Tools for Assessing Potential Water Availability from Andean Snowpack for Use in Water Allocation Planning in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. (2013)
The Limarí River Basin is located in the Coquimbo region, or Region IV, of Chile and covers an area of 11,696 km2. Climate in the region is classified as arid to semi-arid with periods of up to 10 months with no precipitation each year. For the past four years, Chile has been experiencing a record drought that has driven broad ranging stressors for many sectors in the country but most notably on water resources and agriculture. This has been especially true in the northern regions of Chile where desert-like conditions already exist and strains on limited water resources are more pronounced. A major source of available water is snowmelt from the adjacent Andes Mountains where snow can accumulate above 2500 m. Maximum river discharge is reached during late spring and summer months (October-January) coinciding with the growing season. The Centro de Informacion de Recursos Naturales (CIREN) maintains and interprets images and data as they relate to agriculture and natural resources within Coquimbo. Currently, measurements of streamflow and available water from snowpack are limited to sparse monitoring stations in the mountains; therefore forecasts of available water for the growing season are unreliable. This project used existing hydrologic and temperature data from the monitoring stations in combination with remote sensing techniques to better determine potential water availability for the 2013 growing season (September to November). Global digital elevation data collected by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensor on board the Terra satellite was used to delineate the watershed boundary of the Limarí Basin. The daily snow cover extent within the Limarí Basin was determined and mapped by using data collected by the Moderate -Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on board the Terra satellite. Snow cover data was used with other hydrologic data in the Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) created by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to forecast the amount of daily Andean snowmelt discharge. These predictions will help CIREN and the Embassy of Chile to the United States decide how to allocate water most efficiently amongst the community.
| Other Authors: | |
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| Format: | Proyecto biblioteca |
| Language: | Spanish / Castilian |
| Published: |
2013-11-15T15:33:30Z
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| Subjects: | Hidrología, Agua superficial, Deshielo, Temperatura, Imágenes de satélites, Sensores de satélites, Imágenes Aster, Sector agrícola, Sensores remotos, Sequía, Geomática, Recursos hídricos, |
| Online Access: | https://bibliotecadigital.ciren.cl/handle/20.500.13082/12111 |
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| Summary: | The Limarí River Basin is located in the Coquimbo region, or Region IV, of Chile and covers an area of 11,696 km2. Climate in the region is classified as arid to semi-arid with periods of up to 10 months with no precipitation each year. For the past four years, Chile has been experiencing a record drought that has driven broad ranging stressors for many sectors in the country but most notably on water resources and agriculture. This has been especially true in the northern regions of Chile where desert-like conditions already exist and strains on limited water resources are more pronounced. A major source of available water is snowmelt from the adjacent Andes Mountains where snow can accumulate above 2500 m. Maximum river discharge is reached during late spring and summer months (October-January) coinciding with the growing season. The Centro de Informacion de Recursos Naturales (CIREN) maintains and interprets images and data as they relate to agriculture and natural resources within Coquimbo. Currently, measurements of streamflow and available water from snowpack are limited to sparse monitoring stations in the mountains; therefore forecasts of available water for the growing season are unreliable. This project used existing hydrologic and temperature data from the monitoring stations in combination with remote sensing techniques to better determine potential water availability for the 2013 growing season (September to November). Global digital elevation data collected by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensor on board the Terra satellite was used to delineate the watershed boundary of the Limarí Basin. The daily snow cover extent within the Limarí Basin was determined and mapped by using data collected by the Moderate -Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on board the Terra satellite. Snow cover data was used with other hydrologic data in the Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) created by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to forecast the amount of daily Andean snowmelt discharge. These predictions will help CIREN and the Embassy of Chile to the United States decide how to allocate water most efficiently amongst the community. |
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