ED11B-3398:
Isotope Tracers as Tools for Identifying Water Sources in Developing Regions: Case of Study in Southern Ecuador
Monday, 15 December 2014
Giovanny Mosquera1,2, Patricio Lazo2, Patricio Crespo2 and Rolando Célleri2, (1)Oregon State University, Department of Biological & Ecological Engineering, Corvallis, OR, United States, (2)Universidad de Cuenca, Departamento de Recursos Hídricos y Ciencias Ambientales & Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Cuenca, Ecuador
Abstract:
Páramo ecosystems are widely recognized for their high water regulation capacity and as the main source of runoff generation in the Andean region. Understanding the hydrological functioning of the fragile wet Andean páramo ecosystems is critical in the mountainous regions of South America given their high susceptibility to global and local stressors such as land use change and climate change and variability . Despite this, most of the basins in the Andean mountain range are still ungauged, resulting in a currently hindered hydrologic analysis of the water sources contributing to runoff generation in the high-elevation páramo ecosystems. To improve this situation and provide a baseline for future tracer-based hydrologic studies, the isotopic signature of water samples collected within the Zhurucay River experimental basin (7.53 km2) was analyzed. The study area is located in the southern Ecuador and stretches over an altitudinal range of 3200 and 3900 m a.s.l. Water samples in rainfall, streamflow, and soils were collected between May 2011 and May 2013. Streamflow hydrometric and isotopic information within the study site was collected using a nested monitoring system. The main soils in the study site are the Andosols mainly located in the steep slopes, and the Histosols (Andean páramo wetlands) predominantly located at the bottom of the valley. Results reveal that the Andosols drain the infiltrated rainfall water to the Histosols. The Histosols on their turn feed creeks and small rivers. Pre-event water stored in the Histosols is the primary source of runoff generation throughout the year. Defining the water sources contributing to runoff generation is the first step towards the establishment of scientifically-based programs of management and conservation of water resources in the Andean region; and the monitoring of isotopic information has proven useful to improve the understanding of the ecosystem’s hydrologic behavior.
