Relationship between the morphometric and physicochemical parameters of the Urkuhuayku microbasin where the Urku Yaku 2.0 fog collector sytem tower is located.

Abstract

It is necessary to know the chemical physical behavior that the water possesses along the main riverbed of the basin to identify possible alterations in the quality of the basin, which, can be associated by several factors being one of these the morphology of the basin. The morphometric characteristics of the Urkuhuayku microbasin represent an influence on the physicochemical parameters analyzed at the different sampling points, collected at the Ilaló volcano where a fog collector system is built. The objective of this work was to determine the relationship between the physicochemical and morphometric variables of the basin through Pearson's correlation coefficients to establish the level of relationship between the aforementioned variables and the information generated by the tower. Six sampling points were defined, four collected along the riverbed, one taken directly from the fog catcher tower and one from a biological water purification system. The physicochemical parameters were measured in the Environmental Laboratory of the Central University of Ecuador. Morphometric parameters were determined using the ArcGIS 10.3 software from the Computer Laboratories of the Central University of Ecuador FIGEMPA. With the data obtained, a statistical analysis of correlation was performed in R software that allowed the evaluation of the relationship between the analyzed parameters. As a result, it was determined that the variables with an average Pearson's correlation level were: Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Demand Oxygen Chemistry (COD), conductivity, calcium hardness and Evaporated Solid Waste (CSR), a directly proportional relationship between BOD with respect to the slope and the area of the microbasin was also evidenced, as well as an inversely proportional relationship with respect to the length of the principal river of the basin.