. 2019; 8 (1):57.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMiguel Angel Imaz-Lamadrid; Jobst Wurl; Ernesto Ramos-Velázquez. 2019. "Future of Coastal Lagoons in Arid Zones under Climate Change and Anthropogenic Pressure. A Case Study from San Jose Lagoon, Mexico." Resources 8, no. 1: 57.
Mismanagement has caused the overexploitation of one third of the major aquifers in Mexico, mainly due to excessive water extraction for agricultural irrigation. Santo Domingo (Baja California Sur, in northern Mexico, where agriculture absorbs nearly 80% of water) is the only aquifer in the Mexico where, after a period of overexploitation, equality between extraction and recharge rates was achieved, although this has not meant the securement of long-term water availability. This paper offers an analysis of hydrological resilience of a water-limited arid ecosystem under future extraction scenarios and changing climate conditions. A regional groundwater flow model is proposed using MODFLOW software. Then, different indicators were modeled as outcomes of coupled human-water systems to predict water trajectories under different human impacts. The aim was to recognize water insecurity scenarios and define appropriate actions to a more sustainable use of this scarce resource in the region. Thus, although runoff derived from extreme floods may favor infiltration, the involvement of local stakeholders and decision makers to reverse the adverse impacts of current water management and climate change is imperative if water availability and better quality are to be secured.
Jobst Wurl; Alba E. Gámez; Antonina Ivanova; Miguel Angel Imaz Lamadrid; Pablo Hernández-Morales. Socio-hydrological resilience of an arid aquifer system, subject to changing climate and inadequate agricultural management: A case study from the Valley of Santo Domingo, Mexico. Journal of Hydrology 2018, 559, 486 -498.
AMA StyleJobst Wurl, Alba E. Gámez, Antonina Ivanova, Miguel Angel Imaz Lamadrid, Pablo Hernández-Morales. Socio-hydrological resilience of an arid aquifer system, subject to changing climate and inadequate agricultural management: A case study from the Valley of Santo Domingo, Mexico. Journal of Hydrology. 2018; 559 ():486-498.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJobst Wurl; Alba E. Gámez; Antonina Ivanova; Miguel Angel Imaz Lamadrid; Pablo Hernández-Morales. 2018. "Socio-hydrological resilience of an arid aquifer system, subject to changing climate and inadequate agricultural management: A case study from the Valley of Santo Domingo, Mexico." Journal of Hydrology 559, no. : 486-498.
The mining activity in the San Antonio-El Triunfo district, located in a mountainous region at 60 km southeast of La Paz, occured for more than 250 years and left behind severe contamination of soils and riverbed sediments which led to elevated concentrations of arsenic and other trace elements in the surface- and groundwater of the region. Although the main mining activity ended around 1911, contamination is still beeing distributed, especially from left behind tailings and mine waste piles. The contamination levels in the groundwater have been reported in several studies, but there is little information available on the surface water quality, and especially the temporal variation. In this study, we analyzed the surface water of the La Junta creek, in the southern part of the San Antonio-El Triunfo mining district. The working hypothesis was that by means of a spatial analysis of surface water and shallow groundwater, in combination with the temporal observation of the concentrations in runoff water, the effects of different sources of arsenic (natural geogene anomalies, due to historic mining activity, and hydrothermal related impact) in the La Junta creek can be recognized. This present study revealed that historic mining activity caused a mojor impact of arsenic but less contamination was observed than in the northern part of the district and elevated arsenic concentrations in stream water generally occurred during times of low streamflow.
Jobst Wurl; Miguel Imaz Lamadrid; Lía Mendez-Rodriguez; Baudilio Acosta Vargas. Arsenic Concentration in the Surface Water of a Former Mining Area: The La Junta Creek, Baja California Sur, Mexico. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2018, 15, 437 .
AMA StyleJobst Wurl, Miguel Imaz Lamadrid, Lía Mendez-Rodriguez, Baudilio Acosta Vargas. Arsenic Concentration in the Surface Water of a Former Mining Area: The La Junta Creek, Baja California Sur, Mexico. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018; 15 (3):437.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJobst Wurl; Miguel Imaz Lamadrid; Lía Mendez-Rodriguez; Baudilio Acosta Vargas. 2018. "Arsenic Concentration in the Surface Water of a Former Mining Area: The La Junta Creek, Baja California Sur, Mexico." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 15, no. 3: 437.
