Assessing the Spatiotemporal Patterns and Impacts of Droughts in the Orinoco River Basin Using Earth Observations Data and Surface Observations
Droughts impact the water cycle, ecological balance, and socio-economic development in various regions around the world. The Orinoco River Basin is a region highly susceptible to droughts. The basin supports diverse ecosystems and supplies valuable resources to local communities. We assess the spati...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Hydrology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/10/10/195 |
| _version_ | 1797573734948667392 |
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| author | Franklin Paredes-Trejo Barlin O. Olivares Yair Movil-Fuentes Juan Arevalo-Groening Alfredo Gil |
| author_facet | Franklin Paredes-Trejo Barlin O. Olivares Yair Movil-Fuentes Juan Arevalo-Groening Alfredo Gil |
| author_sort | Franklin Paredes-Trejo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Droughts impact the water cycle, ecological balance, and socio-economic development in various regions around the world. The Orinoco River Basin is a region highly susceptible to droughts. The basin supports diverse ecosystems and supplies valuable resources to local communities. We assess the spatiotemporal patterns and impacts of droughts in the basin using remote sensing data and surface observations. We use monthly precipitation (P), air temperature near the surface (T2M), enhanced vegetation index (EVI) derived from Earth observations, and average daily flow (Q) data to quantify drought characteristics and impacts. We also investigated the association between drought and global warming by correlating the drought intensity and the percentage of dry area with sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the Pacific (Niño 3.4 index), Atlantic (North Atlantic Index [NATL]), and South Atlantic Index [SATL]) oceans. We evaluate the modulating effect of droughts on the hydrological regime of the most relevant tributaries by calculating the trend and significance of the regional standardized precipitation index (SPI) and percentage area affected by dry conditions. El Niño events worsen the region’s drought conditions (SPI vs. Niño 3.4 index, r = −0.221), while Atlantic SST variability has less influence on the basin’s precipitation regime (SPI vs. NATL and SATL, r = 0.117 and −0.045, respectively). We also found that long-term surface warming trends aggravate drought conditions (SPI vs. T2M anomalies, r = −0.473), but vegetation greenness increases despite high surface temperatures (SPI vs. EVI anomalies, r = 0.284). We emphasize the irregular spatial-temporal patterns of droughts in the region and their profound effects on the ecological flow of rivers during prolonged hydrological droughts. This approach provides crucial insights into potential implications for water availability, agricultural productivity, and overall ecosystem health. Our study underlines the urgent need for adaptive management strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of droughts on ecosystems and human populations. The insights derived from our study have practical implications for developing strategies to address the impacts of droughts and ensure the protection of this ecologically significant region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:13:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f054923f60784bb795edde1d9e72be23 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2306-5338 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:13:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hydrology |
| spelling | doaj.art-f054923f60784bb795edde1d9e72be232023-11-19T16:40:17ZengMDPI AGHydrology2306-53382023-10-01101019510.3390/hydrology10100195Assessing the Spatiotemporal Patterns and Impacts of Droughts in the Orinoco River Basin Using Earth Observations Data and Surface ObservationsFranklin Paredes-Trejo0Barlin O. Olivares1Yair Movil-Fuentes2Juan Arevalo-Groening3Alfredo Gil4National Observatory of the Climate Crisis, San Carlos Campus, University of the Western Plains Ezequiel Zamora, Cojedes 2201, VenezuelaBiodiversity Management Research Group (GESBIO-UCO), Rabanales Campus, University of Cordoba (UCO), Carretera Nacional IV, km 396, 14014 Cordoba, SpainDepartment of Environmental Engineering, University of La Guajira, Riohacha, 440003 Guajira, ColombiaDepartment of Hydrometeorological Engineering, Central University of Venezuela, 1050 Caracas, VenezuelaDepartment of Hydrometeorological Engineering, Central University of Venezuela, 1050 Caracas, VenezuelaDroughts impact the water cycle, ecological balance, and socio-economic development in various regions around the world. The Orinoco River Basin is a region highly susceptible to droughts. The basin supports diverse ecosystems and supplies valuable resources to local communities. We assess the spatiotemporal patterns and impacts of droughts in the basin using remote sensing data and surface observations. We use monthly precipitation (P), air temperature near the surface (T2M), enhanced vegetation index (EVI) derived from Earth observations, and average daily flow (Q) data to quantify drought characteristics and impacts. We also investigated the association between drought and global warming by correlating the drought intensity and the percentage of dry area with sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the Pacific (Niño 3.4 index), Atlantic (North Atlantic Index [NATL]), and South Atlantic Index [SATL]) oceans. We evaluate the modulating effect of droughts on the hydrological regime of the most relevant tributaries by calculating the trend and significance of the regional standardized precipitation index (SPI) and percentage area affected by dry conditions. El Niño events worsen the region’s drought conditions (SPI vs. Niño 3.4 index, r = −0.221), while Atlantic SST variability has less influence on the basin’s precipitation regime (SPI vs. NATL and SATL, r = 0.117 and −0.045, respectively). We also found that long-term surface warming trends aggravate drought conditions (SPI vs. T2M anomalies, r = −0.473), but vegetation greenness increases despite high surface temperatures (SPI vs. EVI anomalies, r = 0.284). We emphasize the irregular spatial-temporal patterns of droughts in the region and their profound effects on the ecological flow of rivers during prolonged hydrological droughts. This approach provides crucial insights into potential implications for water availability, agricultural productivity, and overall ecosystem health. Our study underlines the urgent need for adaptive management strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of droughts on ecosystems and human populations. The insights derived from our study have practical implications for developing strategies to address the impacts of droughts and ensure the protection of this ecologically significant region.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/10/10/195drought assessmentearth observationsOrinoco River Basinclimate variabilityhydrological cycle |
| spellingShingle | Franklin Paredes-Trejo Barlin O. Olivares Yair Movil-Fuentes Juan Arevalo-Groening Alfredo Gil Assessing the Spatiotemporal Patterns and Impacts of Droughts in the Orinoco River Basin Using Earth Observations Data and Surface Observations Hydrology drought assessment earth observations Orinoco River Basin climate variability hydrological cycle |
| title | Assessing the Spatiotemporal Patterns and Impacts of Droughts in the Orinoco River Basin Using Earth Observations Data and Surface Observations |
| title_full | Assessing the Spatiotemporal Patterns and Impacts of Droughts in the Orinoco River Basin Using Earth Observations Data and Surface Observations |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the Spatiotemporal Patterns and Impacts of Droughts in the Orinoco River Basin Using Earth Observations Data and Surface Observations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the Spatiotemporal Patterns and Impacts of Droughts in the Orinoco River Basin Using Earth Observations Data and Surface Observations |
| title_short | Assessing the Spatiotemporal Patterns and Impacts of Droughts in the Orinoco River Basin Using Earth Observations Data and Surface Observations |
| title_sort | assessing the spatiotemporal patterns and impacts of droughts in the orinoco river basin using earth observations data and surface observations |
| topic | drought assessment earth observations Orinoco River Basin climate variability hydrological cycle |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/10/10/195 |
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