Environmental Isotope Geochemistry in Groundwaters of Southwestern Arizona, USA, and Northwestern Sonora, Mexico: Implications of Groundwater Recharge, Flow, and Residence Time in Transboundary Aquifers Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Zamora, Hector Alejandro Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction, presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 11/10/2021 05:25:45 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/631319 ENVIRONMENTAL ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY IN GROUNDWATERS OF SOUTHWESTERN ARIZONA, USA, AND NORTHWESTERN SONORA, MEXICO: IMPLICATIONS FOR GROUNDWATER RECHARGE, FLOW, AND RESIDENCE TIME IN TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS by Hector A. Zamora __________________________ Copyright © Hector A. Zamora 2018 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2018 Date: 11/15/2018 Date: 11/15/2018 Date: 11/15/2018 Date: 11/15/2018 Date: 11/15/2018 2 STATEMENT BY THE AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that an accurate acknowledgement of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. Signed: Hector A. Zamora 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Karl W. Flessa for the continuous support, patience, and knowledge through my journey as a graduate student, and Jennifer McIntosh for her valuable feedback and motivation during difficult times. My sincere thanks also go to my dissertation committee: Thomas Meixner and David Dettman, for their insightful comments and encouragement that allowed me to view my research from various perspectives. Special thanks to Christopher Eastoe who, even though was not officially part of my graduate committee, always had time to provide invaluable advice and wisdom during the writing of the three different manuscripts here presented, and Benjamin Wilder who made this project became a reality in so many ways. I would like to extend my gratitude to all the people who have assisted me in any form during the different field work campaigns including Peter Holm, Charles Conner, Ami Pate, and Colleen Filippone with the National Park Service, Federico Godinez Leal, Horacio Ortega Morales with El Pinacate Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, Is Boset Saldaña with Pronatura Noroeste, Eliana Rodriguez Burgeño and Jorge Ramirez Hernandez at the University of Baja California in Mexicali, and the people at Ejido Vicente Guerrero. Additionally, I thank Dee Korich and Peter Chipello at Tucson Water for their support, patience, and flexibility while I was finishing this work. Finally, I also thank my wife, family, and friends for their patience and ongoing support through this journey. Financial support for this research has come in part from the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, Geological Society of America Graduate Student Research Grant, University of Arizona Water Resource Research Center, University of Arizona Geosciences Department, R. Wilson Thompson Scholarship, ChevronTexaco Fellowship, and the National Park Service Southwest Border Resource Protection Program. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................7 LIST OF TABLES ..........................................................................................................................9 ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................12 CHAPTER 2: PRESENT STUDY.................................................................................................16 2.1 Lower Colorado River .........................................................................................................16 2.2 Gran Desierto Wetlands ......................................................................................................16 2.3 Lower Sonoyta River ..........................................................................................................17 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................19 APPENDIX A: Groundwater origin and dynamics on the eastern flank of the Colorado River delta, Mexico .................................................................................................................................22 A.1 Abstract ..............................................................................................................................24 A.2 Introduction ........................................................................................................................24 A.3 Study Area ..........................................................................................................................26 A.4 Previous Studies .................................................................................................................30 A.5 Methods ..............................................................................................................................31 A.6 Data ....................................................................................................................................33 A.7 Results ................................................................................................................................36 A.8 Discussion ..........................................................................................................................39 A.9 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................48 A.10 Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................49 A.11 Figures ..............................................................................................................................50 A.12 Tables ...............................................................................................................................65 A.13 References ........................................................................................................................72 APPENDIX B: Evaluation of groundwater sources, flow paths, and residence time of the Gran Desierto pozos, Sonora, Mexico ...................................................................................................80 B.1 Abstract ...............................................................................................................................82 B.2 Introduction ........................................................................................................................82 B.3 Study Area ..........................................................................................................................84 B.4 Methods ..............................................................................................................................88 B.5 Data .....................................................................................................................................91 5 B.6 Results ................................................................................................................................92 B.7 Discussion ...........................................................................................................................94 B.8 Conclusions and Implications for Regional Groundwaters ................................................99 B.9 Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................101 B.10 Figures ............................................................................................................................102 B.11 Tables ..............................................................................................................................113 B.12 References ......................................................................................................................117 APPENDIX C: Groundwater isotopes in the Sonoyta River watershed, USA-Mexico: implications for recharge sources and management of the Quitobaquito Springs ......................126 C.1 Abstract .............................................................................................................................128 C.2 Introduction ......................................................................................................................128