Lake Atotonilco: A First Approach to Determining the Minimum Lake Level Necessary to Sustain Its Biodiversity

Abstract

Lake Atotonilco is a shallow saline water body located in the central-west portion of Mexico. The lake is in the low plain of an endorheic watershed. It is shallow, with a large area of surrounding wetlands and serves as a refuge for dozens of native and migratory waterfowl. Its extremely flat morphometric features coupled with the precipitation and runoff regime from the watershed cause significant changes in the lake surface area and storage volume throughout the year. In recent years, the lake has behaved as an intermittent lake, remaining practically dry in June, and reaching its highest storage volume in October. An ecological water volume that the lake must maintain to support its biodiversity was estimated. This minimum lake storage volume can only be achieved if public policies are implemented to rationalize the use of water resources in the basin and to protect the few forest areas that remain in the watershed. Key Words: ecological minimum volume, endorheic watershed, lake bathymetry, playa lake.

阿托托尼科湖（Atotonilco）是墨西哥中西部的浅咸水体, 是位于内流盆地的低平原。阿托托尼科湖很浅, 周围有大片湿地, 是数十种本地和迁徙水禽的庇护所。极其平坦的地貌以及流域降水和径流特点, 导致湖的表面积和蓄水量在一年中有显著变化。近年来, 阿托托尼科湖成为间歇性湖泊：6月份干燥, 10月份达到最大蓄水量。本文估算了阿托托尼科湖支撑生物多样性所必须的生态水量。只有通过公共政策, 去合理利用流域内的水资源、保护流域内为数不多的森林, 才能获得最小湖泊蓄水量。

El Lago Atotonilco es un somero cuerpo de agua salobre situado en la porción centro-occidental de México. El lago se encuentra situado en la planicie baja de una cuenca endorreica. Es somero, con una gran superficie de humedales circundantes y sirve como refugio a docenas de aves acuáticas autóctonas y migratorias. Sus características morfométricas extremadamente planas, unidas al régimen pluviométrico y de escorrentía de la cuenca determinan cambios significativos en el área de la superficie del lago y en su volumen de almacenamiento a través del año. En años recientes, el lago y sus humedales se han comportado como un lago intermitente, permaneciendo prácticamente seco en junio y alcanzando su máximo nivel en octubre. Se calculó un volumen ecológico de agua que se debe mantener para sostener su biodiversidad. Este volumen de almacenamiento mínimo solo puede alcanzarse si las políticas públicas se implementan de tal modo que racionalicen el uso de los recursos hídricos en la cuenca y que se les de protección a las pocas áreas de bosque que subsisten en la cuenca.

Palabras clave:

• batimetría lacustre
• cuenca endorreica
• lago de playa
• volumen ecológico mínimo

关键词:

• 生态最小蓄水量
• 内流盆地
• 湖泊水深测量
• 干盐湖

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support of the National Water Commission for the provided information related to the weather stations and concessions for water extraction located in the study area.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge the State Council of Science and Technology of the State of Jalisco, México, for the support granted to the project “Limnological Study for the Recovery of Lake Atotonilco, Jalisco,” code FODECIJAL 8193-2019. That technical report was used for the development of this work.

Notes on contributors

Demetrio Meza-Rodríguez

DEMETRIO MEZA-RODRÍGUEZ is an Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology and Natural Resources, University Center of the South Coast, University of Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research interests include watershed management, river geomorphology, surface hydrology, wetland management, and the application of GIS and remote sensing in natural resource management.

José de Anda

JOSÉ DE ANDA is a Full-Time Researcher at the Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. E-mail: [email protected]. He has published several scientific works related to limnology of lakes in western Mexico; evaluation of the water quality of rivers, lakes, and dams located in tropical and subtropical regions of Mexico; wastewater treatment by passive methods; and sustainable management of water resources.

Harvey Shear

HARVEY SHEAR is Professor at the Institute for Management and Innovation, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]. He has published scientific papers on aquatic ecology and management, on ecological and sustainability indicators for the Great Lakes, and on various aspects of the ecology of Lakes Chapala and Zapotlán in Mexico.