Abstract
This study presents the results of 10 years of field investigation in Fuente de Piedra Playa Lake located in southern Spain. These field observations along the playa's shore revealed evidence of a forced convective flow and the existence of density interface below the playa basin. An upward flux of groundwater from underlying formations could be a considerable part of its recharge. These groundwater fluxes mostly occur during the summer when the playa is a salt-flat. On this basis, a numerical model was applied in order to examine the effects of upward fluxes on the geometry of the salinity interface. On the other hand, hydrochemical classification and stable isotope analyses were employed to determine the processes that control surface water and groundwater chemistry. Water budget results also confirm the conceptual model developed of the system.
Highlights
A recharge playa occurs when the capillary fringe’s level coincides with the playa floor[1]
From the obtained results it has been established that the main components of recharge play a similar part in the recharge’s equilibrium
T = 100 years, all of the aquifer is considered to be saturated with phreatic brine
Summary
A recharge playa occurs when the capillary fringe’s level coincides with the playa floor[1]. Layers of evaporites (mainly halite and gypsum) are found due to evaporation. Salts are removed from the playa and are directed either to the basin by eolian transport or to the sediment by several mechanisms. It has been reported that one of these mechanisms could be diffusion into sediments[2]. It has been shown that convective flow, driven by density gradients between the lake and the pore water, may be an important mechanism of salt transport. The hydrodynamic model that explains this hypothesis was first developed by Duffy and Al-Hassan[3] and later by Fan et al.[4] (Fig. 1)
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