Environmental tracer data within the Barva-Colima Aquifer system, Costa Rica

Groundwater recharge in highly-fractured volcanic aquifers remain poorly understood in the humid tropics, whereby rapid demographic growth and unregulated land use changes are resulting in extensive surface water pollution and a large dependency on groundwater extraction. This database presents a multi-tracer approach including δ18O-δ2H, 3H/3He, and noble gases within the most prominent multi-aquifer system of central Costa Rica, with the objective to assess dominant groundwater recharge processes. Wells and large springs were sampled across an elevation gradient from 868 to 2,421 m asl.