What is it about?
Groundwater management in Brazil, as in much of the world, is typically addressed separately from surface water management. Our findings suggest that groundwater does more than sustain surface waters during dry periods. It also plays a crucial role in regulating river temperatures, influencing organic matter dynamics and decomposition rates, and supporting biological communities by providing habitats where aquatic insects are more likely to be found. These findings reinforce the importance of integrated water resource management.
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Why is it important?
The outcrop areas of the Guarani Aquifer are important for its management because they are key zones for both aquifer recharge and discharge. Given the possible connections between rivers and the aquifer in these areas, managing groundwater and surface water as separate, independent components can be problematic. This study presents methods for investigating river–aquifer interactions that are suited to the region’s context, where financial resources for monitoring programs are often limited.
Perspectives
In this article, we propose an interdisciplinary methodology that combines hydrology, hydrogeology, and ecology. Although the methods used are not new to their respective fields, combining them provides a broader understanding of how groundwater influences river ecosystem functioning. I hope this study will help inform the development of integrated water management policies in Brazil and other regions of the world.
José Gescilam Sousa Mota Uchôa
Universidade de Sao Paulo Campus de Sao Carlos
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: An integrated assessment of groundwater controls on streamflow and ecosystem functioning in the Guarani aquifer outcrop zone, Journal of Hydrology, December 2026, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136666.
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