REMOTE SENSING IN THE SPATIO-TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF MANGROVE VIGOR WITH HYDROCLIMATIC VARIABILITY AND ENSO OCCURRENCE IN TUMBES-PERU, PERIOD 2015-2024

Abstract

Mangroves stand out for their great biodiversity, carbon storage and provision of resources to the populations that depend on them, but they are also considered very vulnerable to anthropic pressures and alteration of hydroclimatic patterns derived from global warming and El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which break the balance they need for their optimal development, so it is necessary to know the effects of hydroclimatic variability on the phenological dynamics of mangroves to contribute to a better management of their ecosystems. To this end, the relationship of changes in their vigor with hydroclimatic variability and the occurrence of ENSO in the department of Tumbes in Peru during the period 2015-2024 was analyzed. For this purpose, Landsat images were processed by calculating the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index in Google Earth Engine, in addition to hydrometeorological data and the El Niño Coastal Index. The results show a slight decrease in mangrove vigor associated with the reduction in rainfall, but with a stable average NDVI and percentage of unvegetated areas throughout the analysis period, which would indicate the maintenance of forest expansion. It was also found that the increase in rainfall and runoff (especially in the middle basin) increased mangrove vigor in the following months. It is concluded that mangrove vigor is positively affected by the occurrence of ENSO, rainfall and higher baseflow of rivers in the premontane zones and negatively affected by the downward trend of rainfall in the basin.