A hydropedological approach to a mountainous Clayey Humic Dystrudept in the Mantiqueira Range, southeastern Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The Mantiqueira Range region is one of the most important headwaters in southeastern Brazil. In this context, the relationship between pedology and hydrology has been debated and analyzed in recent years, contributing to the creation of a multidisciplinary science call hydropedology. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the hydropedological properties of a mountainous Clayey Humic Dystrudept in the Mantiqueira Range region, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, comparing two land-uses, native forest and pasture. The hydraulic conductivity results demonstrated that native forest (MFO) has a strong influence on this parameter, offering conditions for movement of water in the soil that are more adequate in this profile than in pasture. These results were supported by pore size distribution analyses which showed that soil from native forest has a greater amount of macropores than soil from pasture as well as greater connectivity between the macropores. In general, the MFO site had greater S index values than the micro-catchment taken from pasture, offering favorable physical conditions for the formation of preferential flowpaths in the soil profile and, therefore, better conditions for groundwater recharge. Soil erosion and water quality results confirmed the importance of native forest areas in the interaction between interception of the direct impact of intense precipitation on the soil surface, and hydropedological attributes, such as saturated hydraulic conductivity and porosity.

Impacts of Climate Change on the Hydrology of a Small Brazilian Headwater Catchment Using the Distributed Hydrology-Soil-Vegetation Model

“…The Grande River basin is located in southeastern Brazil and the Tropical Atlantic Forest in its headwater region (Mantiqueira Range), should be highlighted as one of the most important biodiversity hotspot of the world [1] [2]. In this basin, the annual variability of precipitation and temperature can be critical for human water consumption, irrigation, and hydropower generation [3] [4].…”

Land-use influence on the soil hydrology: An approach in upper Grande River basin, Southeast Brazil

“…Based on these results, we can state that there is an intrinsic relationship between land-use and hydrological flow indicators of the watersheds. These results are linked to the influence of the native forest, highlighting the interaction between interception and the direct impact of rainfall on the soil surface, and the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Pinto et al, 2018). Mello et al (2019) evaluating the intrinsic relationship between hydrology, soil, and forest in a tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF) inside Lavrinha watershed observed that baseflow was the main hydrological element in this site.…”

“…It is possible to observe a greater both precipitation and runoff in Lavrinha watershed (Figure 7), since this watershed is located in the south part of the UGRB, in the Mantiqueira Range (mountainous and strong undulated relief) (Figue 1). This part of the UGRB region is very susceptible to water erosion, which demands special concerns related to land-use and management (Pinto et al, 2018). Because of this, a better understanding of the relationships between hydrological indicators and land-use are necessary to better and more successful decision making for soil-water conservation and management targeting.…”

Fuzzy Rules to Help Predict Rains and Temperatures in a Brazilian Capital State Based on Data Collected from Satellites

“…Concerning its hydrographic bases, the state of Minas Gerais has among its principal rivers: The Doce River, which rises between the slopes of the Mantiqueira and Espinhaço ranges [17] and flows into the Atlantic Ocean [18], in the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo; The Grande River, whose source is in the Serra da Mantiqueira [19], in the municipality of Bocaina de Minas until reaching the Paranaíba River, thus forming the Paraná River in the state of São Paulo; The Paranaíba River, which is born in the Wood of the Cord, in Paranaíba, and has approximately 1070 km of extension; and São Francisco River, which rises in the Serra da Canastra, cutting through the state of Bahia and passing through northeastern states like Pernambuco, Sergipe and Alagoas until it empties into the ocean, and itswater are essential for tourism, leisure, irrigation, and transportation in several cities, especially in northern Minas Gerais [20].…”