A morphometric assessment of Lake Camecuaro, Tangancicuaro, Michoacan, Mexico

Abstract

A morphometric study was conducted in Lake Camecuaro, Michoacan, employing a digital echosounder equipped with a geopositioning system; 15 transects were traced perpendicular and parallel to the maximum length of the lake in parallel intersections and in zig-zag patterns. A total of 946 sounding points were registered in 4,200 meters of transects. The results indicated that Camecuaro is a very shallow aquatic system of water springs with a total surface of 3.45 ha, a maximum depth of 4.5 m, and a mean depth of 1.65 m. The system contains up to 55,875.86 m³ and has a hydraulic residence time of 8.62 hours. It is a slightly convex system with a single inflection point. The informative value of this study was 0.9724. This is the first comprehensive morphometric assessment developed for Lake Camecuaro, in which the environmental importance of water conservation in water springs is fundamental to ensuring the human right to access high-quality water, as outlined in the 6th Sustainable Development Goal.