Characterization and hydrological modeling of the Mungarrá basin using geographical information systems

Abstract

The IIAP identified the need to carry out a morphometric characterization of the Mungarrá watershed located in the municipality of Tadó, in the department of Chocó, Colombia. To achieve this, a widely known methodology was applied for the automated and assisted generation of drainage areas and networks, with a level of detail superior to that established in the official cartography of the country. Digital elevation models and GIS techniques were used in the ESRI environment, using different thresholds and adjustment techniques. As a result, 25 drainage areas were identified, totaling 7,120.99 hectares, and presenting an average extension of 284 hectares. The perimeter of the watershed is on average 10 km, with a compactness index of 1.7. This represents drainage areas from oblong oval to oblong rectangular, with a mean slope of 67% and a very pronounced gradient. These results are correlated with infiltration rates, runoff velocity, soil moisture, and aquifer discharge. Mungarrá has an average elevation of 383 meters above sea level, with a minimum and maximum height of 64 and 255 meters above sea level, respectively. In addition, the drainage density is categorized as high (1.3), and 76% of the identified sub-basins are in this classification. These data provide important information for future studies of the spatiotemporal dynamics modeling in the watershed. This study is part of the project “Hydrological and Socio-productive Characterization of the Mungarrá watersheds in the municipalities of Tadó and Opogodó in Condoto”, developed by the IIAP under the Institutional Quadrennial Research Plan (PICIA), 2016-2019.