1 research outputs found
Runoff generation in an intensively disturbed, abandoned farmland catchment, Central Spanish Pyreneesp
This paper studies the hydrological response to rainstorm events of a small
experimental catchment in the Central Spanish Pyrenees. The Arnás catchment was
cultivated until 40 years ago, and then abandoned and affected by plant recolonisation,
especially shrubs. A rainfall of a few mm is enough to produce a sudden increase in
discharge, due most probably to the steep gradients and the small size of the
catchment and the extensive areas with low vegetation density and thin soils. The
intensity of the response shows a very high variability, depending on the intensity of
precipitation and soil humidity conditions before the flood. This paper identifies two
types of floods according to the relationships between precipitation and discharge, and
confirms that antecedent soil moisture explains much of the response. The shape of
the hydrograph, very similar to the hyetograph, suggests that the Arnás catchment is
dominated by overland flow processes. However, more intense rainstorms do not
generate higher peak flows, thus demonstrating the existence of different runoff
generating areas