Journal article
Groundwater Recharge Estimation in Sand-Dune Aquifers Using Chloride Mass Balance Method: Western Kyzyl-Kum, Kazakhstan
https://doi.org/10.30919/ee2580
Highlights
- Mean groundwater chloride: 204.9 mg/L.
- Recharge: about 80.63 mm a year; about 5.83 × 10⁶ m³ a year over 72.4 km².
- Atmospheric chloride flux averaged over 2020–2024.
Keywords
- groundwater recharge
- chloride mass balance
- sand-dune aquifer
- Kyzylkum
- Kazakhstan
Summary
Freshwater lenses in sand-dune aquifers supply drinking water, water for technical uses and water for livestock in arid western Kazakhstan. The authors, from the Ahmedsafin Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geoscience in Almaty, estimated recharge to the Western Kyzyl-Kum freshwater lens with the chloride mass-balance method.
They combined five years (2020–2024) of chloride in precipitation with groundwater chemistry from monitoring wells spread over the lens. A mean groundwater chloride concentration of 204.9 mg/L gives a first-order recharge of about 80.63 mm a year, or about 5.83 million m³ a year over the 72.4 km² assessed.
The estimate holds only if chloride comes mainly from the atmosphere, and the authors stress that it should not be read as a sustainable yield.
How to cite
Valentina Rakhimova, Evgeny Sotnikov, Yermek Murtazin and Timur Rakhimov (2026). Groundwater Recharge Estimation in Sand-Dune Aquifers Using Chloride Mass Balance Method: Western Kyzyl-Kum, Kazakhstan. ES Energy & Environment (accepted manuscript, published online 13 October 2026). https://doi.org/10.30919/ee2580