The impact of droughts on the mineralization of reservoirs in northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The climatic features of northeastern Brazil result in the almost complete absence of river runoff during drought periods. The extreme irregularity of runoff in the reservoirs of the region leads to an increase in water salinity by the end of the drought. The degree of mineralization growth with respect to the reservoir volume at the beginning of the dry period and the amount of water abstraction from this reservoir during this period was estimated via the calculation of water mineralization for conditions in which there is no flow to reservoirs. These estimates are presented in the form of graphical calculation diagrams for three reservoirs of the Brazilian Ceará state.