Salinity Distribution as a Hydrogeological Limit in a Karstic Watershed in Yucatan

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Review comments are attached below.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear Reviewer 1,

We sent you the answer to comment on.

Sincerely,

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

*Remove “dot” from the title

*Add to the keywords “integrated karst watershed approach”

*Lines 456-51: Provide reference for statements.

*The “Introduction” section is weak. You need to report previous studies that addressed a similar topic in your study area. You should also report previous studies that have used the model mentioned in this paper in various locations worldwide. The main findings/results of these papers should be noted in the “Introduction” section. Also, you need to add the novelty statement at the last paragraph of the “Introduction” section

*Move “Study area” sub-section to “Materials and Methods” section.

2.1. Study area

2.2. Hydrogeological data

2.3. Field methodology

 

*Number the sub-sections in the “Results and Discussion” section.

*Line 127: mention the Country name.

*It is not clear from the “Materials and Methods” section whether you have collected real samples or not. Please confirm.

*In the “Materials and Methods” section, you have to mention how you conducted calibration and validation.

*Line 293: add “dot” at the end of the word.

*Figure 10: includes hydraulic gradients and water table contours

*Results: Explicitly connect findings with regional geological controls and climate variability.

*Results: Include regression metrics (R², p-values) to support polynomial relationships.

*Results: Include a comparison with similar coastal karst systems.

*Make sure to describe in detail the data in all Tables and Figures.

*The “conclusions” section: The main results/numbers should be added.

*Add the limitations of your study at the end of the “Conclusions” section.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer 2,

We sent you the answer to comment on.

Sincerely,

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript has been substantially strengthened in terms of methodological transparency, analytical depth, and scientific focus. In its revised form, it meets the standard of clarity, rigor, and relevance expected for publication

Author Response

Dear

Thank you so much for your comments and recommendations.

Sincerely, 

Authors

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thanks for considering some of my comments; however, you did not carefully consider the following two comments:

1. The “conclusions” section: The main results/numbers should be added.
2. The “Introduction” section is weak. You need to report previous studies that addressed a similar topic in your study area. You should also report previous studies that have used the model mentioned in this paper in various locations worldwide. The main findings/results of these papers should be noted in the “Introduction” section.

You also need to mention the main results in the Abstract section. I could not find any numbers in the Abstract.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer 2,

I appreciate your comments and recommendations on the manuscript.

We have improved the introduction section according to suggestions, including  the following paragraph

"The Yucatán Peninsula functions as the primary site for hydrogeochemical research, which uses 1500 samples to perform statistical clustering and multivariate data analysis to show that seawater intrusion, gypsum dissolution, and human-made nitrate pollution result in groundwater salinization [53]. The Ghyben-Herzberg model successfully explains seawater intrusion in this karst system through electromagnetic data collection [52, 53]. Scientists use ion-ratio analysis, strontium isotope analysis, and geochemical modeling to identify between marine intrusion and water-rock interactions in Mediterranean coastal aquifers, according to worldwide research [45]. The assessment of aquifer salinization risk needs predictive hydrogeological models to study different extraction and recharge and sea-level rise scenarios for resource management [62]. A third of wells in Yucatán show major salinization problems, which require immediate implementation of combined monitoring systems and complex models to protect groundwater resources from human activities and climate change impacts [45,53, 62]."

Additionally, we  improve abstract and conclusion following your  recommendations. It is mentioning relevant results in every section.

Thank you so much for your support during process.

Sincerely,

Round 3

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

*The "Abstract" and the "Conclusions" sections are improved. You have also improved the "Introduction" section; however, there are still many similar papers I found while searching that have addressed a similar topic. You need to include those papers with their methodology and results to strengthen the "Introduction" section.

*The novelty of your study needs to be highlighted in the Abstract and in the last paragraph of the "Introduction" section. 

Author Response

Dear Reviewer 2,

Thank you so much for your comments and support in improving the manuscript.

1. Introduction section was improved following the recommendations. It includes this paragraph:

"Research studies on coastal karst aquifers have employed multiple testing methods to determine how salinity affects the positions of hydrogeological boundaries. The research by [6] the Ring of Cenotes showed electrical conductivity values ranging from 0.5 mS/cm to 55 mS/cm. The research data showed that water chemistry patterns experienced major changes because of natural seasonal patterns and human activities. Likewise, [63] study the used water-chemistry regionalization and isotope analysis to identify three hydrogeochemical regions within the Yucatán aquifer. Their results demonstrate that sulfate-rich waters which form through mineral dissolution travel through major structural routes. The study revealed that freshwater depths in coastal areas extend from 8 to 12 meters but the deepest point inside the country reaches 55 meters before saltwater starts to contaminate the water at depths between 55 and 70 meters.  Moreover, the recent investigation by [27] applied inverse geochemical modeling to define the regional hydrogeochemical evolution of groundwater in the Ring of Cenotes. This work reinforces the identification of specific hydrogeochemical zones and clarifies the processes that control solute transport in this coastal karst environment. However, the complexity of karst areas requires continued research on these topics. In this context, a complete understanding of salinity distribution in coastal karst watersheds requires an integrated method that combines hydrogeochemical characterization, isotopic analysis, geophysical surveying, statistical techniques, and process-based numerical modeling such as a comprehensive framework for the research on this area."

 

2. Additionally, it includes this point: "the novelty of your study needs to be highlighted in the Abstract and in the last paragraph of the "Introduction" section.", in both sections.

 

Sincerely,