Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Hydrological Importance and Water Quality Treatment Potential of a Small Freshwater Wetland in the Humid Tropics of Costa Rica

  • Article
  • Published:
Wetlands Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Rapid increases in population and growing food demand are causing widespread deterioration of tropical wetlands globally, and an increased focus on the role and function of these imperiled ecosystems is required. Objectives of this study were to investigate the hydrological dynamics and water quality treatment potential of a small freshwater wetland in the humid tropics of Costa Rica. High-resolution, spatially distributed surface water and meteorological data were combined with a detailed topographical survey to quantify the wetland water balance, hydroperiod, and seasonal variability of wetland area, volume, and residence time. The water balance was dominated by precipitation and outflow, with little contribution from runoff, except during the largest storms. Over 80% of the wetland was flooded continuously; hydroperiods in remaining areas were bi-modal. Small seasonal variations in wetland area, volume, and residence times yielded high and sustained water quality treatment potential. Potential pollutant removal efficiencies were 63.6–99.8% for biological oxygen demand; 60.0–99.8% for total suspended solids; 51.1–98.5% for total nitrogen; and 34.2–99.7% for total phosphorous. The study provides insights into the hydrological functions of this and similar small Central American wetlands and provides a template for extending in-depth hydrological monitoring to other tropical wetland sites.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen RG, Pereira LS, Raes D, Smith M (2004) Crop evapotranspiration: guidelines for computing crop water requirements. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Bachelin M (2009) Water balance, seasonal hydroperiod variation and time of residence of a small natural freshwater wetland in the humid tropics in Costa Rica, MS Thesis, Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (EPFL), Laussane, Switzerland

  • Bigelow SW (2001) Evapotranspiration modeled from stands of three broad-leaved tropical trees in Costa Rica. Hydrological Processes 15:2779–2796

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bodhaine GL (1968) Measurement of peak discharge at culverts by indirect methods. Techniques of water-resources investigations of the USGS; book 3, chapter A3, 60 p. U.S. Govt. Print. Off., Washington DC

  • Bonell M, Balek J (1993) Recent scientific developments and research needs in hydrological processes of the humid tropics. In: Bonell, M, Hufschmidt, MM, Gladwell, JS (eds) Hydrology and water management in the humid tropics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 167–260

  • Carleton JN (2002) Damkohler number distributions and constituent removal in treatment wetlands. Ecological Engineering 19:233–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cocha Barros AR, Muñoz Bogantes MA (2005) Análisis de la función de limpieza de las aguas residuales recibidas por los humedales artificiales y “humedal natural” de la Univ. EARTH, zona caribe de Costa Rica. Lic. Ing. Agr., EARTH University, Guácimo, Costa Rica

  • Cooley KR, Lane LJ (1982) Modified runoff curve numbers for sugarcane and pineapple fields in Hawaii. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 37:295–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Cordero Rodríguez P, Solano Valverde N (2010) Cuantificación de la escorrentía superficial en el humedal natural La Reserva, Universidad EARTH, Costa Rica. Lic. Ing. Agr., EARTH University, Guácimo, Costa Rica

  • Daly E, Zinger Y, Deletic A, Fletcher TD (2009) A possible mechanism for soil moisture bimodality in humid–land environments. Geophysical Research Letters 36:L07402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daniels AE, Cumming GS (2008) Conversion or conservation? Understanding wetland change in northwest Costa Rica. Ecological Applications 18:49–63

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • D’Odorico P, Ridolfi l, Porporato A, Rodriguez-Iturbe I (2000) Preferential states of seasonal soil moisture: the impact of climate fluctuations. Water Resources Research 36:2209–2219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellison AM (2004) Wetlands of Central America. Wetlands Ecology and Management 12:3–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frankie GW, Baker HG, Opler PA (1974) Comparative phenological studies of trees in tropical wet and dry forests in the lowlands of Costa Rica. Journal of Ecology 62:881–919

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallardo M, César J (2006) Evaluación de la calidad natural del agua y su variación espacio temporal en el humedal natural “La Reserva” de la Universidad EARTH, Zona Caribe de Costa Rica. Lic. Ing. Agr., EARTH University, Guácimo, Costa Rica

