Temporal hydrogeochemical evolution of surface water and groundwater in a karst system discharging into a continental-type Ramsar site in the Huasteca Potosina, Mexico

Ecosystems such as wetlands have karst groundwater as their primary source of preserving their services and functions. Karst systems are complex hydrogeological systems that are difficult to study because of their complicated functioning mechanism, which requires an interdisciplinary effort based on hydrodynamic assessment and characterization of the hydrogeology of the system. The study area is the Ramsar wetland Ciénaga de Tamasopo (Mexico), which is dependent on the discharge of karst groundwater that is affected by water extraction of extensive sugarcane agriculture and is also the main water source for the rural towns. Hydrogeochemical and isotopic tools further suggest that at least two distinct sources contribute to the groundwater composition in the Ciénaga de Tamasopo basin. One corresponds to meteoric water recharging the aquifer through karst structures of the El Abra Fm. and Tamasopo Fm. inferring a local flow with an isotopic composition of δ O (- 4.75 to - 4.20‰) and δ H (- 29.12 to - 23.86‰). The second is associated with regional-intermediate flow, indicating that the water has an enrichment of heavy δ O (- 6.90 to - 6.65‰) and δ H (- 41.37 to - 40.41‰) isotopes circulating in the Guaxcamá Fm. EC and temperature variations were evaluated, determining that the EC tends to increase in the rainy season because of the mixing of local and intermediate flows and that there is evidence of temperature increase. The chemical analysis identified the dominant processes in this karst system as dissolution-precipitation of calcite, dolomite, and gypsum by water-rock interaction, mixing, and evaporation. This study facilitated the development of a conceptual model for understanding groundwater movement in warm and sub-humid climate karst systems.