AWRA Symposium - CATHALAC: Coordinated Research on Hydrological Processes in the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean

ABSTRACT: The quest for coordination of hydrological research has led to the establishment of the "Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean" (CATHALAC; Spanish acronym). The Center stresses the essence of regional/international coordination and efficient use of resources available for research programs. Networks facilitate regional communication and provide the necessary support for governmental and non-governmental institutions to cross (their) borders. CATHALAC has divided its program into eight programmatic areas of interest: "Air-Land-Sea Interactions", "Hydrological Process Studies", "Small Islands", "Integrated Urban Water Management", "Water Quality Control", "Water Resources Assessment, Management and Conservation", "Hydrology and Public Health", and "Knowledge, Information and Technology Transfer". Through CATHALAC several regional networks have been established that study regional hydrological processes and transfer knowledge: a) Trade Convergence Climate Complex, to study climate variability and its impact on socioeconomic activities; b) R-HydroNET, a hydrological data base accessible through the Internet; and c) Intra Americas Sea Initiative dedicated to promote research on natural resources in coastal areas. To assure and promote exchange of knowledge and information related to these and other initiatives, International events are programmed for March 1999; Third Inter-American Dialogue on Water Management and the Second Colloquium on Hydrology and Water Management in the Humid Tropics.

KEY TERMS: Hydrology; water management; regional networks; transfer of information; humid tropics; Latin America and the Caribbean.

The humid tropics is defined by UNESCO as the region comprised between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, respectively 23.5º North and South of the equator, with a monthly precipitation of over 100 mm during at least four and a half months of the year. This region includes 22 percent of the world’s land surfaces and constitute a treasure house of natural resources (Szollosi-Nagy, 1993). This region is adversely affected by numerous problems that are characteristic for this region. The most rapid growth of the world’s population is expected to occur in the developing countries, of which a significant part is located within this region (Fig.1, Hufschmidt & Tejwani, 1993).

Situations in, especially, the mayor cities in the humid tropics are already unstable in many perspectives (e.g. health, pollution, and water supply) and it is inevitable that the even higher population growth in these urban areas (Fig.2) will increase the pressure on the natural resources.

In the absence of proper solutions, this will encourage unsustainable development policies and practices concerning water management in the developing nations in the region. Another characteristic problem for the humid tropics is the uncontrolled deforestation resulting from increasing land demand due to population growth and inadequate land use practices. In addition, the humid tropics are under the constant impacts of extreme climatological phenomena of divers scales (hurricanes, monsoons, ENSO, etc.). Their occurrence generally has a highly negative influence on the development of the region.

During the sixties, with the launching of the International Hydrological Decade (IHD) by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a start was made to internationally coordinate research programs in the field of hydrology. It was understood that hydrological processes do not consider nation’s borders as obstacles to complete their cycles, hence, research had to be able to follow the same route to come to a full understanding of the process. Furthermore, in an international setup of research, financial resources could be used more efficient and effective. The IHD was followed by the long term International Hydrological Program (IHP) to continue international cooperation. The perception that the humid tropics play a critical role in the global atmospheric and, hence, world’s hydrological processes led to the introduction of a separate theme in the planning of the IHP-IV in 1991: "Humid tropics hydrology and water management". This program serves as a basis for the development of hemispheric units or administrative focal points to organize and coordinate research efforts in the humid tropics. This concept was first implemented in Latin America and the Caribbean forming a network under the coordination of a Regional Center.

One of the first activities within the IHP humid tropics theme in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) was the establishment of the "Centro del Agua del Trópico Húmedo para América Latina y el Caribe" (CATHALAC). The main purpose of the Center was and still is to serve as administrative focal point in the LAC region for training, research and technology transfer in the field of water resources and the environment, with special emphasis on problems and issues related to the humid tropics.In accordance to the interest of the region CATHALAC has divided its program into eight areas of interes: (a) Air-Sea-Land Interactions; (b) Hydrological Process Studies; (c) Small Island; (d) Integrated Urban Water Management; (e) Water Quality Control; (f) Water Resources Assessment, Management and Conservation; (g) Hydrology and Public Health; and (f) Knowledge, Information and Technology Transfer. Through participation in multiple regional activities, CATHALAC has built an extensive network of research institutes, universities, governmental authorities, and donors that form the basic prerequisite for regional cooperation and coordinated research. The Center promotes, participates, and coordinates the elaboration of proposals for extensive regional projects. In the following sections some of the major scientific research in the LAC region topics and their human dimensions are briefly described as well as the involvement of CATHALAC in these efforts.

