Cuantificación de la evapotranspiración para el páramo en el norte de Ecuador por medio de modelos climáticos e información satelital: comparación de la evapotranspiración real con productos derivados del GLDAS y NCEP/NCAR REANALYSIS a múltiples escalas temporales

Abstract

Evapotranspiration is a process in which different climatic variables are involved, making it difficult to determine. However, its quantification is important in the field of hydrology, since it is applicable in studies and projects related to water resources. Through project PIMI-17-04, financed by the National Polytechnic School, a Turbulent Flow Tower "Eddy Covariance" was installed in the Antisana paramo. This advanced system allows direct quantification of evapotranspiration. This research work was carried out with the purpose of knowing the real evapotranspiration and precipitation values recorded by the tower in the years 2020 and 2021. Being real values of the paramo ecosystem, they were compared with data recorded by GLDAS and NCEP/NCAR REANALYSIS satellite products in order to determine the applicability of these models in the paramo. In addition, the actual evapotranspiration results were compared with other studies using the "Eddy Covariance" technique or other methods to quantify ET. Once the data from the three models were obtained, statistical criteria were used to verify the relationship between TFEC and satellite products. The analysis showed that the models are not applicable in the paramo since GLDAS and REANALYSIS overestimated the real evapotranspiration with 33% and 175%, respectively. From the data treatment, a real annual ET of 528.98 ± 15 mm was obtained, which represented 62% of the 852.65 mm of total precipitation. In addition, it was observed that in the northern zone of the country precipitation is lower compared to the southern zone where the same technique is applied. Finally, it is concluded that the "Eddy Covariance" technique is one of the best systems for determining evapotranspiration. As for satellite products, they are not applicable in the paramo because they do not consider the characteristic conditions of this ecosystem.