The objectives of this work were to assess the rates and controls of recharge beneath playas in Southwestern USA. We used the chloride mass balance (CMB) approach to empirically estimate groundwater recharge rates beneath playa surfaces. Using multiple regression analysis, we assessed correlations between biophysical catchment characteristics and groundwater recharge in playas. We also modeled the effects of increased precipitation variability and decreased precipitation on playa groundwater recharge. This dataset contains includes raw measurements used to estimate recharge rates. All measurements were taken in June 2014. This study is complete.
For further information, refer to: McKenna, O. P. and O. E. Sala. 2018. Groundwater recharge in desert playas: current rates and future effects of climate change. Environmental Research Letters 13: 014025.