The region of the Trade Convergence Climate Complex (TC³) covers most of the humid tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean and extends from southern North America to northern South America, which sees the annual march between tropical rainy and dry seasons that are in turn related to the variation of trade wind intensity and tropical convergence activity, all surrounding the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Non seasonal departures of the climates in this region are primarily related to anomalous meridional movements of the ITCZ and the associated fluctuations of the SE and NE trade wind regimes. Although the ITCZ tends to lose its clear identity over the less oceanic northern part of South America, one may consider that the SE trades portion of the complex stretches westward from Surinam and the Guyana’s, through Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador to the far NW extreme of the Peru coastal region. The NE trades portion of the complex affects the climate in analogous fashion from the southern Mexico to Panama. Most of the climatic variations and resulting impacts on human populations in the TC³ region derive from nonseasonal changes that accompany interannual and interdecadal changes in the tropical Atlantic and Pacific oceans and their interactions with the overlying troposphere. The nature of climatic teleconnections from remote oceanic regions is quite different for the TC³ region than for the midlatitudes zones such as the southern US/northern Mexico and the southern cone of South America (Figure 3). Significant impacts occur for tropical agriculture, energy and hydrological resources, fishing/aquiculture and health, most of which are heavily dependent on, and vulnerable to the timing and intensity of wet and dry seasons. Therefore the study within the region puts emphases on the impact of climate variability on these sectors and the physical processes that lie behind the occurrence of this variability. During the first months of 1996, the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), approved a start-up grant for the initial phase of the Trade Convergence Climate Complex (TCCC or TC³⁾. This start up grant is used to develop an efficient and effective research program to study the inter-annual climate variability in the TC³ region. Specific interest within this consortium of scientists exists in the impact of the phenomena that is widely known as El Niño and is scientifically described as ENSO. To obtain a forecast format that can be applied in decision making, an open dialogue has to exist between the scientists and the users.

To facilitate exchange of information and knowledge the Center coordinates the organization of a series of workshop throughout the region. Meetings have been held in Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Panama.

Two specific proposals have been elaborated within the TC³ group and were submitted to IAI:

A program for safeguarding the enormous regional richness of useful data that is stored at institutes, companies, agricultural cooperation’s or monasteries that can be used to detect climate change and occurrences of the strongly characterized Air-Sea-Land interactions in the region like ENSO’s, hurricanes, draughts, flooding, etc.; and

A research program on the impact of climate variability on Agriculture, Energy, Aquiculture/ Fisheries and Public Health in the TC³ region

In commemoration of the international year of the ocean CATHALAC together with other institutions in the Caribbean has initiated a series of presentations and workshops to discuss the sustainable management of natural resources in coastal areas. Within the region of the Intra-Americas Sea (i.e., The Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Straits of Florida, and neighboring waters), IAS, the interactions between the overlying trade convergence regime of the atmosphere, the ocean, and adjacent land, links the physical environment, marine ecosystems, and anthropogenic activities developed in the area. The oceanic and atmospheric circulation provides the physical linking mechanism through which biological, biogeochemical and chemical transports, both of natural and extraneous origin, distribute and transit through the region. The scenarios derived from these transports (i.e., pollutant distribution, larvae migration, and fresh water and river sediment dispersion) both impact and are influenced by the human activities carried out in the region. Within this framework, to adequately target the scientific perspectives and human dimension of the IAS, a multidisciplinary approach, involving physical, biological and social sciences, and a system-level understanding is required at the regional level. The final delivery of this activity will be specific research proposals to be put forward to obtain financial support, which will be linked and contribute to ongoing regional efforts (e.g. Global Ocean Observing System, Large Marine Ecosystem program, TC3, the Coastal Zone Program of the Organization of American States, and the Integrated Coastal Management Initiative of the Coastal and Small Islands Program of UNESCO).

