After finding a sea horse in the Cartagena bay, scientists are hopeful about the possibility of recovering this ecosystem that has been severely hit by sediment transport along the Magdalena River. EAFIT and the Dartmouth Flood Observatory of Colorado University (US) succeeded in including this river in the satellite monitoring system through the Peer-Nas project of the U.S Agency for International Development (Usaid).
According to Juan Darío Restrepo Ángel, professor of the Department of Earth Sciences at Universidad EAFIT, the sediment of the river has been strongly discharged into the bay since 1950, when the government decided to make the basin of the Canal del Dique (Dike Canal) straighter causing serious ecological, economical and social implications.
'The Dike Canal is a man-made structure that discharges into the Bays of Cartagena and Barbacoas, and Rosario islands. In the last 50 years, 70 per cent of the reef system in this area has died due to the sediments carried by the river', states the expert.
Juan Darío adds that the Magdalena River is one of the main waterways of the country and it greatly contributes to transporting the continental water itself by discharging 68 per cent of its total water into the Atlantic Ocean. On the other hand, he points out that 80 per cent of the Colombian population is located on the river´s basin where 85 per cent of the local Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is produced through mining. In addition, 90 percent of Colombia's energy is produced on this river by means of hydroelectric power plants and it facilitates gas and oil exploitation among other economic activities.
However, and despite the importance of the river, the scientist highlights that national environmental institutions have never had access to satellite measuring projects, nor have they had reliable real-time information infrastructure.
'It is the most field-monitored river in the country and even though there are lots of stations and observatories dedicated to this monitoring, most of them have not been updated for the last 15 years or are poorly calibrated. Besides, the areas bordering the lower part of the river, including the cities of Barranquilla and Cartagena, were the most affected by La Niña phenomenon -present in the North Andes with floods and in the South Andes with droughts. This led to the breakdown of agricultural, infrastructure and education systems, among others', as Restrepo Ángel warns.
For this reason, the aim of the work of the Universidad EAFIT and Colorado University experts is not only to prevent future emergencies caused by the overflowing of the river or part of the 2,500 kilometers of lagoons that surround its delta, but also to determine the impact of the Magdalena River on the Cartagena bay, which is expressed by the contamination and the impact of the fishery resources with its consequences over public health due to the presence of heavy metals and mining waste such as lead, tin, and zinc among others, in the water.
Key Information
Having online access to the information on the Magdalena River level changes at the Global Flood Observatory set by Colorado University through the website floodobservatory.colorado.edu implies having access to an unprecedented tool for decision-making on environmental, economic and emergency matters.
As stated by Rogger Escobar Correa, environmental engineer and doctorate student in Earth Science at Universidad EAFIT, the satellite monitoring allows for much more accurate measurements of the Magdalena River flow width, which is scanned through microwaves to infer the water percentage in a particular area. This is then compared to the water body flow and rate of discharge and valuable information is obtained in real time.
'The first stage of the project consisted in locating an appropriate place with large plains of floods observable from the space. The Dike Canal was not suitable because it was very difficult to make measurements in very straight areas. A difficult calibration process followed, since each station has a different calibration that responded in times different from those of the satellite. This generated algorithms for five places; two in the upstream part of the basin, two in the lower part and one in the middle part of the Magdalena river', the scientist explains.
Likewise, Albert J. Kettner, who works in Dartmouth Flood Observatory at Colorado University and who assists Rogger Escobar and professor Juan Darío Restrepo through the Peer-Nas project, states that this satellite technology uses microwave sensors to penetrate the clouds and, thus, obtaining permanent information on floods and droughts, which are of utmost importance for governments and other entities.
'The observatory cooperates with humanitarian organizations like the Development Bank of Latin America or the World Food Programme. Our information allows them to understand the way to access the affected areas and whether there is need to send food or medications, among others. In Colombia, we work with David and Rogger and we showed them how to analyze data so that they can adapt the stations along the Magdalena River to obtain hydric discharge and sediments data', he says.
According to the scientist, this information will allow them to know if the river is drying, observing changes over time and determining those points at higher flooding risk and its duration.
From Rogger Escobar's point of view, the Magdalena River analysis is just the beginning since satellite observation is not just limited to measuring the rate discharge of a moving water body, but it also allows for lagoons to be monitored. 'Lagoons have a vital connection with the river. Fishery of the area mainly happens in these water bodies. Besides, they carry out important hydraulic, ecological and economic functions so a lot of potential is encountered there', added the expert.
Research Support
The regional Latin-American advisor for the U.S. Global Lab Agency for International Development (Usaid), Anjali Kumar, is leading the unit that finances the projects of the Association to Improve Research Commitment (Peer). Such projects facilitate collaborative work of researchers around the world and scientists attached to agencies that wok with Usaid in the U.S.
Mrs. Kumar visited Universidad EAFIT and was told about the Magdalena River monitoring project details. 'The objective of Peer projects is that knowledge goes beyond just the articles of indexed scientific publications and reaches a state of application. We are in 45 countries with 205 active projects, 31 of which are in Latin America and we have received around 2,000 applications in the last four years in topics related to health, sciences, education, environment, disaster mitigation, agriculture, water, food safety, energy, weather, biodiversity among others', said the official.
Kumar added that the projects approved by Usaid through this means would receive a maximum support of 250,000 dollars for three years. These projects can be developed by several institutions from several countries. In the case of Colombia, Usaid has developed a five-year strategy with priority support to research which is applied to public health, conflict, waters and biodiversity.
For more information on the Usaid support application process visit http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/PEER/PGA_147200.
For more information contact:
Alejandro Gómez ValenciaJournalist - EAFIT Information and Press Phone: 2619500 Ext. 9931Electronic Email: jgomez97@eafit.edu.co