Guatemala
"... GEOGlOWS is used by CEPREDENAC to provide hurricane early warnings"
-Claudia Herrera
Background Information
Lake Atitlán, in southwerstern Guatemala, is located at the base of three volcanoes and is drained by three streams. As a result, neighboring communities depend on Lake Atitlán as a source of food, water, and as a tourist attraction. Beginning in 2009, Lake Atitlán began to be contaminated with sewage and other agricultural runoff, threatening communities that depended on this lake for basic needs.
Predicting Algae contamination in Lake Atitlán
The communities surrounding Lake Atitlán had no waste management system in place and found that the technology and data software to predict algal blooms was both expensive and hard to maintain in small communities. To predict algal blooms you need three components: water temperature, local weather, and the volume of water in the lake.
By incorporating data from satellite observations, weather forecasts, and other sources, GEOGLOWS can provide up-to-date information about water availability, streamflow, and other important indicators. Using the GEOGLOWS python package, streamflow predictions can be made, along with total volume of water entering the lake, for the next 14 days. This information can be used to monitor changes in water quality and to assess the impact of different interventions, such as improved wastewater treatment or changes in agricultural practices or predicting algae blooms.
By locating Lake Atitlán on the GEOGLOWS Hydroviewer, a table can be generated, which includes the 14 day forecast in return period flow and historical data, giving you a plot like the one below.
A python script was written to integrate the streamflow data from the three rivers flowing into the lake and this script was incorporated into the algorithm. The algorithm developed aids local organizations in addressing the problem of lake contamination. By leveraging the capabilities of GEOGLOWS, stakeholders can develop more effective strategies for addressing the problem of lake contamination and promoting sustainable water management in the region.
Despite GEOGLOWS not being directly related to the lake contamination in Lake Atitlán, it can be used to provide valuable information about water resources in the region. Due to the lack of daily volume data of runoff into Lake Atitlán for predicting algae contamination, GEOGLOWS-ECMWF Streamflow Prediction Service provided the necessary streamflow data.
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