Abstract

HERNANDEZ-AVILES, Justo Salvador; GARCIA CALDERON, José Luis  and  LANZA ESPINO, Guadalupe de la. A proposed limnological classification of small water bodies based on the climate, in a tropical region: Mexico. Invest. Geog [online]. 2007, n.64, pp.63-74. ISSN 2448-7279.

Small aquatic systems (<100 ha) in Mexico are commonly regulated by the climate. The climate generates a temporal unit of variation throughout the year along a latitudinal gradient, that is strongly modified by the altitude. The proposed grouping of small water bodies into limnological regions in Mexico is associated with six ecological areas that are defined by the climate: a) a humid tropical area that covers 4.7% of the country's surface, b) a sub-humid tropical area with 23%, c) a humid temperate area with 2.7%, d) a sub-humid temperate area with 20.5%, e) an arid and semi-arid area with 49% and f) an alpine area with 0.1%. The limnological characteristic that was used to group the small water bodies was the change in water volume. With respect to this, three regions can be defined: a) warm and temperate humid regions where the volume of water varies but does not dry up (perennial astatic systems), b) warm sub-humid, arid and semi-arid regions that dry up annually (seasonal astatic systems), and c) sub-humid temperate regions, as a transition group (semi-perennial astatic systems). Variations in the water level affect the dynamics of dissolved materials.

Keywords : Mexico; small water bodies; climate; regionalization.

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