Methodological proposal for physical processes characterization of shallow tropical wetland complexes

In this experience, the design of a methodological proposal for water characterization of tropical shallow tropical wetland complexes is presented. Such methodology consists of nine steps, which are fed using the available secondary information and the primary information obtained from the work field. The final objective of the proposal is to identify the most important physical processes in the studied wetland, as much as the spatial and temporal scales that can capture their essence. The shallow tropical wetland complex of La Rinconada (Magdalena, Colombia) was chosen as a case of study, to validate the methodology, where it was established that the dominant physical processes are connected with the expansion and contraction of the water surface the interaction between the river and the main water body, through a narrow channel that connects the two hydrosystems (river and wetland) and the thermal dynamics within the lentic water body. In the same way, the characteristic scales of the mentioned processes were determined to, finally, present the characterization of the wetland complex.