  • Genereux DP, Jordan MT (2006) Interbasin groundwater flow and groundwater interaction with surface water in a lowland rainforest, Costa Rica. Journal of Hydrology 320:385–399

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Genereux D, Pringle C (1997) Chemical mixing model of streamflow generation at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. Journal of Hydrology 199:319–330

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Genereux DP, Wood SJ, Pringle CM (2002) Chemical tracing of interbasin groundwater transfer in the lowland rainforest of Costa Rica. Journal of Hydrology 258:163–178

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Giraldo NM, Torres CP, Toro AW (2007) Use of a flow balance method for the evaluation of the hydrologic behavior of the wetland “cienaga de Cachimbero”. Revista Facultad de Ingenieria-Universidad de Antioquia 39:56–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris SA (1973) Comments on the application of the Holdridge system for classification of world life zones as applied to Costa Rica. Arctic and Alpine Research 5:A187–A191

    Google Scholar 

  • Healey RG, Pye K, Stoddart DR, Bayliss-Smith TP (1981) Velocity variations in salt marsh creeks, Norfolk, England. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 13:535–54

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holdridge LR (1967) Life zone ecology. Centro Científico Tropicál, San José, Costa Rica

  • Hooijer A (2005) Hydrology of tropical wetland forests: recent research results from Sarawak peatswamps. In: Bonell M, Bruijnzeel LA (eds) Forests, water and people in the humid tropics: past, present and future hydrological research for integrated land and water management. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 447–461

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Junk WJ (1993) Wetlands of tropical South America. In: Whigham DF, Dykyjová D, Hejný S (eds) Wetlands of the World: Inventory, Ecology and Management, Vol. 1. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp 679–740

    Google Scholar 

  • Junk W (2002) Long-term environmental trends and the future of tropical wetlands. Environmental Conservation 29:414–435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kadlec RH, Knight RL (1996) Treatment wetlands. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton

    Google Scholar 

  • Katsenovich YP, Hummel-Batista A, Ravinet AJ, Miller JF (2009) Performance evaluation of constructed wetlands in a tropical region. Ecological Engineering 35:1529–1537

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keddy PA et al (2009) Wet and wonderful: the world’s largest wetlands are conservation priorities. BioScience 59:39–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolln FT (2008) Metodología para analizar la Dinámica Espacio-Temporal del Flujo Hídrico en el Humedal Natural “La Reserva”, Zona Caribe de Costa Rica. Lic. Ing. Agr., EARTH University, Guácimo, Costa Rica

  • Lee TM, Haag KH, Metz PA, Sacks LA (2009) Comparative hydrology, water quality, and ecology of selected natural and augmented freshwater wetlands in west-central Florida. U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA

  • Leopold LB, Wolman MG, Miller JP (1995) Fluvial processes in geomorphology. Dover, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Lieberman D, Lieberman M, Peralta R, Hartshorn G (1985) Mortality patterns and stand turnover rates in a wet tropical forest in Costa Rica. Journal of Ecology 73:915–924

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loescher HW, Gohlz HL, Jacobs JM, Oberbauer SF (2005) Energy dynamics and modeled evapotranspiration from a wet tropical forest in Costa Rica. Journal of Hydrology 315:274–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitsch WJ, Gosselink JG (2000) Wetlands, 3rd edn. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitsch WJ, Tejada J, Nahlik A, Kohlmann B, Bernal B, Hernandez CE (2008) Tropical wetlands for climate change research, water quality management and conservation education on a university campus in Costa Rica. Ecological Engineering 34:276–288

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitsch W, Nahlik A, Wolski P, Bernal B, Zhang L, Ramberg L (2009) Tropical wetlands: seasonal hydrologic pulsing, carbon sequestration, and methane emissions. Wetlands Ecology and Management. doi:10.1007/s11273-009-9164-4

  • Mosley MP, McKerchar AI (1993) Streamflow. In: Maidment (ed) Handbook of Hydrology. McGraw-Hill, New York

