Modelación hidrológica de una microcuenca altoandina ubicada en el Austro Ecuatoriano

Abstract

Despite its importance, the hydrology of the Andean catchments is at the moment not well known. Hence, facing the continuously growing concern from society for a sustainable use of water resources and the conservation of mountain catchments of the Ecuadorian Austral region, it is relevant to start with research initiatives for getting to know, among other aspects, the interrelationships between climate and hydrology of páramos and the capacity of these ecosystems to “produce” water. In this context, the current manuscript describes some of the experiences modelling the hydrology of a micro-catchment located to the south-west of Cuenca (Ecuador), presenting some details of the model construction for the study site on the basis of a lumped conceptual code (NAM), as well as, some preliminary modelling results. The modelling protocol included a deterministic/stochastic approach based on Monte Carlo simulations. The initial modelling results are acceptable, which encourages the further improvement of the current version of the model, as well as, the further use of the numerical code on additional study sites such as Andean sub-catchments and catchments of interest.