Relic and Contemporary Waters of the Dry Andes: Global Implications for Water and Lithium Resource Development

Moran, Brendan; Boutt, D. F.; Munk, LeeAnn; Jenckes, Jordan; McKnight, Sarah

doi:10.1130/abs/2022am-380604

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…Some streamflow and groundwater may be sourced from long flow paths from adjacent basins. In addition, some inflow may be from long recharge pathways and groundwater storage releases that represent wetter climates of the past 13,14 . Accurate streamflow measurements are limited to three basins in the region.…”

Section: Simplified and Improved Water Budget Conceptualizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Precipitation is event-driven with little to none in the winter and larger events in the summer. The hydrologic system is complex with intermittent streams largely sourced by groundwater storage, and lagoons with large seasonal fluctuations sustained by both modern precipitation and groundwater storage 13,14 . Precipitation, groundwater discharge, and streamflow are critical for sustaining diverse ecosystems ranging from microbial lagoon communities to larger fauna 15,16 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantifying water availability in basins holding the majority of global lithium resources

Kirshen,

Moran,

Munk

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Demand for lithium is expected to increase by as much as 40 times over the coming decades. More than half the world’s lithium resources are found in brine aquifers at the intersection of Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. As lithium exploration increases, accurate estimates of water availability are critical for water management decisions, particularly in this region home to communities and ecosystems relying on limited water resources. We develop the first region-specific water availability assessment with 28 active, near-production, and prospective lithium-producing basins. We modify the AWARE method by re-calculating availability minus demand using a novel available water approach and evaluate the impacts of freshwater use from future lithium mining. Our results reveal that commonly used hydrologic models overestimate streamflow by as much as 6000%, leading to inaccurate water scarcity classifications. We also find that, on average, water availability could decrease by 8-107% depending on lithium production quantity and processing technology.

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Section: Simplified and Improved Water Budget Conceptualizationmentioning

confidence: 99%