%0 Journal Article %T Water table variations in Atacama Desert alluvial fans: discussion of “Evidence of short-term groundwater recharge signal propagation from the Andes to the central Atacama Desert: a singular spectrum analysis approach” * %+ Instituto de Ciencias de la Ingenieria (ICIn - UOH) %+ Centro de Excelencia en Geotermia de Los Andes, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile (CEGA) %+ Hydrosciences Montpellier (HSM) %+ Universidad de Concepción - University of Concepcion [Chile] %A Viguier, Benoît %A Jourde, Hervé %A Leonardi, Véronique %A Lictevout, Elisabeth %A Daniele, Linda %Z ECOS-Sud C14U03 %Z ANID ECOS180055 %Z FONDAP-ANID 15090013 %< avec comité de lecture %@ 0262-6667 %J Hydrological Sciences Journal %I Taylor & Francis %V 65 %N 9 %P 1606-1613 %8 2020-07-03 %D 2020 %R 10.1080/02626667.2020.1764001 %K hydrogeology %K ephemeral recharge %K alluvial fan %K Northern Chile %K Pampa del Tamarugal %Z Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth SciencesJournal articles %X Using a statistical approach, Scheihing attempts to demonstrate the direct influence of recharge events in the Precordillera and the Andean Piedmont on water table variations in downstream alluvial fans. The author “unquestionably” discards the existence of ephemeral recharge processes in alluvial fans although they are frequently impacted by major floods. However, the author does not consider previous publications about recharge processes in arid alluvial fans, the hydraulic setting of the Pampa del Tamarugal Aquifer (PTA) and anthropogenic pressure changes in the PTA. Because the sustainable management of groundwater resources in drylands depends on a good understanding of hydrogeological processes, we propose a thorough reinterpretation of the short- and long-term PTA water table variations addressed by the author. In this comment, we illustrate the limits of the sole use of a statistical approach for characterizing both recharge processes and factors controlling the water table variations in the Atacama Desert. %G English %L hal-03908358 %U https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-03908358 %~ INSU %~ CNRS %~ HSM %~ UNIV-MONTPELLIER %~ UM-2015-2021 %~ UM-EPE