First-order catchment mass balance during the wet season in the Panama Canal Watershed

Tropical hydrology is poorly understood for a number of reasons. Intense biological activity in the tropics introduces complexities to the hydrologic process. Bioturbation, rapid rates of decay, and intensive insect activity all tend to promote rapid flow paths in the upper soil. Aggressive weathering leads to clays depleted of light cations and deep soil profiles. Processes in the seasonal tropics are further complicated by seasonal transitions, and very large changes in catchment storage between seasons. Beginning in 2005, we installed a suite of hydrologic sensors in a 16.7 ha first-order catchment in the Panama Canal Watershed to observe hydrologic variables and identify the dominant streamflow generation processes. The site is located near the village of Gamboa, which is located on the east bank of the Panama Canal at the confluence of Lake Gatun and the Chagres River. The study catchment is located on the north side of a ridge off the eastern flank of a 230 m tall hill known as Cerro Pelado, and is covered by 70–120 year old re-growth triple-canopy forest. Measurements included: rainfall above the canopy, throughfall, stemflow, evapotranspiration, shallow groundwater levels and streamflow. Deep groundwater storage was not measured. This paper describes measurements made, data collected, and the worth of those data in estimating the mass balance closure of a first-order catchment during the wet season. We compare measurements of the different components of the water cycle with observations from other published studies from the tropics. Data analysis results indicate water balance closure errors of approximately 8%.