Abstract

MENDOZA, Manuel; BOCCO, Gerardo; LOPEZ GRANADOS, Erna  and  BRAVO, Miguel. Hydrological implications of land-cover and land-use change: a proposal for spatial analysis at a regional level in the closed Cuitzeo-lake basin, Michoacán. Invest. Geog [online]. 2002, n.49, pp.92-117. ISSN 2448-7279.

This study was undertaken to understand the implications of regional land-cover and land-use change ILCLUC) in a spatially distributed water balance (SDWB) within a poorly gauged basin in 1975 and 2000. Results from this work were derived by integrating remote sensing and geographic information system tools with a water-balance model, along with the application of a transitional matrix analysis. The analysis of changes in water-balance components, based on landforms and transitional matrices, Indicated a small tendency towards improvement in the basin s hydrological conditions at a regional level However, as a consequence of the increase in urban land-use. The basin's plains piedmonts showed a rise in runoff. In addition, the basins' lower areas exhibited a high demand for water resources due to an increased urban land-use in both years, along with the Cuitzeo lake degradation, particularly in terms of pollution and reduction of surface water inflow. The integrated approach used herein constitutes a viable alternative for understanding changes in the amount and spatial distribution of water available in poorly gauged water basins as a consequence of LCLUC.

Keywords : Geographic information systems; remote sensing; transitional matrix; regional analysis; land-cover and land-use change; water balance; poorly gauged basins.

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