Groundwater age: Principles and application of environmental tracers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24215/18527744e002Keywords:
groundwater age, dating, environmental tracers, age distributions, aquifer dynamicsAbstract
This work reviews the concept of groundwater age and its estimation through environmental tracers, with the objective of providing a didactic guide for hydrogeologists and professionals interested in approaching this field. The theoretical foundations of groundwater age studies are presented, including key terminology and the practical relevance of this tool as a complementary approach to understanding aquifer dynamics, recharge, vulnerability, and renewability. Groundwater age can be estimated from the concentration of environmental tracers, substances present in trace amounts whose measurement allows calculating the time elapsed since infiltration. This method provides information independent of traditional hydraulic approaches and is especially useful for calibrating numerical flow models in heterogeneous systems. The basic principles of application, the available types of tracers, the range of ages they cover and the main sources of error and uncertainty are described to clarify common misconceptions in their use. The causes of discrepancies between the calculated age and the actual age of water include tracer degradation, degassing, subsurface sources, excess air, recent atmospheric contamination, retardation relative to water molecules, and transit through the unsaturated zone. Furthermore, the text explains how age distributions within a single water sample affect measured tracer concentrations and the interpretation of ages, a key aspect for understanding the true dynamics of the system. It is concluded that the combined use of multiple tracers improves the precision and reliability of age estimations.
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