Abstract

LIMACHI, M. A.  and  AUZA, M.. Study of the evaporation of Lake Titicaca through the use of meteorological information and remote sensing, La Paz - Bolivia. RevActaNova. [online]. 2020, vol.9, n.4, pp.641-660. ISSN 1683-0789.

Lake Titicaca represents an essential part of the water resources in the central part of the Andes mountain range, undoubtedly one of the lakes most affected by global warming. Since surface evaporation accounts for most water losses, reliable estimates are needed for planning and adaptation of the region's water resources. In the past, estimates were made using point data only from meteorological stations. However, remote sensing is now available to provide information at spatial and temporal resolutions that would assist in a more reliable estimation of evaporation. This study used both remote sensing infonnation (Satellite imagery from Aqua/MODIS) and on-site meteorological information so that the combination improves evaporation estimation. Finally, evaporation losses were calculated following the Energy Balance approach developed in ILWIS, determining successively: surface water pressure, air vapour pressure, emissivity, net radiation, psychrometric constant, Bowen ratio, internal heat storage of water and finally evaporation from Lake Titicaca, where maximum evaporation occurs in January with a weighted mean value of 161.24 [mm] and minimum in August with a weighted mean value of 96.90 [mm]. At the end, the annual evaporation rate reaches 1666.90 [mm] for the period 2003 to 2016.

Keywords : Evaporation; Lake Titicaca; Energy balance; Remote sensing; MODIS/ILWIS.

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