Overview
A previous paper presented a very simple monitoring system for the Navío-Quebrado coastal lagoon in La Guajira, Colombia, aimed at providing the basic information needed to set up a hydrological simulation model. After more than 1.5 years of observations, the gathered information was sufficient to test a hydrological model of the system.
Model Setup
A 0D hydrological model was tested and compared against a more refined — and more demanding — 2D hydrodynamic model. The comparison enlightens the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, showing how even a simple case requires some type of art to overcome unavoidable difficulties.
Key Findings
Surprisingly good answers were obtained that illuminate the behavior of the lagoon and shed light on the key points to be improved in both monitoring and modelling. The exercise can be of help in several similar situations where data are scarce and the system behavior is not fully understood.