Abstract
Purpose
Information on the effects of eucalyptus forests on hydrosedimentological processes is scarce, particularly at the catchment scale. Monitoring and mathematical modeling are efficient scientific tools used to address the lack of information for natural resource management and the representation and prediction of those processes. This study evaluates the effects of eucalyptus cultivation on hydrosedimentological processes in watersheds and to use the Limburg soil erosion model (LISEM) to represent and predict hydrological processes.
Material and methods
The study was conducted in two forested watersheds: the main watershed (94.46 ha) and a nested sub-watershed (38.86 ha), both cultivated with eucalyptus and residual riparian native forest, located in southern Brazil. Hydrosedimentalogical monitoring was conducted from 16th February 2011 to 31st December 2012, and LISEM model calibrations were performed on the bases of six storms events.
Results and discussion
The sediment yield for 2011 was 41.6 Mg km−2 and 38.5 Mg km−2 for the watershed and sub-watershed, respectively. An extreme event in 2012 provided greater sediment yield for the sub-watershed (99.8 Mg km−2) than that for the watershed (51.7 Mg km−2). Rainfall events with a greater maximum intensity generated rapid discharge and suspended sediment concentration responses in the sub-watershed due to the smaller drainage area and steeper landscape. In the main watershed, the accumulation of flood waves occurred for most events, with less steep hydrographs, and a later occurrence of the discharge peak after that of the sub-watershed. The LISEM adequately reproduced the peak discharge and runoff for the calibrated events; however, the peak time and the shape of the hydrograph were not adequately represented.
Conclusions
The hydrosedimentological patterns of the watershed and sub-watershed, both cultivated with eucalyptus, was characterized by sedimentographs preceding hydrographs during rainfall–runoff events where scale effects occur, with maximum discharge and specific sediment yield greater in the watershed than that in the sub-watershed. Empirical models based on hydrologic variables may be used for estimating the suspended sediment concentration and sediment yield. Therefore, LISEM may be used for the prediction of hydrological variables in these forested watersheds.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), and the Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS) for the financial support in the stipend and fellowship study, and Celulose Riograndense Company (CMPC), for the area of study and financial support.
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Rodrigues, M.F., Reichert, J.M., Minella, J.P.G. et al. Hydrosedimentology of nested subtropical watersheds with native and eucalyptus forests. J Soils Sediments 14, 1311–1324 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-014-0885-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-014-0885-5