Spatiotemporal analysis of water reservoirs in San Luis Potosí state, Mexico, from 1990 to 2015

Abstract

It is essential to identify the spatial distribution and use of water resources for developing appropriate strategies for their use. Therefore, this work aimed to estimate the spatial distribution of economic and ecological Water Use Profit (WUP) and relate it to the Normalized Differential Water Index (NDWI) and evapotranspiration in the San Luis Potosí state, México. When calculating or obtaining the NDWI, this indicator is associated with values of evapotranspiration concentrations that are obtained spatially in the various portions of the territory, since in SLP territory the climate and soil moisture vary from one region to another, as there are 4 different regions. The methodology in this study involved a multitemporal analysis of the WUP in the State corresponding to 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2015, since it is an indicator that measures the uses and water exploitation in a region obtained over time, which is why it is called multitemporal, since we are talking about a 25-year period of analysis and the result is different from one place to another in San Luis Potosi territory. This study was realized through the application of economic and ecological indicators which were evaluated, considering the economic and ecological activities that use water in the region; therefore, the behavior of ETR depends on the area and the economic and/or ecological activities that have been carried out in the period. Also, for understanding the behavior of water reservoirs in the basins in the study area, the NDWI was obtained from Landsat 8 imagery. The results of NDWI showed that, from 1990 to 2015, there was a decrease in moisture content, becoming more evident in 2000. This study found that secondary and tertiary activities significantly influence yearly economic value. From 1990 to 2000, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) value doubled, while from 2000 to 2010 tripled, and for 2015 the increase was nearly 25% compared to 2010. The WUPeconomic’s and WUPecological’s highest values were obtained in the most important urban areas of the state because secondary and tertiary activities are mainly developed. It is precisely with this reasoning that the behavior of relationship between ETR and WUP is vital for the understanding of water consumption generated. Finally, the ETR’s highest values are in the Huasteca region of the state.