Year of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Geosciences

Department or School/College

Department of Geosciences

Committee Chair

Andrew C. Wilcox

Commitee Members

Natalie Bursztyn, Fernando Sánchez

Keywords

rivers, SWOT, tropics, wetlands, hydropower, geomorphology

Subject Categories

Geomorphology

Abstract

Tropical regions hold untapped hydropower potential, but dam construction often adversely impacts multiple dimensions of connectivity in river systems, rigorous evaluation of which is often lacking. This study investigates temporal and spatial dimensions of longitudinal and lateral connectivity in the Magdalena River Basin, Colombia, a region with ongoing and planned hydropower projects. Limited in-situ monitoring data is a common challenge in tropical rivers. To address this, we utilized satellite imagery from Landsat (via Google Earth Engine) and Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) data. We examined alterations in the flow regime over time and relative to dam construction. We also quantified and investigated the surface water area of a floodplain lake (Ciénaga Barbacoas) for relationships over time and with main channel discharge to determine potential factors influencing the surface water area changes. We found that discharge in our study area decreased from 1936–2023 (which includes pre-dam construction time). High and lows flows were dampened at the dam site investigated and downstream in our study area, however the dam has minimal impacts on the flow regime in our study area, considering the distance and a variety of other natural and anthropogenic factors also influencing the area. We did not observe a change in surface water area of the floodplain lake between 2014–2023, but we did observe a moderate monotonic relationship between surface water area of the floodplain lake and main channel discharge, indicating main channel discharge may influence the surface water area of the wetland, but is not the only factor involved. Continued research on tropical-river connectivity, supported by new technologies like SWOT, is essential to inform sustainable hydropower practices and management toward safeguarding the ecological health of rivers.

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