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Impact of the Melting of Nevado El Cocuy on the Water Supply of Glacial Basins

10.24050/reia.v23i46.1940
Published 2026-09-17
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Abstract

Colombia is one of the countries with tropical glaciers currently undergoing a melting process as a result of global warming. This is expected to impact the functionality of various ecosystems, as well as the water availability of glacial watersheds. To date, the effect of the melting of the El Cocuy snow-capped mountain on the water supply of the Nevado River—an important source of regional water supply—remains unknown. For this reason, this research employed remote sensing analysis of snow cover through the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI), statistical analysis of hydrological series, and correlation analysis between mean flow rates and the snow-capped area to assess the effect of the mountain's melting on the water availability of the El Nevado watershed. It was found that the snow-capped mountain is expected to disappear within the next 29 years and that its ablation shows no direct relationship with flow rates. The interannual variation showed that, up until 1998, ablation led to an increase in mean flow values, while its subsequent depletion contributed to a significant decline in the watershed's water supply. As a result of this process, the average flow of the Nevado River could decrease from 7.32 m³/s to 3.45 m³/s. This highlights the need for urgent medium-term measures for the proper management of water resources to ensure their availability for ecosystems and various socioeconomic uses, where hydrological instrumentation of glacial watersheds is essential and urgent.

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