Evidence of short-term groundwater recharge signal propagation from the Andes to the central Atacama Desert: a singular spectrum analysis approach

The effect of pressure-driven groundwater recharge signal propagation in the Andean-Atacamenian environment is investigated by assessing a record of 15 years of water table fluctuations of an unconfined–confined aquifer system. Based on a singular spectrum analysis of water table time series, it is shown that, in the given case, groundwater levels in the central Atacama Desert are hydraulically controlled by two distant recharge areas associated with the Andes. The maximum observed range of the pressure signal propagation is ~50 km over an elevation difference of more than 3000 m at a lag of ~25 months. Several findings indicate that an often-cited study misinterpreted a water level rise at the same site as an in-situ alluvial fan recharge. Thus, the effect’s impact on groundwater dynamics in complex aquifer systems can easily be overlooked. Singular spectrum analysis could be of use to investigate pressure effects at hydrologically comparable sites.