Análisis de la variabilidad espacial y temporal de la calidad del agua en una zona de páramo húmedo al sur del Ecuador

Abstract

Páramo ecosystems provide important environmental services for society. In spite of its significance, this ecosystem faces pressures regarding the change of land use, which could have a negative influence on water quality. Faced with this, this area needs to be characterized to evaluate future changes. To this end, an analysis of temporal and spatial variability of water quality was carried out, and the influence of hydrometeorological variables on the physical- chemical results such as organic compounds, anions and cations parameters was evaluated. The study was carried out in five micro-basins of the humid páramo of Quimsacocha, located in the Province of Azuay in southern Ecuador. A database with water quality information comprised during the period 2003-2018 was elaborated. The results suggest (1) a clear influence of the amount of precipitation and flow in the concentration of most parameters analyzed; (2) the spatial variability found allowed to classify the waters into three groups; (3) concentrations of heavy metals have been found above the maximum permissible limit, which is attributed to the soil and geological characteristics of the area; (4) significant regressions have been found between water quality parameters and meteorological variables. The results obtained allow a better understanding about ecohydrological processes and contribute to establishing a baseline on the water quality controllers in the study area.