Physiographic controls of runoff response of micro-catchments in the Mira watershed (Ecuador)

The Mira catchment supplies fresh water for agriculture and human consumption in northern Ecuador, but these water services are threatened by global environmental and climate change. At present, this region lacks hydrological studies, that are essential for the sustainable use of water resources. The objective of this study is to characterize runoff variability in the Mira watershed and to investigate the physiographic controls that condition the behavior and dynamics of runoff. Through the analysis of long-term hydro-meteorological data, the runoff in the Mira river basin shows two regimens of variability, which are primarily associated with the rainfall distribution throughout the year. In the northeast of the basin, the magnitude of the flow is conditioned by landscape features that control the temporal dynamics of the runoff response. The high foliage index and the organic composition of the soil benefit the infiltration process and the underground water storage respectively. By contrast, the increase in temperature during driest season accentuates the active evapotranspiration limiting the infiltration in the ground surface in the southwest of the Mira basin. For this reason, the flow is affected by evapotranspiration at the surface and subsurface level, so that the final contributions to the base flow exceed those of the quick flow. In conclusion, the generation of runoff in the Mira river basin is controlled by the interplay of several climatic and physiographic characteristics which are site and catchment specific.

• المؤلف الرئيسي: Gordillo Urresta, Jonathan Patricio (author)
• التنسيق: bachelorThesis
• اللغة: eng
• منشور في: 2019
• الموضوعات: Flujo rápido y lento; Evapotranspiración; Índices de flujo; Quick and slow flow; Evapotranspiration; Flow indices
• الوصول للمادة أونلاين: http://repositorio.yachaytech.edu.ec/handle/123456789/99