Hydrological Processes in a Small Research Watershed under Forest Coverage in the Coast of Chiapas, Mexico

Abstract

In the hydrological watershed, some natural processes take place in which the interaction of water, soil, climate and vegetation favors the capture of water. The present study aimed to evaluate preliminary information regarding the hydrological response and the water balance in a small research watershed with tropical forest cover (15°01'44''N and 92°13'55''W, 471 m, 2.3 has). Events of precipitation, direct runoff, infiltration rate and baseflow were performed. The amount, duration and intensity of rainfall events were recorded with the use of a pluviograph. Surface runoff was quantified with an established gauging station, an H-type gauging device and a horizontal mechanical gauging limnograph. Runoff base flow was measured at the gauging station using the volume-time method. Infiltration was measured using a triple ring infiltrometer, taking two measurements in the upper part and two in the lower part of the microbasin. Evapotranspiration was measured with the amount of rainfall entering and runoff leaving the watershed. In the study period, annual rainfall of 4417.6 mm distributed over 181 events were recorded; about 70% of the storms showed lower intensities at 20 mm·h-1. The total runoff was 345.8 mm caused by half of the rainfall events, which represents 7.8% of the total rain; 77% of runoff events showed lower sheets of 5 mm and an average specific rate of 20.7 L·s-1·ha-1 with a maximum of 113.6 L·s-1·ha-1. Three runoff events were greater than 20.1 mm and caused the 22.5% of the total runoff depth in the study period showing the equilibrium conditions in the hydrological response of the forest. Water outputs like baseflow was 669.5 mm. In this way, 90% of the rainfall is infiltrated every year in the micro-watershed, which shows the importance of the plant cover in the hydrological regulation and the groundwater recharge.