R-HYDRONET: A REGIONAL, ELECTRONIC HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL DATA NETWORK FOR SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN

Joint efforts of the University of New Hampshire (Durham NH, USA), the UNESCO Regional Office for Science and Technology (ROSTLAC / Montevideo URUGUAY) and CATHALAC is directed to the establishment of a prototype version of a World-Wide-Web-based, regional hydrometeorological data bank (R-HydroNET v1.0) to support water sciences and water resource assessment in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean, using joint Pan-American scientific and monitoring station information resources. A critical need exists for baseline data upon which to better plan for the wise and sustainable use of water. An important need exist to inventory and make available data for water resources assessments in the context of deteriorating monitoring networks. The assembly and use of such hydromet data consolidates ongoing computerized data bank activities including UNESCO ROSTLAC/LACHYCIS (Latin and Central American Hydrological Cycle and Water Resources Activities Information System) and the Global River Discharge Database (RivDIS 1.0).

In coordination with the Organization of American States, the Interamerican Water Resources Network, the National Institute for Natural Renewable Resources in Panama, CATHALAC is organizing the Third Interamerican Dialogue on Water Management: Facing the Emerging Water Crisis in the XXI Century. The Inter-American Dialogue on Water Management is a forum that seeks to identify and formulate practical recommendations and guidelines for the equitable and sustainable use of water resources in the Americas. The Third Inter-American Dialogue on Water Management will build on discussions begun at the First Dialogue in Miami (1993) and the Second Dialogue in Buenos Aires (1996) to facilitate and strengthen implementation of the recommendations contained in Agenda 21 and reaffirmed at a number of recent international water meetings. The Dialogue provides a unique opportunity for policy-makers, scientists, government officials, non-governmental organization leaders, academics, and representatives of the private sector to exchange ideas, experiences, and information related to water issues. The ultimate goal of the Dialogue is to chart new directions for solving the deepening water crisis in the Western Hemisphere. Themes to be addressed during Dialogue III include: 1. Water and Health; 2.Integrated Water Resources Management; 3. Social, Environmental, and Economic Valuation of Water Resources; 4. Public Participation in Water Resources Decision Making; 5.Global Change and Water Resources

To join and streamline efforts contributed to hydrological research in the humid tropics, UNESCO organized the "International Colloquium on the Development of the Hydrology and Water Management Strategies in the Humid Tropics" which was held in July 1989, in Townsville, Australia. In the last decade much advance has been made in water resources issues related to the humid tropics. However, there are scientific questions that still need to be addressed, and topics of special interest have surfaced or gained particular demand under the pressure of population increase in the region, hence the need for a Second Colloquium on Hydrology and Water Management in the Humid Tropics. This meeting will be hosted and organized by CATHALAC in coordination with the International Hydrological Program of UNESCO. Scientists from all over the World will be invited to attend this Colloquium. By organizing this event during the same week as the above mentioned Third Dialogue, an unique setting will be created for an unprecedented forum that enables leading scientists and policy-makers to exchange ideas and opinions. During the Colloquium six basic themes will be discussed: 1.Multi Dimensional Approach of Water Management; 2. Climate Variability and the Impacts on Hydrology and Water Resources; 3. Surface, Sub-surface and Ground Water Quality; 4.Urban Hydrology; 5. Tropical Island Hydrology; 6. An Ecohydrological Perspective of Montane Cloud Forests. The main objectives of the Colloquium will be to evaluate the state-of-the-art and progress in humid tropic hydrology and to develop project priorities. Furthermore it is expected that appropriate mechanisms and tools will be developed for enhancing the integration of efforts between scientists and policy makers and for strengthening the human scientific resources.

With the indicated activities CATHALAC is assisting in the establishment of a body of experts that is well trained and educated in the field of Water Resources and that will be able to use the right tools with the right scientific background to ensure a sustainable development of water as a natural resource, being less renewable as was envisaged during the last decades. The resulting networks will constitute strong and well founded groups of people, institutions, universities, international and regional organizations, governmental and non-governmental authorities for the planning and execution of research programs. By intensifying the interaction between scientists and decision-makers, the results of research will be used as was envisioned by the scientists. They will receive the feedback needed to adapt the format in which the information is presented to the community. The exchange of information and knowledge will lead to a more efficient use of the financial resources that are available and will strengthen directly and indirectly the level of development within the region of the humid tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean.

CATHALAC: COORDINATED RESEARCH ON HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES IN THE HUMID TROPICS OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

R-HYDRONET: A REGIONAL, ELECTRONIC HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL DATA NETWORK FOR SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN