Rivera‐Vidal et al. (2026) Estimating the Seasonal Variations of Multiple Recharge Sources’ Contribution in Mountainous Mediterranean Basins

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Hydrological Processes
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-04-01
• Authors: Rayen Rivera‐Vidal, José Luis Arumí, Víctor Parra, Alejandra Stehr, Verónica Oliveros, Matías Taucare, Jordi Escorcia
• DOI: 10.1002/hyp.70513

Research Groups

Not explicitly mentioned in the abstract.

Short Summary

This study quantifies the seasonal variability of groundwater recharge sources in the Ñuble–Perquilauquén basins of Central Chile, revealing distinct seasonal dominance of diffuse, focused, and mountain-front recharge mechanisms.

Objective

• To investigate the seasonal variability of groundwater recharge sources in the Ñuble–Perquilauquén basins of Central Chile, a representative Mediterranean mountain system.
• To quantify the relative and absolute contributions of diffuse, focused, and mountain-front recharge (MFR) derived from Cordilleran precipitation, springs, and snowmelt.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Ñuble–Perquilauquén basins, Central Chile (Mediterranean mountain system), including lowland alluvial aquifer and Andes Mountains.
• Temporal Scale: Seasonal variability (dry and rainy seasons, winter, summer, throughout the year).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: SWAT (process-based hydrological model), MixSIAR (Bayesian mixing model).
• Data sources: Stable isotope analysis (δ¹⁸O, δ²H) from various water sources including Cordilleran precipitation, springs, and snowmelt.

Main Results

• Total recharge to the lowland alluvial aquifer varies seasonally from approximately 8.5 mm/month in the dry season to approximately 27.2 mm/month in the rainy season.
• Diffuse precipitation-driven recharge dominates in winter, contributing 45%–61% of total recharge.
• Focused recharge prevails in summer, contributing 60%–65% of total recharge.
• Mountain-front recharge (MFR) provides a stable contribution of 11%–17% throughout the year.
• Irrigation return flows contribute approximately 8% of total diffuse recharge in the valley zone, partially sustaining aquifer replenishment during dry months.
• The Andes Mountains act as a perennial source of groundwater from mountain-front and, potentially, mountain-block processes.

Contributions

• Provides a novel quantification of the seasonal variability of groundwater recharge sources in a Mediterranean mountain system.
• Demonstrates the utility and effectiveness of integrating a process-based hydrological model (SWAT) with stable isotope analysis and a Bayesian mixing model (MixSIAR) for estimating groundwater recharge.
• Underscores the critical role of mountainous areas as perennial water reservoirs for lowland aquifers.

Funding

Not explicitly mentioned in the abstract.

Citation

@article{RiveraVidal2026Estimating,
  author = {Rivera‐Vidal, Rayen and Arumí, José Luis and Parra, Víctor and Stehr, Alejandra and Oliveros, Verónica and Taucare, Matías and Escorcia, Jordi},
  title = {Estimating the Seasonal Variations of Multiple Recharge Sources’ Contribution in Mountainous Mediterranean Basins},
  journal = {Hydrological Processes},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1002/hyp.70513},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70513}
}