Dynamics of water balance and soil erosion in cerrado

Abstract

The land use change of the Cerrado cause modification in water balance and soil erosion intensification, producing adverse effects on soil and water. Thus, it is essential to study the components of water balance and soil erosion in Cerrado biome, for assessment of current conditions in the face of changing land use. In this project, we intend to calculate the components of water balance and soil erosion processes in native forest area representative of Cerrado biome from local data and with use of the mathematical models of physical and empirical basis. The components of water balance and soil erosion will be calculated experimentally and compared with estimated by the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model. The WEPP use will be evaluated in conditions of Brazilian Cerrado. We hope that information obtained with the implementation of this project can provide a greater understanding of the impacts of deforestation of native Cerrado areas in the water balance and in the intensification of erosion processes. Moreover, we expect that the results of the factors that make up the WEPP model allow the application of this model in Brazilian conditions. We intend to disclose of results in 2 papers to be published in journals with high impact factor, indexed in the ISI Web of Science, along with a presentation and discussion of results at international scientific congresses. (AU)