Abstract
Worldwide, it is acknowledged that changes of land use influence water quality; however, in tropical forests, the relationship between land use and water quality is still poorly understood. This study assessed spatial and seasonal variations in water quality, and the relationship between water quality and changes of land use in the Bobos-Nautla River, whose upper course runs across a patch of a tropical cloud forest. Spatial and seasonal variations in water quality and land use were assessed with multivariate tools. A cluster analysis, as well as a Principal Component Analysis (PCA-3D), identified three groups of sites: (1) an upper portion, which showed the best water quality and the broadest natural vegetation coverage; (2) a middle course, with high nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations associated with extensive agricultural uses; and (3) a lower course, characterized by the highest levels of total and fecal coliforms, as well as ammonia nitrogen, associated with the highest percentage of urbanization and human settlements. Our findings demonstrate the impact of changes of land use on water quality of rivers running through cloud forests in tropical zones, which are currently endangered ecosystems.
Highlights
It is recognized that climate change is a process that evolves slowly, reflecting a set of modifications that are evident in the long term
This study aims to investigate the temporal and spatial variations in water quality as related to land uses along the Bobos River, Veracruz, a hydrological system that flows through an important cloud forest area in the Gulf of Mexico slope
Our findings reveal that, when the influence of land uses is explored according to the watershed upstream from each study site, C2 and C3 include percentages of forests (TMCF, High evergreen forest (HEF), and Coniferous forest (CF)) with an altitudinal range lacking an evident relationship with the river course; these may not directly affect water quality
Summary
It is recognized that climate change is a process that evolves slowly, reflecting a set of modifications that are evident in the long term. Changes of land use have short-term, frequently drastic effects, leading to considerable impacts on environmental and hydrological processes (infiltration, groundwater recharge, base flow, runoff, water quality) [1]. Understanding the relationship between land use and freshwater quality is key for effective water management, both currently and in the future [2,3]. The quality of freshwater reflects the combined effects of multiple natural processes and the anthropogenic changes of land use [4,5]. Runoff from catchment areas into water bodies is the main source of nutrients and pollutants [6]; the relationship between water quality in lotic environments and changes of land use has raised a growing interest within the scientific community, as landscape patterns regulate physical and biogeochemical processes in the basin [7].
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