CHANGES IN WATER SURFACE AREA DURING THE PAST 30 YEARS IN A RAMSAR WETLAND IN DURANGO, MEXICO USING LANDSAT DATA

Wetlands are very important ecosystems, since they provide flood protection and pollutant dilution services, and harbor important habitats for birds and other wildlife. Monitoring their water surface area is therefore important for understanding a wetland area's hydrological processes and for managing its water resources. The aim of this study were to analyze changes in the area of the perennial water body of the Laguna de Santiaguillo wetland, Durango, over time using GIS and remote sensing techniques, and to analyze whether there is a correlation between the wetland area and environmental variables such as temperature and humidity. The wetland nearly dried up completely in 2000, because during the preceding 10 years there had been almost no rain in the microbasins that provide water to La Laguna. In the last two years the water body has increased to 85.10 km
²
. No significant correlation was found between variation in area of the wetland and changes in temperature or humidity. This may be due to management of the water resource, which is carried out by opening floodgates to meet the needs of the agricultural sector during periods of drought.