Estimación de la variabilidad espacial y temporal de la escorrentía en microcuencas que drenan los páramos del Ecuador

Abstract

Understanding the hydrological processes and the water dynamics in the high Andean ecosystems (such as the paramo) is the first step for making decisions about management and conservation of water resources. The project´s aim is to estimate the spatial and temporal variability of the runoff in selected catchments draining the paramo, based on the selection of the appropriate model among five simple models of water balance. Hydrological data was gathered from the stations of the National Institute of Hydrology and Meteorology (INAMHI) located along the Andes. Information about precipitation was obtained from satellite products such as CHIRPS and TRMM-Ec, while information about Reference Potential Evapotranspiration was gathered from products like CRU and MODIS. The models include hydrological processes from simple to complex, evaluating the supply and climatic demand of water (precipitation and evapotranspiration), the seasonality of supply and demand and the soil moisture storage capacity. The conclusion was that none of these water balance models allow a correct estimation of runoff in the paramo ecosystem because the catchments show variable behavior along the Andean region of Ecuador.