  • Nahlik AM, Mitsch WJ (2006) Tropical treatment wetlands dominated by free-floating macrophytes for water quality improvement in Costa Rica. Ecological Engineering 28:246–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Normann JM, Houghtalen RJ, Johnston WJ (1985) Hydraulic design of highway culverts. HDS-5 (Hydraulic Design Series 5), FHWA-IP-85-15, NTIS publication PB86196961

  • NRCS (2003) National Engineering Handbook, Section 4: Hydrology. Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA, Washington, DC

  • Penman HL (1970) The water cycle. Scientific American 223:99–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell GVN, Barborak J, Rodriguez SM (2000) Assessing representativeness of protected natural areas in Costa Rica for conserving biodiversity: a preliminary gap analysis. Biological Conservation 93:35–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riis T, Hawes I (2002) Relationships between water level fluctuations and vegetation diversity in shallow water of New Zealand lakes. Aquatic Botany 74:133–148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ritter A, Muñoz-Carpena R (2006) Dynamic factor modeling of ground and surface water levels in an agricultural area adjacent to Everglades National Park. Journal of Hydrology 317:340–354

    Google Scholar 

  • Roggeri H (1995) Tropical freshwater wetlands: a guide to current knowledge and sustainable management. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Hingham

    Google Scholar 

  • Schumann W, Muñoz-Carpena R (2002) A simple, self-contained canal stage recorder. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 18:691–696

    Google Scholar 

  • Tejada J, Breve M (2010) Depuración de aguas residuales pecuarias con humedales construidos en el Caribe de Costa Rica. Proceedings from 21st Century Watershed Technology Meeting: Improving Water Quality and the Environment, ASABE and Earth University, Costa Rica, February 21–24, 2010

  • Tejada J, Rojas J, Montero V (2010) Diversidad bacteriana en el perifiton de raices re Eichhornia sp, Pistia sp. y Azolla sp., en un humedal artificial del Caribe de Costa Rica. Proceedings from 21st Century Watershed Technology Meeting: Improving Water Quality and the Environment, ASABE and Earth University, Costa Rica, February 21–24, 2010

  • van der Valk AG (1981) Succession in wetlands: a Gleasonian approach. Ecology 62:688–696

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winter TC (1999) Relation of streams, lakes, and wetlands to groundwater flow systems. Hydrogeology Journal 7:28–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wohl EE (2000) Mountain rivers. Water Resources Monograph 14, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC

  • Wu Q, Imru M (2005) Rating development for flow through culverts under SR9336 in the Everglades National Park: 1, Concepts and methods. South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach, FL

  • Zweig C, Kitchens W (2009) Multi-state succession in wetlands: a novel use of state and transition models. Ecology 90:1900–1909

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Wynn Philips and the University of Florida (UF) Gatorade Foundation for the generous funding to support this research. This work would not have been possible without the contributions of Paul Lane (UF) and Julio Tejada, Faelen Tais Kolln, Maria Floridalma Miguel Ros, Natalia Solano Valverde, Pedro Bidegaray, and Daniel Sherrard (EARTH University). M. Bachelin thanks Dr. Wendy Graham (UF Water Institute) for financial support, and Dr. Andrea Rinaldo (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) for supervision.

Author information

Author notes

  1. David Kaplan

    Present address: Ecohydrology Laboratory, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, 319 Newins-Ziegler Hall, PO Box 110410, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0410, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida, 287 Frazier Rogers Hall, P.O. Box 110570, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    David Kaplan, Manon Bachelin & Rafael Muñoz-Carpena

  2. Section Sciences et Ingénierie de l’Environnement, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne CE 3 316, Station 1, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Manon Bachelin

  3. EARTH University, P.O. Box 4442-1000, San José, Costa Rica

    Warner Rodríguez Chacón

Authors
  1. David Kaplan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Manon Bachelin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rafael Muñoz-Carpena
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Warner Rodríguez Chacón
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rafael Muñoz-Carpena.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(PDF 267 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kaplan, D., Bachelin, M., Muñoz-Carpena, R. et al. Hydrological Importance and Water Quality Treatment Potential of a Small Freshwater Wetland in the Humid Tropics of Costa Rica. Wetlands 31, 1117–1130 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-011-0222-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-011-0222-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation