Freshwater inflows to closed basins of the Andean plateau in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia
Abstract More than half the world’s lithium resources are found in brine aquifers in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. Lithium brine processing requires freshwater, so as lithium exploration increases, accurate estimates of freshwater availability are critical for water management decisions in this reg...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02130-6 |
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| author | Alexander B. Kirshen Brendan J. Moran Lee Ann Munk Aeon A. Russo Sarah V. McKnight Jordan Jenckes Daniel B. Corkran Magdalen Bresee David F. Boutt |
| author_facet | Alexander B. Kirshen Brendan J. Moran Lee Ann Munk Aeon A. Russo Sarah V. McKnight Jordan Jenckes Daniel B. Corkran Magdalen Bresee David F. Boutt |
| author_sort | Alexander B. Kirshen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract More than half the world’s lithium resources are found in brine aquifers in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. Lithium brine processing requires freshwater, so as lithium exploration increases, accurate estimates of freshwater availability are critical for water management decisions in this region with limited water resources. Here we calculate modern freshwater inflows, such as groundwater recharge and streamflow, for 28 active or prospective lithium-producing basins. We use regional water budget assessments, field streamflow measurements, and global climate and groundwater recharge datasets. Using the freshwater inflow estimates, we calculate water scarcity using the Available Water Remaining methodology. Among all 28 basins, freshwater inflows range from 2 to 33 mm year−1. Our results reveal that commonly used global hydrologic models overestimate streamflow and freshwater availability substantially, leading to inaccurate water scarcity classifications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-26bf6e61656146ccbbb8d0ecbdd85ded |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-26bf6e61656146ccbbb8d0ecbdd85ded2025-08-20T02:49:01ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-03-016111110.1038/s43247-025-02130-6Freshwater inflows to closed basins of the Andean plateau in Chile, Argentina, and BoliviaAlexander B. Kirshen0Brendan J. Moran1Lee Ann Munk2Aeon A. Russo3Sarah V. McKnight4Jordan Jenckes5Daniel B. Corkran6Magdalen Bresee7David F. Boutt8Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, University of Massachusetts AmherstDepartment of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, University of Massachusetts AmherstGeophysical Institute, University of Alaska FairbanksDepartment of Geological Sciences, University of Alaska AnchorageDepartment of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of DaytonDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Alaska AnchorageDepartment of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, University of Massachusetts AmherstDepartment of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, University of Massachusetts AmherstDepartment of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, University of Massachusetts AmherstAbstract More than half the world’s lithium resources are found in brine aquifers in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. Lithium brine processing requires freshwater, so as lithium exploration increases, accurate estimates of freshwater availability are critical for water management decisions in this region with limited water resources. Here we calculate modern freshwater inflows, such as groundwater recharge and streamflow, for 28 active or prospective lithium-producing basins. We use regional water budget assessments, field streamflow measurements, and global climate and groundwater recharge datasets. Using the freshwater inflow estimates, we calculate water scarcity using the Available Water Remaining methodology. Among all 28 basins, freshwater inflows range from 2 to 33 mm year−1. Our results reveal that commonly used global hydrologic models overestimate streamflow and freshwater availability substantially, leading to inaccurate water scarcity classifications.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02130-6 |
| spellingShingle | Alexander B. Kirshen Brendan J. Moran Lee Ann Munk Aeon A. Russo Sarah V. McKnight Jordan Jenckes Daniel B. Corkran Magdalen Bresee David F. Boutt Freshwater inflows to closed basins of the Andean plateau in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Freshwater inflows to closed basins of the Andean plateau in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia |
| title_full | Freshwater inflows to closed basins of the Andean plateau in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia |
| title_fullStr | Freshwater inflows to closed basins of the Andean plateau in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Freshwater inflows to closed basins of the Andean plateau in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia |
| title_short | Freshwater inflows to closed basins of the Andean plateau in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia |
| title_sort | freshwater inflows to closed basins of the andean plateau in chile argentina and bolivia |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02130-6 |
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