Tracer Hydrology Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities Across Latin America and the Caribbean

ABSTRACT Tracer hydrology in Latin America and the Caribbean has made significant progress in recent decades, largely through the sustained support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Current practises show water stable isotope applications and precipitation‐groundwater monitoring at the core of most networks, providing valuable insights into recharge mechanisms, groundwater to surface water connectivity, pollution tracking, and climate variability. Despite these advances, critical challenges persist, including short and fragmented monitoring records, limited capture of extreme events, restricted data accessibility, and persistent barriers related to funding, analytical capacity, and weak policy integration. Improving science communication emerges as an urgent need to transform technical findings into actionable knowledge that informs decision‐makers and empowers communities. Opportunities exist to build on IAEA's legacy by sustaining long‐term networks, diversifying tracer applications, mobilising citizen science in monitoring efforts, expanding modelling and laboratory capacity, and advocating for FAIR data sharing across end‐users. Strengthened collaboration across the region, improved communication, and deeper policy engagement can elevate tracer hydrology into a pillar of regional water governance and hydro‐climate resilience.

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Publication Details

Journal
Hydrological Processes
Published
2026-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70376
Primary Topic
Groundwater and Isotope Geochemistry
Type
article
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article

Tracer Hydrology Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities Across Latin America and the Caribbean

Jodie Miller, Megan P. Cox, Marcela Cabrera, Ana María Durán‐Quesada et al.
Hydrological Processes
Groundwater and Isotope Geochemistry
article

Tracer Hydrology Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities Across Latin America and the Caribbean

Jodie Miller, Megan P. Cox, Marcela Cabrera, Ana María Durán‐Quesada, Lyssette Elena Muñoz‐Villers, Francisco Fernandoy, Rico M. Gazal, R. García Estrada, Kegan K. Farrick, Paola Alejandra Vásquez Cardona, Agustín Menta, Claudia Raquel Ávalos, Chris Soulsby, Isadora Aumond Kuhn, Juan Camacho‐Puerto, Yelba Flores‐Meza, Luis González‐Hita, Alejandro García‐Moya, María Leticia Montiel, Mosquera Giovanny, Ricardo Oyarzún, Angela Méndez, Didier Gastmans, Ricardo Sánchez‐Murillo, Dana M. Jacob, Odalys Julissa Ibarra‐Alejos, Roberto E. Kirchheim, Juan Pérez Quezadas, Manuel Giménez, Orlando Mauricio Quiroz Londoño, Germain Esquivel‐Hernández, Junior O. Hernández‐Ortiz, Marcelo Somos‐Valenzuela, Selene Olea‐Olea, José Luis Arumí, Gabriela P. Flores Avilés, Miguel A. Mejía González, Juan A. Torres‐Martínez, María Poca, Roger Pacheco Castro, Geoffrey Marshall, Kristen Welsh, Rolando Sánchez‐Gutiérrez, Marcia Barrera de Calderón, Javier Barberena Moncada, Haydée Osorio‐Ugarte
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tracer hydrology in Latin America and the Caribbean has made significant progress in recent decades, largely through the sustained support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Current practises show water stable isotope applications and precipitation‐groundwater monitoring at the core of most networks, providing valuable insights into recharge mechanisms, groundwater to surface water connectivity, pollution tracking, and climate variability. Despite these advances, critical challenges persist, including short and fragmented monitoring records, limited capture of extreme events, restricted data accessibility, and persistent barriers related to funding, analytical capacity, and weak policy integration. Improving science communication emerges as an urgent need to transform technical findings into actionable knowledge that informs decision‐makers and empowers communities. Opportunities exist to build on IAEA's legacy by sustaining long‐term networks, diversifying tracer applications, mobilising citizen science in monitoring efforts, expanding modelling and laboratory capacity, and advocating for FAIR data sharing across end‐users. Strengthened collaboration across the region, improved communication, and deeper policy engagement can elevate tracer hydrology into a pillar of regional water governance and hydro‐climate resilience.

Hydrological ProcessesVol. 40(1)
Universidad de La Frontera (CL), International Atomic Energy Agency (AT), Universidad Andrés Bello (CL), Baylor University (US), University of Cienfuegos (CU), Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México (MX), University of Concepción (CL), Universidad de la República de Uruguay (UY), National University of Mar del Plata (AR), The University of Texas at Arlington (US), University of Aberdeen (GB), Universidad Nacional (CR), National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (NI), Water and Power Development Authority (PK), Viña del Mar University (CL), Universidad de Costa Rica (CR), Sonora Institute of Technology (MX), Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (BB), University of the West Indies (TT), Ministerio de Ganadería Agricultura y Pesca (UY), Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo (MX), Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (ES), Instituto de Estudios Avanzados (VE), Centro de Recursos Educativos Avanzados (CL), Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (DE), Hospital Regional de Concepción (CL), Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (BB), Centro de Epilepsia y Neurocirugía Funcional (GT), National Autonomous University of Honduras (HN), Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua (MX), Institute of Marine and Coastal Research (AR), Agencia de Energía Nuclear y Tecnologías de Avanzada (CU), Corporación Universitaria Autónoma del Cauca (CO), Serviço Geológico do Brasil - CPRM (BR), Universidad Regional Amazónica IKIAM (EC), Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia (BO), Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros (BR), University of El Salvador (SV), Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PE), Autonomous University of Tamaulipas (MX), Universidad de Montevideo (UY), National University of San Luis (AR), University of La Serena (CL), Universidad Nacional de Asunción (PY), Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (PA), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) (BR), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX), College of The Bahamas (BS), Tecnológico de Monterrey (MX)
Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 94%
Groundwater and Isotope Geochemistry
DOISourceOpenAlex
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