Abstract
The multiple environmental dynamics of watersheds make these natural spaces interesting objects of study, and in areas with few scientific investigations, such as the Mestre Campo Stream watershed, the need for these investigations is even greater. The accomplishment of this paper sought to characterize the morphometry of Mestre Campo Stream Watershed, located in Piranga City, Minas Gerais, Brazil, as a first activity to create a management plan for the natural resources available in the area. Therefore, TOPODATA geomorphological data were used in a geographic information system (GIS) to extract the morphometric information – area and respective perimeter, length of axis and of drainage network – from the study area and, then, these variables were used to estimate the following indicators: form factor, circularity and compactness indexes, elongation ratio and drainage density, in order to describe the watershed. The morphometric indexes indicated an elongated behavior for the watershed, characterizing it as a space of low susceptibility to flooding under normal precipitation conditions. In addition, the drainage network showed fourth-order ramifications and a median capacity of drainage. The sub-watersheds that makes the Mestre Campo Stream Watershed were also characterized, the Sub-watershed of Brum Stream presented a rounded shape, while the Alto Mestre Campo Sub-watershed presented elongated characteristics. These results highlight the heterogeneity of Mestre Campo Stream Watershed, which must be considered when elaborating the management plan for the studied watershed, respecting the particularities of that geographic space in order to properly explore its natural resources.
Highlights
The watershed can be understood as a physical, natural and open system that captures a volume of precipitated water and, through its sloping surfaces, conducts the volume and other materials present in the area to the watershed mouth (CHRISTOFOLETTI, 1980; COELHO NETO, 1995; SILVEIRA, 2001)
Data survey on the environmental dynamics of the watershed would be very important for the management of that ecological unit, in order to plan the actions according to the area capability (PORTO; PORTO, 2008), accounting the rational and sustainable use of natural resources
The predominant soil type in watershed is the red-yellow latosol, according to the Digital Soil Map prepared by EMBRAPA Solos (SANTOS et al, 2013), the predominant vegetation is composed of semideciduous seasonal rain forests, which fall within the domains of the Atlantic Forest (SOBRINHO et al, 2009)
Summary
The watershed can be understood as a physical, natural and open system that captures a volume of precipitated water and, through its sloping surfaces, conducts the volume and other materials present in the area to the watershed mouth (CHRISTOFOLETTI, 1980; COELHO NETO, 1995; SILVEIRA, 2001) This geographical space is occupied by several organisms – such as soil, fauna, flora, water courses and communities – and the structuring and the interaction of these elements within the watershed make this natural area an interesting object of study. Data survey on the environmental dynamics of the watershed would be very important for the management of that ecological unit, in order to plan the actions according to the area capability (PORTO; PORTO, 2008), accounting the rational and sustainable use of natural resources. The combination of morphometric parameters – such as the drainage area of watershed, the perimeter, the length of axis and the length of its drainage channels – allows the estimation of specific indicators for the local – for example, the form factor, indexes of circularity and of compactness, elongation ratio and drainage density – and make it possible to study the environmental and anthropic vulnerability of watersheds (LIMA et al, 2011; RODRIGUES et al, 2016)
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