A geostatistical assessment of the natural and anthropogenic factors that influence groundwater quality in the Beberibe aquifer in northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The chemical composition of groundwater from the Beberibe aquifer located in the Northeast of Brazil (NEB) was assessed using geostatistical, geoprocessing, and multivariate analysis techniques. The data collected came from 34 georeferenced mining and mineral water production units. From this, a Piper diagram was constructed and hydrogeological and hydrochemical spatial maps were generated. The data were submitted for analysis using descriptive statistics, kriging, and principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed that the artesian wells in porous sediments near the coast were of the mixed bicarbonate type and were generally suitable for human consumption. The coefficient of variation was medium too high for all hydrochemical variables. The variables showed a better fit to the Gaussian model, in the study of spatial dependence. In PCA, Cl was the one with the highest correlation with nitrate (NO3). The anthropogenic influence on water quality at the center of RMRE, mainly on NO3 concentrations, had a direct impact on water quality for human health.