Hydrochemical and hydrodynamic assessment of nitrogen in the Bauru River Basin

• Grant number: 22/02681-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: June 01, 2022
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geology
• Principal Investigator: Reginaldo Antonio Bertolo
• Grantee: Fernanda Souto Barreto
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências (IGC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/15434-0 - SACRE: integrated water solutions for resilient cities, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/00814-5 - Assessment of the Fate of Nitrate in the Phreatic Zone of Urban Aquifers in Tropical Areas, BE.EP.DD

Abstract

Human activities in urban areas cause impacts on the groundwater quality, in addition to serious environmental, social, and economic issues. This framework requires understanding the dynamic interactions between pollutants released on ecosystems and the biogeochemical and hydrological processes involved intheir transformation. Among the inorganic parameters most commonly discharged into surface waters and groundwater are the N species, especially nitrate. Nitrate is an indicator of human impacts on the quality of water resources, and its biogeochemical behavior in urban aquifers is still poorly understood. The direct doctoral proposal will focus on assessing the hydrogeochemistry of nitrate in the Bauru Aquifer System (BAS), located in the urban area of the homonymous municipality, by using numerical modeling of reactive nitrate transport. For this purpose, the following activities are planned: I) registration and treatment of previous data; II) surveys of water and sewage networks; III) reassessment of previous and recent nitrate concentrations; IV) installation of multilevel monitoring wells; V) surface and groundwater sampling for physicochemical, chemical, isotopic analysis; VI) numerical modeling of groundwater flow and reactive nitrate transport. Thus, the results of this study are expected to analyze the extent and impacts of groundwater contamination by nitrate in saturated porous media generated by past, current, and future anthropic sources, enabling the proposition of protection and remediation strategies for this valuable resource. (AU)