Modeling of Andean Páramo Ecosystems’ Hydrological Response to Environmental Change

Flores-López, F.; Galaitsi, Stephanie; Escobar, Marisa; Purkey, David

doi:10.3390/w8030094

Cited by 31 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The pastures as well as the subpáramo area are negligible C stocks taking into consideration future anthropogenic CO 2 emissions [2,11]. However, the subpáramo areas, as well as the natural forest ecosystems (TMF and Elfin forest), provide another important service, being the water supply for the local and regional population (e.g., [116]). Therefore, the primary objective should be the protection of these natural ecosystems from human disturbance [4,6,7], while considering the possibility of additional greenhouse gas emissions caused by ongoing deforestation, which is especially problematic in the tropical mountains of Ecuador [9,13].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of Above Ground Biomass in a Tropical Mountain Forest in Southern Ecuador Using Airborne LiDAR Data

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A reliable estimation of Above Ground Biomass (AGB) in Tropical Mountain Forest (TMF) is still complicated, due to fast-changing climate and topographic conditions, which modifies the forest structure within fine scales. The variations in vertical and horizontal forest structure are hardly detectable by small field plots, especially in natural TMF due to the high tree diversity and the inaccessibility of remote areas. Therefore, the present approach used remotely sensed data from a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensor in combination with field measurements to estimate AGB accurately for a catchment in the Andes of southeastern Ecuador. From the LiDAR data, information about horizontal and vertical structure of the TMF could be derived and the vegetation at tree level classified, differentiated between the prevailing forest types (ravine forest, ridge forest and Elfin Forest). Furthermore, topographical variables (Topographic Position Index, TPI; Morphometric Protection Index, MPI) were calculated by means of the high-resolution LiDAR data to analyse the AGB distribution within the catchment. The field measurements included different tree parameters of the species present in the plots, which were used to determine the local mean Wood Density (WD) as well as the specific height-diameter relationship to calculate AGB, applying regional scale modelling at tree level. The results confirmed that field plot measurements alone cannot capture completely the forest structure in TMF but in combination with high resolution LiDAR data, applying a classification at tree level, the AGB amount (Mg ha −1) and its distribution in the entire catchment could be estimated adequately (model accuracy at tree level: R 2 > 0.91). It was found that the AGB distribution is strongly related to ridges and depressions (TPI) and to the protection of the site (MPI), because high AGB was also detected at higher elevations (up to 196.6 Mg ha −1 , above 2700 m), if the site is situated in depressions (ravine forest) and protected by the surrounding terrain. In general, highest AGB is stored in the protected ravine TMF parts, also at higher elevations, which could only be detected by means of the remote sensed data in high resolution, because most of these areas are inaccessible. Other vegetation units, present in the study catchment (pasture and subpáramo) do not contain large AGB stocks, which underlines the importance of intact natural forest stands.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of Above Ground Biomass in a Tropical Mountain Forest in Southern Ecuador Using Airborne LiDAR Data

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The remaining natural vegetation in the study area is scrubland at mid and lower elevations, tropical mountain forest at higher elevations and paramo at the upper eastern ridge. The mountain forest ecosystem is characterized by extraordinarily high biodiversity, and, together with the paramo area, provides important services for the local population (e.g., water supply; [44][45][46]. However, the natural ecosystems are endangered, due to population growth and the associated land use changes [47,48].…”

Section: Data and Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Balance and Soil Moisture Deficit of Different Vegetation Units under Semiarid Conditions in the Andes of Southern Ecuador

Fries

Silva

Pucha-Cofrep

et al. 2020

Climate

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Water availability in semiarid regions is endangered, which is not only due to changing climate conditions, but also to anthropogenic land use changes. The present study analyzed the annual and monthly water balance (WBc) and the soil moisture deficit (Ds) for different vegetation units under semiarid conditions in the Andes of southern Ecuador, based on limited meteorological station data and field measurements (soil samples). To calculate crop evapotranspiration (ETc) the Blaney-Criddle method was applied, and the specific crop factor (Kc) included, because only temperature (T) and precipitation (P) data were available. By means of the soil samples the water retention capacity (RC) of the different soil types present in the study area were estimated, which, in combination with WBc, provided reliable results respective to water surpluses or deficits for the different vegetation units. The results indicated highest Ds for cultivated areas, particularly for corn and sugarcane plantations, where annual deficits up to −1377.5 mm ha −1 and monthly deficits up to −181.1 mm ha −1 were calculated. Natural vegetation cover (scrubland, forest and paramo), especially at higher elevations, did not show any deficit throughout the year (annual surpluses up to 1279.6 mm ha −1 ; monthly surpluses up to 280.1 mm ha −1 ). Hence, it could be concluded that the prevailing climate conditions in semiarid regions cannot provide the necessary water for agricultural practices, for which reason irrigation is required. The necessary water can be supplied by areas coved by natural vegetation, but these areas are endangered due to population growth and the associated land use changes.

show abstract

“…Existen pocos modelos desarrollados específicamente para simular los procesos hidrológicos en el páramo, entre ellos tenemos el desarrollo de dos modelos, uno en Ecuador [13] que es un modelo conceptual agregado y otro en Perú [14] que es un modelo basado espacialmente (distribuido). Otros paquetes hidrológicos generales, como el modelo conceptual PDM se ha usado para el análisis de sequía [15] en una cuenca de Ecuador y el modelo semi-distribuido TOPMODEL basado en la topografía fue aplicado en una cuenca en Colombia [16] y una en Ecuador [17].…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Evaluation of the HEC-HMS model for the hydrological simulation of a paramo basin

Cabrera-Balarezo

Timbe

Crespo

2019

DYNA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this study, the performance of the HEC-HMS model was evaluated for the simulation of rain-runoff processes in a paramo basin of approximately 21. 8 km2, south of Ecuador. The calibration and validation comprises the period of July-2013 to June-2016 with daily data. The Soil Moisture Accounting (SMA) method was used to compute the water flow in the soil. For the rainfall distribution, the Thiessen method was used, while the Evapotranspiration was calculated with the Penman-Monteith equation. The results revealed that (1) 83% of the water infiltrates the soil while only 17% is retained in plants and the soil surface, (2) the water is retained for approximately 42 days before reaching the river and (3) that more than 60% of the flow corresponds to sub-surface flow.

show abstract

Modeling of Andean Páramo Ecosystems’ Hydrological Response to Environmental Change

Cited by 31 publications

References 20 publications

Estimation of Above Ground Biomass in a Tropical Mountain Forest in Southern Ecuador Using Airborne LiDAR Data

Estimation of Above Ground Biomass in a Tropical Mountain Forest in Southern Ecuador Using Airborne LiDAR Data

Water Balance and Soil Moisture Deficit of Different Vegetation Units under Semiarid Conditions in the Andes of Southern Ecuador

Evaluation of the HEC-HMS model for the hydrological simulation of a paramo basin

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About