Analysis of the Ionic Quality of the Water in the North Aquifer and Cozumel Island, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Synopsis
The Yucatan Peninsula comprises the states of Yucatan, Campeche, and Quintana Roo in the southeast of Mexico. Although it heavily relies on the aquifer as the primary source of water for socioeconomic and ecological needs, quality and quantity remain mostly unknown. Being a karstic region, the aquifer’s recharge depends solely on precipitation with discharge occurring mostly through natural features like cenotes. The objective of this study was to characterize water quality from various sites from the northern part of the Yucatan Peninsula and to identify extraction region’s potential on Cozumel Island. Ground and surface water quality from water bodies such as wells, cenotes, flooded caverns, and extraction wells within the central-northern Quintana Roo and Cozumel Island were analyzed to determine ion concentration (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, HCO3-, Cl-, SO42- and F-), electrical conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, and chlorophyll-a. Results show heterogeneity in the environmental characteristics of all analyzed systems (n=231), with 55 % Ca-Mg bicarbonate type, 24 % mixed type, and 21 % Na-K & Cl-SO4 type. A high concentration of Cl-SO4 in the coastal areas are a sign of seawater mixing with freshwater and can be used as indicators of possible intrusions at inland wells. Sites with mixed water types should be monitored to ensure their viability for socioeconomic water use. Water quality monitoring and potential extraction volumes from various sites must complement each other for sustainable water resource management. This analysis enhanced understanding of the hydrological behavior and heterogeneity of the karst aquifer.
Downloads
Pages
Published
Series
Categories
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
