The influence of vegetation types on the infiltration capacity of Ie Suum geothermal area in Mount Seulawah Agam

Abstract

The availability of groundwater, largely influenced by the infiltration process and the vegetation cover types, is an important component for the sustainability of geothermal energy. The lack of reference in the relationship between infiltration and vegetation types in geothermal areas causes the lack of information to understand the overall availability of groundwater. Therefore, research on this subject is particularly significant. In this study, the focus was on the difference of the infiltration capacity among vegetation types in Ie Suum geothermal area of Mount Seulawah Agam in Aceh, Indonesia. The study employed the line transect method. The infiltration rate was measured by a double ring infiltrometer and was determined by Horton’s equation. Transect lines were determined according to the four directions of the winds (south, west, north and east) with the transect length at 500 m each. Then, in each transect line, three infiltration measurement points were set at 100 m, 300 m, and 500 m. The results showed that the infiltration capacity was extremely high in tree (9.08 cm/min) and shrub (5.12 cm/min and 3.41 cm/min) areas, but markedly low in herbaceous vegetation (0.57 cm/min). The differences in the infiltration rates for the tree, shrub, and herbaceous vegetation types indicated that the vegetation types affected the infiltration rates and also the groundwater availability in Ie Suum geothermal area.