Bogotá - Ingeniería - Maestría en Ingeniería - Recursos Hidráulicos · 2023
Assessment of methodologies to estimate aquifer recharge in a Tropical Climate Zone
In the present research, evaluations of empirical methodologies were carried out with the aim of calculating the potential aquifer recharge in the Lebrija river basin, located in Santander, Colombia, a region characterized by its tropical climate. Aquifer recharge refers to the flow of water that percolates the soil into the groundwater. Empirical methodologies were used to determine this value, taking into account different variables such as precipitation, temperature, land cover and land use, actual evapotranspiration, and topographic information. These aspects are fundamental as they directly affect aquifer recharge. The calculation and analysis procedure of the results was implemented using the R programming language. This approach was chosen with the intention of presenting an innovative alternative to traditional Geographic Information System (GIS) software, commonly used for managing geospatial information in this type of research. The results obtained through empirical methodologies highlighted the importance of considering various parameters when calculating the potential aquifer recharge. Furthermore, it was observed how adverse climate phenomena such as La Niña and El Niño influenced recharge estimates in a tropical climate zone.