57
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. Lucatello et al. (eds.), Stewardship of Future Drylands and Climate
Change in the Global South, Springer Climate,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22464-6_4
Chapter 4
Changes in the Vegetation Cover
and Quality of Aquifers in the Drylands
of Mexico: Trends in an Urbanized
Complex of Three Socio-Ecological
Systems Within the Chihuahuan Desert
V. M. Reyes Gómez, D. Núñez López, and M. Gutiérrez
Abstract The increase in the change of land use in many areas has resulted in an
excessive extraction of groundwater, often in volumes that exceed the total recharge in
the underlying aquifers. These are expected to be accentuated by climate change.
Monitoring and regulating aquifers is a challenging task, especially in developing
countries where data are scarce. Over an 11-year interval, the water level (WL) and
water quality in wells of three contiguous aquifers in Northern Mexico were measured.
An actual average WL drop rate of 2.012 m year
−1
rendered unsustainable considering
that the area receives 0.35 m year
−1
and negligible horizontal flows. Agricultural land
use increased fivefold in the last few years at the expense of rangeland, increasing
11.7–76.2% in the three aquifers, and producing a water demand threefold the aquifer
recharge. The permanent presence of As and F above guidelines in several wells
makes communities vulnerable to ingestion toxicity. The results of this study stress
the inability of these aquifers to supply additional water to a large city nearby and
the need of immediate corrective actions, e.g., promoting water-efficient irrigation,
artificial aquifer recharge, and an efficient and sustained management policy.
Keywords Socio-ecological systems · Water level · Loss and gain of vegetation cover
· Contamination · Geogenic and anthropogenic · As–F co-occurrence
V. M. Reyes Gómez (*)
Red Ambiente y Sustentabilidad, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Chihuahua, Mexico
e-mail: victor.reyes@inecol.mx
D. Núñez López
Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S.C., Durango, Mexico
M. Gutiérrez
Department of Geography, Geology and Planning, Missouri State University,
Springfield, MO, USA
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. Lucatello et al. (eds.), Stewardship of Future Drylands and Climate
Change in the Global South, Springer Climate,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22464-6_4
Chapter 4
Changes in the Vegetation Cover
and Quality of Aquifers in the Drylands
of Mexico: Trends in an Urbanized
Complex of Three Socio-Ecological
Systems Within the Chihuahuan Desert
V. M. Reyes Gómez, D. Núñez López, and M. Gutiérrez
Abstract The increase in the change of land use in many areas has resulted in an
excessive extraction of groundwater, often in volumes that exceed the total recharge in
the underlying aquifers. These are expected to be accentuated by climate change.
Monitoring and regulating aquifers is a challenging task, especially in developing
countries where data are scarce. Over an 11-year interval, the water level (WL) and
water quality in wells of three contiguous aquifers in Northern Mexico were measured.
An actual average WL drop rate of 2.012 m year
−1
rendered unsustainable considering
that the area receives 0.35 m year
−1
and negligible horizontal flows. Agricultural land
use increased fivefold in the last few years at the expense of rangeland, increasing
11.7–76.2% in the three aquifers, and producing a water demand threefold the aquifer
recharge. The permanent presence of As and F above guidelines in several wells
makes communities vulnerable to ingestion toxicity. The results of this study stress
the inability of these aquifers to supply additional water to a large city nearby and
the need of immediate corrective actions, e.g., promoting water-efficient irrigation,
artificial aquifer recharge, and an efficient and sustained management policy.
Keywords Socio-ecological systems · Water level · Loss and gain of vegetation cover
· Contamination · Geogenic and anthropogenic · As–F co-occurrence
V. M. Reyes Gómez (*)
Red Ambiente y Sustentabilidad, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Chihuahua, Mexico
e-mail: victor.reyes@inecol.mx
D. Núñez López
Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S.C., Durango, Mexico
M. Gutiérrez
Department of Geography, Geology and Planning, Missouri State University,
Springfield, MO, USA