Potential for groundwater recharge in an arid catchment, Mexico

The rate and mechanism of the groundwater recharge in arid and semi arid regions is mostly elusive as the actual evapotranspiration, the prominent player in the overall equation by far exceeds the precipitation which is the most important source of recharge in these regions and this uncertainty may lead us to a flawed conclusion. This therefore calls the need to use a number of different methods, if possible, in order to minimize the mistake that may arise when dealing with the recharge estimation of these regions. Based on the objective of the study and the available data, two different techniques were chosen to estimate the groundwater recharge of the study area for the duration between 1991 and 2003. A recharge rate of 47.65 & 8.32 mm/year are estimated using the water balance approach determined using soil water budget method and an empirical formula of recharge-precipitation function accordingly. Finally two different scenarios have been developed based on the estimated ground water recharge values obtained.

Autorentext
A recipient of graduate degrees in Geographic information systems & Remote Sensing from Addis Ababa university, Ethiopia and Hydrogeology from Darmstadt university of technology, Germany, Tsegaye has been a practicing GIS expert and Geologist for more than ten years, he now serves as the director of a private consulting firm.