Artículo de revista
Water table variations in Atacama Desert alluvial fans: discussion of “Evidence of short-term groundwater recharge signal propagation from the Andes to the central Atacama Desert: a singular spectrum analysis approach”
Fecha
2020Registro en:
Hydrological Sciences Journal 2020, Vol. 65, No. 9, 1606–1613
10.1080/02626667.2020.1764001
Autor
Viguier, Benoît
Jourde, Hervé
Leonardi, Véronique
Lictevout, Elisabeth
Daniele, Linda
Institución
Resumen
Using a statistical approach, Scheihing attempts to demonstrate the direct influence of recharge events in
the Precordillera and the Andean Piedmont on water table variations in downstream alluvial fans. The
author “unquestionably” discards the existence of ephemeral recharge processes in alluvial fans although
they are frequently impacted by major floods. However, the author does not consider previous publications
about recharge processes in arid alluvial fans, the hydraulic setting of the Pampa del Tamarugal
Aquifer (PTA) and anthropogenic pressure changes in the PTA. Because the sustainable management of
groundwater resources in drylands depends on a good understanding of hydrogeological processes, we
propose a thorough reinterpretation of the short- and long-term PTA water table variations addressed by
the author. In this comment, we illustrate the limits of the sole use of a statistical approach for
characterizing both recharge processes and factors controlling the water table variations in the
Atacama Desert.