Abstract
Purpose
Hydrosedimentological studies conducted in the semiarid Upper Jaguaribe Basin, Brazil, enabled the identification of the key processes controlling sediment connectivity at different spatial scales (100–104 km2).
Materials and methods
Water and sediment fluxes were assessed from discharge, sediment concentrations and reservoir siltation measurements. Additionally, mathematical modelling (WASA-SED model) was used to quantify water and sediment transfer within the watershed.
Results and discussion
Rainfall erosivity in the study area was moderate (4600 MJ mm ha−1 h−1 year−1), whereas runoff depths (16–60 mm year−1), and therefore the sediment transport capacity, were low. Consequently, ∼60 % of the eroded sediment was deposited along the landscape, regardless of the spatial scale. The existing high-density reservoir network (contributing area of 6 km2 per reservoir) also limits sediment propagation, retaining up to 47 % of the sediment at the large basin scale. The sediment delivery ratio (SDR) decreased with the spatial scale; on average, 41 % of the eroded sediment was yielded from the hillslopes, while for the whole 24,600-km2 basin, the SDR was reduced to 1 % downstream of a large reservoir (1940-hm3 capacity).
Conclusions
Hydrological behaviour in the Upper Jaguaribe Basin represents a constraint on sediment propagation; low runoff depth is the main feature breaking sediment connectivity, which limits sediment transference from the hillslopes to the drainage system. Surface reservoirs are also important barriers, but their relative importance to sediment retention increases with scale, since larger contributing areas are more suitable for the construction of dams due to higher hydrological potential.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the German Research Foundation (DFG) for funding the WASESAC research project (Generation, transport and retention of water and suspended sediments in large dryland catchments: Monitoring and modelling of fluxes and integrated connectivity phenomena), the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for the financial support to the field activities within the IPAS research project (Impact of small reservoirs on water availability in the semiarid—474323/2011-0) and the Federal Institute of Education Science and Technology of Ceará (IFCE) for the grant to support research activities.
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Responsible editor: Ramon J. Batalla
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Medeiros, P.H.A., de Araújo, J.C., Mamede, G.L. et al. Connectivity of sediment transport in a semiarid environment: a synthesis for the Upper Jaguaribe Basin, Brazil. J Soils Sediments 14, 1938–1948 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-014-0988-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-014-0988-z