Abstract

BRITO-CASTILLO, L.; MENDEZ RODRIGUEZ, L. C.; CHAVEZ LOPEZ, S.  and  ACOSTA VARGAS, B.. Groundwater differentiation of the aquifer in the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. Geofís. Intl [online]. 2010, vol.49, n.4, pp.167-179. ISSN 2954-436X.

Water quality differentiation in an aquifer may serve as a tool for groundwater management practices. In this work, varimax-rotated empirical orthogonal functional (EOF) analysis was applied to 135 wells using chemical analysis data of 12 groundwater parameters in the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. Data was obtained from Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI). Three factors were retained from EOF analysis together explaining 99% of the variance in the original series. Distribution of factor loadings with values a>0.7 in each factor clustered in specific geographic areas indicating the differentiation of three areas in the aquifer. The water quality differences between the areas are discussed. Further interpretation of our results using information of natural and anthropogenic influence, and independently information from 28 remaining wells monitored in 2003 provided supplementary evidence for that differentiation concluding that, although purely statistical, the EOF analysis proved to be useful in differentiating the aquifer. The approach used in this work can be applied in other areas where groundwater chemical data is available.

Keywords : Reserve; Vizcaino; groundwater; quality water.

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