Determining the effects of Climate Change on Water Quality of Pátzcuaro and El Sol Lakes in Mexico| Chapter 9 | Challenging Issues on Environment and Earth Science Vol. 7

A comparison of precipitation and temperature records from Pátzcuaro meteorological stations (070 and 16087) from 1921 to 1960 (initial period; 39 years of records) and 1973 to 2007 (postterior period; 34 years of records) revealed a climate change according to the Köppen classification. These climate variations are also seen at the Nevado de Toluca Station (15062) during the years 1964-1985 (initial period; 21 years of records) and 1986-2008 (posterior era; 22 years of records). Significant changes in time were seen in the box plots for precipitation, evaporation, observed temperature, air minimum and maximum, Student's "t" test, regression analysis, and linear correlation. Due to agriculture, livestock, forestry, fishing, tourist, trade, and cyanobacterial blooms, records from 2006 to 2011 for Pátzcuaro Lake revealed considerable changes in various physicochemical variables. The physicochemical changes in El Sol Lake over time were linked to tourism, livestock activities, and phytoplankton biomass; variations in both lakes were linked to anthropic and climatic effect through changes in meteorological variables. A drop in maximum depth, surface area, length, and width was linked to an increase in turbidity in the Pátzcuaro and El Sol lakes. Between the original and subsequent eras, the heat balance of water changed due to variations in air temperature, precipitation, runoff, and evaporation, resulting in an increase in nutrients and phytoplankton biomass, as well as climate change. For each lake habitat, a management strategy (reforestation, wetlands building, water lily harvest, agricultural activity regulation, residential, urban, tourist, and industrial waste) is advised.


Author (S) Details

González-Villela Rebeca
Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua. Paseo Cuauhnáhuac 8532. Progreso. Jiutepec, Morelos. México.


Banderas Tarabay Alfonso Guillermo
Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua. Paseo Cuauhnáhuac 8532. Progreso. Jiutepec, Morelos. México.

Sánchez Chávez José Javier
Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua. Paseo Cuauhnáhuac 8532. Progreso. Jiutepec, Morelos. México.


Bravo Inclán Luis Alberto
Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua. Paseo Cuauhnáhuac 8532. Progreso. Jiutepec, Morelos. México.