Browsing by Autor "Daniel Avilés"

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ANÁLISIS DE TENDENCIAS Y EVALUACIÓN DEL COMPORTAMIENTO DE LA PRECIPITACIÓN CON RELACIÓN A LA OCURRENCIA DE SEQUÍAS EN COCHABAMBA-BOLIVIA
(2025) E. O. S. Montenegro; Mauricio Villazón; Daniel Avilés
During the hydrological year from August 2022 to July 2023, a notable water shortage was observed in the department of Cochabamba and in several regions of the country, which prompted the need to assess the behavior of precipitation and its trend. For this purpose, annual series of total precipitation with the most data possible were used, sourced from measurement points in the department of Cochabamba. The analysis revealed that precipitation is decreasing, primarily in the southern part of the department, in the provinces of Mizque, Campero, and the southern part of Carrasco. This phenomenon was not observed in the northern slope of the Tunari mountain range, where, on the contrary, an increase in the amount of rainfall was recorded. Additionally, it was found that the precipitation for the 2022-2023 hydrological year presents a deficit ranging from 31% to 56% of the long-term annual precipitation. To incorporate the effects of El Niño and La Niña into the study, the analysis of variability, oscillation, and trends in these cycles and their teleconnection with precipitation reveals that El Niño events may become more pronounced in the future, which negatively impacts the availability of rainwater in our region. Furthermore, we are currently in the midst of a drought cycle that could last for several more years. Therefore, it is essential to continue analyzing meteorological data to support decision-making in advance, in order to reduce the impacts of potential precipitation deficits in the future.
Effect of liming products on soil detachment resistance, measured with a cohesive strength meter
(Taylor & Francis, 2019) Daniel Avilés; Kerstin Berglund; Ingrid Wesström; Abraham Joel
Good soil structure is important for achieving high productivity of agricultural land and also affects the ability of soil to withstand erosive forces. Given the importance of soil structure, efforts are commonly made to improve it, usually by application of amendments of different kinds (e.g. lime, biochar, compost, manure etc.). However, little is known about the effect of these amendments on the soil resistance to detachment. This study assessed the resistance to detachment of soil cores treated with different liming products, using a cohesive strength meter (CSM) which measures the rate of soil detachment under the action of water jets at different pressures. The amount of soil removed by the water jets was taken as an indirect measure of soil resistance to detachment, under the assumption that more resistant soils will lose less material than more susceptible soils at a given water jet pressure. The results showed that all soil amendments studied reduced detachment of particles under the action of water jets compared with unamended soil (control).
Effect of Vegetation Removal on Soil Erosion and Bank Stability in Agricultural Drainage Ditches
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2020) Daniel Avilés; Ingrid Wesström; Abraham Joel
Maintenance of agricultural drainage ditches can be difficult to optimize if farmers have no guidelines on where to target their maintenance efforts. A main concern is whether ditch banks will experience soil erosion or mass movement (failure). In order to help identify sites that are more likely to experience soil erosion and/or mass movement, soil susceptibility to detachment was assessed in this study using a cohesive strength meter (CSM) and measurements of shear strength in unsaturated direct shear tests. The results showed that soil roots play an important role in stabilizing ditch banks against mass movement and in reducing the rate of soil detachment. A positive stabilizing effect was detected by CSM and confirmed by shear strength measurements. The conclusion is that native vegetation should be maintained on ditch banks, instead of being removed during maintenance work as is currently the case.