Laboratory of Water Resources and Environmental Isotopes
RESEARCH IN PROGRESS
Multiscale controls and cloud processes related to variations on precipitation isotopic composition of precipitation in Southeastern region of Brazil
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This proposal has three main focus regardin isotopic composition in Brazilian teritory: a) based on daily and weekly long term monitoring (2013-2019) on isotopic composition of precipitation in Central region of São Paulo state combined with meteorological data (ground, Reanalysis data and Hysplit model) and avaliable satellite data (ERA-INTERIM) analyze the regional processes, and key drivers that control the observed seasonal variability on precipitation isotopic composition, as well as estimate rainfall type fraction (convective versus stratiform); b) generate a new high resolution (minute to hour) rainfal isotopic data set coupled to Micro Radar observations to evaluate rain generation processes and cloud microphysics associated to rainfall event evolution; c) compare previous isotopic data from GNIP (1960-1980) with new data that will be acquired from recently launched monitoring program by Brazilian Geological Survey in collaboration with IAEA. All the information generated during the project will help hydrological researchers and water managers to deal with groundwater recharge, water resilence in watershed, as well as to contribute on the monitoring network for the Resilience of Headwater Systems and Water Availability for Downstream Communities Across the Americas. .
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Members: Didier Gastmans - Coordinator / Vinícius Santos - Member / Roberto Kirchheim - Member / Lucas Vituri Santarosa - Member / Graziele Beatriz Lima - Member.
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Financier (s) : International Atomic Energy Agency - Financial aid.
Creation and Establishment of the National Network of Isotopes in Rivers (GNIR) in Brazil
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The Amazon basin represents the largest freshwater reservoir in the planet, draining an area equivalent to 6.2x106Km2 and discharges about 7.2 Km3 / day to Atlantic Ocean. Due to the intrinsic connection and interdependence between precipitation systems and the Amazon forest, this basin is of high continental relevance for recycled moisture to the atmosphere and regulating climate patterns on the global scale. Similarity, two other large watersheds: São Francisco and Paraná basins, draining the northeastern and southeastern region of Brazil, respectively, denote different hydrogeological conditions and are also important for multiple social-cultural and economic activities. Despite the increasing interest in these regions and the existence of a robust assessments have been scarce and sporadic. Stable isotopes techniques provide a valuable management tool to understand groundwater contribution as baseflow and climate change effects in the water storage capacity in transboundary river basins in Brazil. Therefore, the main goal of this proposal focuses on the analysis of spatial and temporal isotopic patterns from three large river basins in Brazil. The strong involvement of the Geological Survey of Brazil (called here as CPRM) represents along with its institutional networking will ensure the establishment of the surface water isotope monitoring of the country. To guarantee scientific adherence and to turn this initiative into a capacity building opportunity not only for Brazil but for other countries in the region, our proposal includes strong partnerships with two consolidated research groups in Latin America: The Center for Environmental Studies of the São Paulo State University (CEA-UNESP), coordinated by Dr. Didier Gastmans and the Stable Isotopes Research Group (SIL) and Water Resources Management Laboratory from the Universidad Nacional (UNA), Heredia Costa Rica, coordinated by Dr. Ricardo Sánchez-Murillo
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Members : Didier Gastmans - Coordinator / Amauri Antônio Menegário - Member / Ricardo Sánchez-Murilo - Member / Roberto Kirchheim - Member.
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Financier (s) : International Atomic Energy Agency - Financial aid.
A research network for the resilience of headwater systems and water availability for downstream communities across the Americas
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Worldwide, human communities rely on water storage from glaciers, snowpack, and groundwater in headwater watersheds. Water supply amount and variability from headwater storage systems to downstream communities are predicted to shift with climate change. Vulnerability of downstream communities depends upon the direction and magnitude of hydrologic change, as well as their ability to adapt. It is critical to understand impacts of warming trends and precipitation variability on headwater storage systems, and the adaptation strategies necessary for long-term water security. The proposed RCN will create capacity to understand the resilience of headwater dependent systems (HDS) to environmental change by coupling knowledge of watershed hydro-climatology and downstream human development in multiple test-bed watersheds across a latitudinal Transect of the Americas. The RCN will focus on three dominant headwater storage types from Canada to southern Chile: 1) glaciers; 2) seasonal snowpack; and 3) rain-fed, and will aggregate expertise in: 1) latitudinal climate change variability using isotope data and modeling; 2) water mass balance of glacier / snow / rainfall systems; and 3) water resource system resilience and adaptation ..
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Members : Didier Gastmans - Member / Ricardo Sánchez-Murilo - Member / Jan Boll - Member / Jose Luis Arumí - Member / Mick Stone - Member / Alex Fermier - Member / Julie Padowski - Member / Scott Jasechko - Member.
Isotopic Tracers Revealing Water Movement in Hydrographic Basins in the State of São Paulo
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In a global climate change scenario, the sustainable use of water resources requires an understanding of the mechanisms involved in the movement and storage of water in the hydrological cycle compartments, since signs of water scarcity are observed and disputes over safe sources of supply have been occurring. Future management solutions must take into account the climatic factors involved in the formation of rain, the resilience of hydrographic basins and their connection with groundwater, enabling the adoption of protective actions with the objective of increasing the supply of good quality water. In this context, several tracers have been used to understand the movement of water and to determine their residence times in the subsurface. Stable isotopes (2H / 1H and 18O / 16O) are excellent tracers of the movement of water in the hydrological cycle, being used as auxiliary tools in the interpretation of the origins of flows within hydrographic basins and of the climatic controls on precipitation, which allows its use in paleoclimatic reconstitution studies. In tropical areas, climatic factors, which govern the isotopic composition of precipitation, remain a controversial issue in the scientific community, while some authors propose that the isotopic composition of precipitation is influenced by aspects of local climate dynamics, others advocate the importance of processes on a global scale, like Rayleigh distillation. Environmental isotopes have also been used as a complementary tool in the understanding of hydrological processes in watersheds, helping to understand the mechanisms and processes involved in the infiltration and recharge of aquifers, formation of the discharge of water courses, in estimating the average residence times of the water, identifying the origin of the flow components, as well as calibrating and/or validating hydrological models by estimating hydrological parameters. In this sense, the present research project has two main thematic axes, whose scientific challenge is to elucidate the movement of water in hydrographic basins in the state of São Paulo, through the use of a series of isotopic tracers, seeking to understand the variability of the isotopic composition of precipitation and its relationship with atmospheric processes at different temporal and spatial scales and to evaluate the spatial and temporal variability of the isotopic composition of surface waters in large hydrographic basins.
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Members : Didier Gastmans - Coordinator / Amauri A. Menegário - Member / Vinícius Santos - Member / Ricardo Sánchez-Murilo - Member / Troy E. Gilmore - Member / Carolina Stager Quaggio - Member / Lucas Vituri Santarosa - Member.
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Funder (s): São Paulo State Research Support Foundation - Financial assistance.
Origin of Flows, Nitrate and Residence Times of Water in Hydrographic Basins of the State of São Paulo
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In a global climate change scenario, the sustainable use of water resources requires an understanding of the mechanisms involved in the movement and storage of water in the hydrological cycle compartments, since signs of water scarcity are observed and disputes over safe sources of supply have been occurring. Future management solutions should consider the resilience of hydrographic basins and their connection to groundwater, enabling the adoption of actions to protect and preserve water resources, with the aim of increasing the supply of good quality water. In this context, several tracers have been used to understand the movement of water and to determine their residence times in the subsurface. Stable isotopes (2H / 1H and 18O / 16O) are excellent tracers of water movement in the hydrological cycle, being used as auxiliary tools to understand hydrological processes in hydrographic basins, helping to define the mechanisms and processes involved in the infiltration and recharge of aquifers , formation of the discharge of water courses, in the estimation of the average residence times of the water, in the identification of the origin of the components of the flow, as well as in the calibration and / or validation of hydrological models through the estimation of hydrological parameters. Several isotopes can be used to estimate the ages of groundwater, each with its time interval of application, depending on the half-life time. Two examples in which isotopes can be useful for groundwater management are: (i) determination of recharge rates, and (ii) estimate of the average transit times (TMT) of groundwater in hydrographic basins, understood as TMT, the time elapsed between the recharge (infiltration) of the water and its discharge from the aquifer in the river. In both cases, these tracers can be used to formulate hypotheses about the interaction of surface and groundwater, making it possible to formulate water resources management proposals and / or how changes in climate can affect these water systems. Currently, in the state of São Paulo, the greatest concern regarding the contamination of groundwater by nitrate is associated with urban point sources. Little attention is paid to the large diffuse sources existing in agricultural regions, which, due to the increased use of nitrogen fertilizers, can lead to an increase in nitrogen storage in the soil and in shallow aquifers, which can increase rapidly due to the time span elapsed between the introduction of nitrogen during recharge until its discharge into bodies of water connected to these aquifers. The determination of the contributions of groundwater discharge to rivers is essential for understanding the dynamics of the nitrogen cycle in agricultural areas, especially when it comes to identifying and anticipating problems related to the quality of water resources. In this sense, the present research project has two main thematic axes, having as scientific challenges to elucidate the movement of water in hydrographic basins of the state of São Paulo, through the use of a series of isotopic tracers, seeking to understand the spatial and temporal variability of the isotopic composition of surface waters in large hydrographic basins and to evaluate the concentrations of nitrate in surface waters and the contributions from the discharge of groundwater, in a hydrographic basin of agricultural characteristic in the recharge area of ​​the Guarani Aquifer System, as well as to estimate the average times of traffic.
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Members: Didier Gastmans - Coordinator / Vinícius Santos - Member / Ricardo Sánchez-Murilo - Member / Troy E. Gilmore - Member / Lucas Vituri Santarosa - Member / Camila de Lima - Member.
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Financier (s): National Council for Scientific and Technological Development - Financial assistance.
Hydrosphere
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The Work Plan presented in this document is the result of negotiations carried out between ITAIPU, the Hydrogeological Research Laboratory of the Department of Geology at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) and the Itaipu Technological Park Foundation (FPTI), which began in the second semester of 2016 in a working meeting between the technical teams of the institutions, with the target of studying the interaction of surface and underground water resources in the Paraná Basin 3. This way, the project called Hydrosphere was elaborated with the main object of studying the waters groundwater and its relationship with surface water, both in terms of quantity and quality, thus knowing the phenomena and processes involved in estimating the water availability of the Paraná Basin 3. The context of the FPTI, UFPR and ITAIPU partnership in this agreement is characterized by generating knowledge bases and scientific information relevant to the water resource management system in a sustainable approach.
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Members : Didier Gastmans - Member / Rodrigo Esteves Rocha - Member / Gustavo Barbosa Athayde - Coordinator / Lia Nogueira Grapelli - Member / Graziele Beatriz de Lima - Member.