Driving factors on wetland water area changes in the arid region of central-western Argentina (32° S) during the last two decades

Abstract

The wetlands along the Leyes-Tulumaya stream in central-western Argentina (32° S) are part of an old, inactive paleo-stream bed of the Mendoza River. These wetlands have been drastically impacted during the last 20 years, reducing their water areas or even completely drying out. The causes and driving factors of this major environmental impact have yet to be explored. Understanding the interaction of the different natural and/or anthropic factors influencing these wetland area changes in the recent past is imperative to apply proper management and conservation plans. In this contribution, the water areas of three lakes along the Leyes-Tulumaya stream are mapped using a GIS environment from satellite imagery to track variations in the last two decades. Assuming that natural variables have been forcing these environmental changes, annual precipitation, soil moisture, evaporation indexes, and the stream flow of the Mendoza River, are analyzed. Changes in the lake water areas along the Leyes-Tulumaya stream are, however, hardly explained due to these natural variables, so anthropogenic factors might have been key and thus need to be further explored.