Hydrological Characteristics and Paradoxes of Mediterranean High-Mountain Water-Bodies of the Sierra-Nevada, SE Spain

Each lake complex must be understood before attempting any regional synthesis leading us to view these water-bodies as indicators of regional climate change. Therefore, in order to improve knowledge of these Mediterranean biotopes, we examined the dependence of the fringes of hygrophilous communitie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrology 2019-09, Vol.6 (3), p.59
Main Authors: Diaz-Hernandez, Jose Luis, Herrera-Martinez, Antonio Jose
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Altitude
Biotopes
Cartography
Climate change
cryo–oromediterranean green fringes
cryo–oromediterranean water-bodies
Geomorphology
Hydrology
Lakes
Massifs
Mountains
Sediments
Sierra Nevada water-bodies
Surface flow
Thawing
thawing hydrology
Vegetation
Water
Watersheds
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Summary:Each lake complex must be understood before attempting any regional synthesis leading us to view these water-bodies as indicators of regional climate change. Therefore, in order to improve knowledge of these Mediterranean biotopes, we examined the dependence of the fringes of hygrophilous communities surrounding the water-bodies (green fringes) on their hydrological and geomorphological features. The climate of the western sector of this massif is cryo–oromediterranean, where thawing produces 53 hm3 of run-off and 11 hm3 of sub-surface flow. Part of this water is stored in 123 water-bodies located from 2480 to 3200 m a.s.l., 72 of which (58%) are located on the south-facing Mediterranean watershed. The total surface of the water sheet is approximately 170,000 m2, and volume is approximately 215,000 m3, of which 140,000 m3 (65%) are stored in the south-facing water-bodies. Green fringes surrounding 84 water-bodies have a total surface area of approximately 186,000 m2. Surprisingly, the more xeric Mediterranean watershed holds 58 such fringes (149,000 m2, 80%) while 26 are found on the Atlantic watershed (38,000 m2, 20%). Green fringes are mainly associated with small water-bodies (
ISSN:2306-5338
2306-5338
DOI:10.3390/hydrology6030059