Monitoring Drought and Water Balance in the Guanacaste Province to Enhance Decision Making and Response Planning in Costa Rica

The Arenal-Tempisque watershed in northwestern Costa Rica has experienced severe drought conditions during the last four years, complicating water management and agricultural production. Additional information for response planning and management is required to tackle the consequences of drought. In partnership with the Costa Rica Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), Costa Rica National Service of Underground Water, Irrigation, and Drainage (SENARA), the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and the Costa Rican Embassy in Washington, D.C., the DEVELOP team used data from various Earth observing satellites – Landsat 8, Aqua, Terra, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM), Tropical Rainfall Measureing Mission (TRMM), and Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) – as well as in situ stations to analyze and monitor the current state of meteorological and agricultural drought across the Arenal-Tempisque watershed using three calculations. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used in monitoring meteorological drought and the Scaled Drought Condition Index (SDCI) and Soil Moisture Index (SMI) were used in monitoring agricultural drought. The team also created information for a water balance assessment using the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model by combining NASA Earth observations, ancillary data sources, and in situ data. The model's results were calibrated and validated through the use of SWAT Calibration and Uncertainty Procedures (SWAT-CUP). Upon receiving the hydrological data and tools, project partners at SENARA and MINAE will be able to replicate the project's methods to continuously update their understanding of watershed conditions. These results will allow project partners to make a more efficient water management plan, benefitting the local inhabitants and stakeholders.

Location

The University of Georgia

Term

Summer 2016

Partner(s)

Costa Rica Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE)
Costa Rica's National Service of Underground Water, Irrigation, and Drainage (SENARA)
Embassy of Costa Rica to the United States
University of Costa Rica (UCR)

NASA Earth Observations

TRMM, PR
GPM, DPR/GMI
Aqua/Terra, MODIS
Landsat 8, TIRS
SRTM, SIR-C
SMOS, MIRAS

Team

Rachel Durham (Project Co-Lead)
María José Rivera-Araya (Project Co-Lead)
Diyang Cui
Madison Davis
Luis Quesada
Nelson Venegas

Advisor(s)

Dr. Marguerite Madden (Department of Geography, University of Georgia)
Dr. Sergio Bernardes (Department of Geography, University of Georgia)
Dr. Adam Milewski (Department of Geology, University of Georgia)
Dr. Angelica Gutierrez (NOAA)

Project Video