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Article
Impacts of Agricultural Expansion on Surface Runoff: A Case Study of a River Basin in the Brazilian Legal Amazon
International Journal of Geoinformatics
  • E. E. Maeda, National Institute for Space Research
  • A. R. Formaggio, National Institute for Space Research
  • Y. E. Shimabukuro, National Institute for Space Researchers
  • Amy L. Kaleita, Iowa State University
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
9-1-2009
Abstract

This work presents an analysis of the Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) changes of a region in the Brazilian Legal Amazon, and an evaluation of their impacts on the surface runoff regime. This case study took place at the Suiá-Miçu River basin, located in the northeast region of Mato Grosso State. LULC maps were produced for the years 1973, 1984 and 2005 using remote sensing data. After analyzing the agricultural expansion in the study area, the Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment Tool (AGWA) was applied in performing the surface runoff modeling for each of the analyzed years using the SCS curve number method. The results showed that by 1984, 13% of the natural vegetation had been replaced by pasture in this drainage basin. These changes were responsible for a 5.7% increase in the annual average surface runoff volume when compared with the baseline values of 1973. In 2005, the agricultural areas increased to around 40% of the drainage basin, being 28% occupied by pasture and 12% by crop fields. In this last scenario, the annual average surface runoff was 37% higher than in 1973.

Comments

This article is from International Journal of Geoinformatics 5 (2009): L.

Access
Open
Copyright Owner
Geoinformatics International
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
E. E. Maeda, A. R. Formaggio, Y. E. Shimabukuro and Amy L. Kaleita. "Impacts of Agricultural Expansion on Surface Runoff: A Case Study of a River Basin in the Brazilian Legal Amazon" International Journal of Geoinformatics Vol. 5 Iss. 3 (2009) p. L
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/amy_kaleita/47/