• Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • UA Graduate and Undergraduate Research
    • UA Theses and Dissertations
    • Master's Theses
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • UA Graduate and Undergraduate Research
    • UA Theses and Dissertations
    • Master's Theses
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of UA Campus RepositoryCommunitiesTitleAuthorsIssue DateSubmit DateSubjectsPublisherJournalThis CollectionTitleAuthorsIssue DateSubmit DateSubjectsPublisherJournal

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    About

    AboutUA Faculty PublicationsUA DissertationsUA Master's ThesesUA Honors ThesesUA PressUA YearbooksUA CatalogsUA Libraries

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Using Water Isotopes and Solute Chemistry to Investigate the Hydrology of Surface Water in the Cienega Creek Watershed

    • CSV
    • RefMan
    • EndNote
    • BibTex
    • RefWorks
    Thumbnail
    Name:
    azu_etd_16837_sip1_m.pdf
    Size:
    3.348Mb
    Format:
    PDF
    Download
    Author
    Gray, Erin Louise
    Issue Date
    2018
    Keywords
    Cienega Creek
    isotopes
    Las Cienegas National Conservation Area
    solute chemistry
    stable water isotopes
    tritium
    Advisor
    McIntosh, Jennifer
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    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.
    Abstract
    Analysis of water stable isotopes and solute chemistry can reveal the source of water in surface water systems, and the nature of the hydrologic connection between surface water and local and regional groundwater. The Cienega Creek Watershed (CCW) in semi-arid southeastern Arizona contains two stretches of “Outstanding Arizona Waters”, rare wetlands (cienegas), and riparian ecosystems. Surface water and shallow alluvial aquifer water within CCW is threatened by climate change, groundwater pumping, and a proposed open pit copper mine. This study uses water stable isotopes (18O, 2H, 34S, 13C), solute chemistry, and tritium to investigate the seasonal sources of water in the wetlands, Cienega Creek, and riparian aquifer within the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (LCNCA) in the Upper CCW. Seasonal samples of streams, springs, and shallow groundwater from piezometers along the length of Cienega Creek were analyzed. Wells tapping into basin groundwater were also sampled. Major ion chemistry, stable water isotopes, and tritium suggest that surface water (e.g., Upper Cienega Creek and wetlands in the Upper CCW) and groundwater in the underlying alluvial aquifer is a mixture composed primarily of basin groundwater, recharged at the Santa Rita mountain front prior to the 1950’s, with a smaller component of more recent recharge. Solute chemistry and tritium results indicate that recharge of the shallow alluvial aquifer does not occur via bank storage of recent precipitation along Upper Cienega Creek. Sulfate concentrations and δ34S and δ18O values of sulfate indicate that an alternate groundwater source originating from the Whetstone Mountains contributes to surface water in Upper CCW between Coldwater Springs and The Narrows. The apparent reliance of surface water and the shallow alluvial aquifer on basin groundwater implies that surface water and shallow groundwater in LCNCA could be impacted by changes in the regional water table. This insight, as well as the baseline hydrologic data that this research provides, will aid future research efforts and help inform land managers interested in the preservation of surface water within the LCNCA.
    Type
    text
    Electronic Thesis
    Degree Name
    M.S.
    Degree Level
    masters
    Degree Program
    Graduate College
    Hydrology
    Degree Grantor
    University of Arizona
    Collections
    Master's Theses

    entitlement

     
    The University of Arizona Libraries | 1510 E. University Blvd. | Tucson, AZ 85721-0055
    Tel 520-621-6442 | repository@u.library.arizona.edu
    DSpace software copyright © 2002-2017  DuraSpace
    Quick Guide | Contact Us | Send Feedback
    Open Repository is a service operated by 
    Atmire NV
     

    Export search results

    The export option will allow you to export the current search results of the entered query to a file. Different formats are available for download. To export the items, click on the button corresponding with the preferred download format.

    By default, clicking on the export buttons will result in a download of the allowed maximum amount of items.

    To select a subset of the search results, click "Selective Export" button and make a selection of the items you want to export. The amount of items that can be exported at once is similarly restricted as the full export.

    After making a selection, click one of the export format buttons. The amount of items that will be exported is indicated in the bubble next to export format.