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Snowmelt contribution to the sustainability of the irrigated Mendoza’s Oasis, Argentina: an isotope study

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Abstract

Mendoza is the province that has the largest irrigated area in Argentina where water resources depend mainly on snowmelt and glacier melting in the closed Andes Mountain. In this region the Blanco River Basin is one of the most important, covering about 300 km2 flowing from the highest peaks to Potrerillos Dam (1300 masl). The objective of this work was to make a preliminary characterization of stable isotopes in surface and groundwater, ice and snowmelt to contribute to a better understanding of the hydrologic cycle in the region, using a Los Gatos DLT-100 analyzer. Hydrochemical analyses were performed on 157 samples. The isotopic composition of rain water is more enriched than streamwater, clearly indicating that the stream recharge sources are at higher altitude. The discharge regime of the streams indicates that snowmelt is the main water origin, and considering the theoretical evolution of isotopes in meltwater, the composition of streams corresponds to the first meltwater, without fractionation. Then, it is more depleted than the original snow. The ice isotopic composition is more enriched than streamwater, indicating that snowmelt is the main recharge source. The hydrochemical results indicate the importance of geology in determining streamwater composition, which is integrated with isotopic data to achieve a better comprehension of the hydrological system.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the financial support (CRP 16202/RO) and specially thank Eng. Enrique Montero from “Departamento General de Irrigación” of Mendoza province for the sampling of wells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Coastal Geology and Quaternary, National University of Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, Argentina

    Hector Massone, Daniel Martinez, Mauricio Quiroz Londoño & Sebastián Grondona

  2. Institute of Marine and Coastal Research, CONICET-National University of Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, Argentina

    Daniel Martinez, Mauricio Quiroz Londoño & Sebastián Grondona

  3. Argentine Institute of Snow Research and Glaciology, CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina

    Alberto Vich & Darío Trombotto

Authors
  1. Hector Massone
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  2. Daniel Martinez
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  3. Alberto Vich
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  4. Mauricio Quiroz Londoño
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  5. Darío Trombotto
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  6. Sebastián Grondona
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel Martinez.

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This article is a part of a Topical Collection in Environmental Earth Sciences on "3RAGSU", guest edited by Daniel Emilio Martinez.

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Massone, H., Martinez, D., Vich, A. et al. Snowmelt contribution to the sustainability of the irrigated Mendoza’s Oasis, Argentina: an isotope study. Environ Earth Sci 75, 520 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-5141-9

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