The Valley of Santo Domingo represents the most important agricultural region in the state of Baja California Sur. The uncontrolled extraction of groundwater, and especially the over-exploitation of the Santo Domingo aquifer from 1957 on, has caused modifications to the natural flow system and induced a lateral inflow of seawater from the Pacific coast. As a result, the groundwater quality in the Santo Domingo Irrigation District (066) is deteriorating. Seawater intrusion and irrigation return water, combined with the mobilization of deeper groundwater, have been identified as important sources of salinization. Due to a reduction of the permitted extraction volume (to only one-third), an equality between discharge and recharge volume was achieved from 2003 on, but the deterioration of the groundwater quality still continues. To plan different scenarios of artificial recharge, a regional groundwater model was created, using the Modflow2000 software. The observed groundwater levels (from 1996 on) were used to calibrate the groundwater flow model, taking into account the extraction rates of more than active 500 wells. To simulate infiltration of surface water, runoff data were introduced to the Streamflow package, based on calculations from an HEC-1 model. In the Valley of Santo Domingo, the natural recharge and infiltration of irrigation return water generate an average annual recharge of 188 million m3. As a first step toward an aquifer management plan, results from hydrological and hydraulic models were incorporated into the regional groundwater flow model, to plan scenarios of additional artificial recharge facilities that would prevent deepening of the cone of depression. The elaborated Water Resources Management plan proposes the capture of an annual volume of 30 million m3 of surface water from the Sierra de la Giganta Mountains, which could be accumulated in four water retention dams. The captured surface water then would flow to the four smaller recharge dams with a total storage volume of about 2 million m3, located downstream, where it would recharge the aquifer. As the model indicates, within a period of 3 months, an annual volume of at least 21.5 million m3 of surface water could be infiltrated via the riverbeds and recharge dams. Although this volume may not be enough to prevent saline intrusion from the coast line, it would stop the water level decline in the center of the cone of depression and improve groundwater quality.
Jobst Wurl; Miguel Angel Imaz Lamadrid. Coupled surface water and groundwater model to design managed aquifer recharge for the valley of Santo Domingo, B.C.S., Mexico. Sustainable Water Resources Management 2017, 4, 361 -369.
AMA StyleJobst Wurl, Miguel Angel Imaz Lamadrid. Coupled surface water and groundwater model to design managed aquifer recharge for the valley of Santo Domingo, B.C.S., Mexico. Sustainable Water Resources Management. 2017; 4 (2):361-369.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJobst Wurl; Miguel Angel Imaz Lamadrid. 2017. "Coupled surface water and groundwater model to design managed aquifer recharge for the valley of Santo Domingo, B.C.S., Mexico." Sustainable Water Resources Management 4, no. 2: 361-369.
En el estado de Baja California Sur existen solo cuatro oasis con extensiones mayores a 2.0 km2; La Purísima (2.25 km2) representa el tercero en extensión. En el pasado el oasis fue frecuentemente afectado por inundaciones resultantes de los eventos extremos de precipitación, que generaron graves daños en la cuenca. Se realizó un diagnóstico del oasis La Purísima, con respecto a posibles inundaciones como consecuencia de lluvias extremas, lo cual incluye el análisis estadístico de la precipitación para la elaboración de un modelo hidrológico e hidráulico, con el fin de calcular el caudal máximo, el volumen y la frecuencia de crecidas en los cursos del arroyo Cadegomo bajo diferentes escenarios de lluvias extremas. Finalmente se elaboró un mapa de peligro por inundación según los escenarios elaborados. Se efectuó un análisis de la ocurrencia de inundaciones en el pasado y sus efectos en el oasis por medio de evidencias históricas de inundación de la zona, para verificar su posible aplicación en la calibración de los modelos. Los caudales resultantes de los eventos de precipitación extremos generan un incremento importante de los niveles en el drenaje de la cuenca. La respuesta del arroyo es un incremento en el área de inundación de hasta 14% respecto al tiempo de retorno de 20 años. Un evento de 1 000 años generaría un incremento en el área de inundación de 67% y bajas, afectando las zonas de la región urbana, así como todos los lotes de cultivo.
Jobst Wurl; Cynthia Nayeli Martínez García; Miguel Angel Imaz Lamadrid. Caracterización del peligro por inundaciones en el oasis La Purísima, Baja California Sur, México. Investigaciones Geográficas 2013, 1 .
AMA StyleJobst Wurl, Cynthia Nayeli Martínez García, Miguel Angel Imaz Lamadrid. Caracterización del peligro por inundaciones en el oasis La Purísima, Baja California Sur, México. Investigaciones Geográficas. 2013; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJobst Wurl; Cynthia Nayeli Martínez García; Miguel Angel Imaz Lamadrid. 2013. "Caracterización del peligro por inundaciones en el oasis La Purísima, Baja California Sur, México." Investigaciones Geográficas , no. : 1.