Analysis of flood pulse dynamics in the lower basin of the San Pedro River (northwestern Mexico) using remote sensing

This paper analyzes inter - annual (1993 - 2008) and intra - annual (2006 - 2008) flooding patterns in the unregulated San Pedro River, based on digital analysis of two Landsat satellite imagery series and ancillary rainfall and discharge data, to describe variations in the natural pulse. The long -...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Rafael Hernández-Guzmán, Arturo Ruiz-Luna, César A. Berlanga-Robles, Jesús T. Ponce-Palafox
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:México
Institución:Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit
Repositorio:Redalyc-UAN
OAI Identifier:oai:redalyc.org:175046298010
Acceso en línea:https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=175046298010
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Ciencias de la Tierra
flooding
modeling
Hydrologic pulse
coastal wetlands
northwestern Mexico
Descripción
Sumario:This paper analyzes inter - annual (1993 - 2008) and intra - annual (2006 - 2008) flooding patterns in the unregulated San Pedro River, based on digital analysis of two Landsat satellite imagery series and ancillary rainfall and discharge data, to describe variations in the natural pulse. The long - term pattern, over a period of 16 years, showed considerable fluctuations, with a maximum flood extent (FE) of approximately 200 km 2 , while the observed average was 57.8 km 2 over the entire period, around 24 km 2 the dry season and more than 90 km 2 in the rainy season. The seasonal v ariation, analy zed using 29 quasi - monthly images recorded from 2006 to 2008, displayed FE peaks in the rainy season (July to October) with variations in time and extent that were not directly related to rainfall but instead were related to river discharge , Q, ( FE = y 0 + a (1 - 0.9983 Q ); R 2 = 0.91). We used the above exponential model with monthly average river discharge data (1944 - 2008) and the proposed regulated volume of discharge from governmental plans to construct a dam on the San Pedro River. We found that the natural ecosystem will b e altered by increasing the inundation in the dry season and reducing it in the rainy season. This change will have consequences in coastal wetlands and aquatic biota adapted to historical conditions, with consequences for the production of aquatic organis ms and for ecosystem services.