Morphometric characterization of the Alto do Ipojuca hydrographic basin

Abstract

The study of hydrographic basins has supported a series of important decisions for water resources management. Thus, this study aimed to carry out a morphometric characterization of the Alto of Ipojuca Basin addressing the management and integrated planning of water resources. The present study included the Pernambuco municipalities of Alagoinha, Arcoverde, Belo Jardim, Cachoeirinha, Capoeiras, Pesqueira, Poção, Sanharó, São Bento do Una, Sertânia, Tacaimbó and Venturosa, a region corresponding to the Upper Ipojuca region. For morphometric characterization, the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) was used. The delimitation of the hydrographic basin was carried out using the hydrological model SWAT 1.9, through the QSWAT interface, coupled with the free QGIS software. The geometric parameters obtained use the drainage area, perimeter, compactness coefficient, form factor, elongation ratio and circularity index. The length of the main river, the concentration time, the fluvial hierarchy, the frequency of channels, the drainage density, the hydrographic density, the sinuosity of the main course, the maximum altimetric amplitude of the basin, the mean slope were determined, as well as the roughness index and the relief ratio were also estimated. The basin has an elongated shape, thus favoring flow along the basin and low possibility of flash and sharp floods. In general, the basin has a good trend towards conservation. The study of such parameters emerges as an alternative and a strong support for water resources planning and management , considering the presence of reservoirs within the studied perimeter and water allocation, as rainfall events become increasingly irregular and variable in space and time, due to climate change.