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Hydrological models of interflow in three Iberian mountain basins

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Abstract

Interflow is the shallow sub-horizontal water flow through the saturated/unsaturated zone generally of a short transit time. It is the main component of the water balance in mountain regions. The study of interflow requires the development of appropriate conceptual models. Its quantification involves challenges due to: (1) the lack of methods to detect and measure it; (2) the possibility of mistaking interflow with local short-time groundwater flow. Therefore, the estimation of interflow is subjected to uncertainties, which in turn lead to errors in the evaluation of other hydrological components. A physically based semi-empirical model of interflow is presented here. It has been implemented in the water balance codes VISUAL-BALAN and GIS-BALAN and tested in three Iberian mountain basins: (1) the Valiñas river basin in the NW of Spain; (2) the Bernesga basin in the North of Spain; and (3) the Zêzere river basin at the Serra da Estrela in central Portugal. Model results show that the mean annual interflow in these mountain basins ranges from 34 to 55 % of the annual precipitation. These basins share the following features, which favour interflow: steep slopes and low-permeability layers in the soil. It can be concluded from this study that the evaluation of groundwater resources in mountain basins requires the proper estimation of interflow.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by projects funded by ENRESA, the Ebre River Authority (Project 2000-PH17-I), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project CGL2012-36560), and Fund 2012/181 from “Consolidación e estruturación de unidades de investigación competitivas”, Grupos de referencia competitiva) Xunta de Galicia. The project PEst-OE/CTE/UI0039/2011/2012 (CGUP) provided support for the research dealing with the Zêzere River Basin. We acknowledge the support of the Fundación Universidad de A Coruña and the contributions of the people involved in the development of BALAN, VISUAL-BALAN and GIS-BALAN. The comments of an anonymous reviewer and of the Editor-in-Chief which improved the paper are greatly appreciated.

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  1. Escuela de Caminos, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain

    Javier Samper & Bruno Pisani

  2. Geology Centre, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Jorge Espinha Marques

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  1. Javier Samper
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Samper, J., Pisani, B. & Espinha Marques, J. Hydrological models of interflow in three Iberian mountain basins. Environ Earth Sci 73, 2645–2656 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3676-9

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