Rainfall interception in an afforested area: Chunga catchment area
Date
2015-06-15
Authors
Simuunza, Iness
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Abstract
An interception study was conducted in an exotic vegetation of Eucalyptus trees to unravell how components of the interception process are distributed and what factors affect them,Rainfall was measured at an open site and under four samples of Eucalyptus trees (Grandis). Between 67 and 77 percent of the rain penetrated each of the canopies with the average being 71 percent, Stemflow averaged 14.8 and ranged from '15.5 to 16.6 percent. Interception loss averaged A-2.5 with a range of 39 to 46 percent.'The lower penetrations observed in the study were attributed to the thickness of the tree canopies for the four samples, stemflow values were larger than what most studies have recorded and this was attributed to the smoothness of the barks, the age of the trees and consequently the distance taken for the stemflow to reach the collector. Interception loss was found to be higher because of the age of the trees.
The variations of the components between samples were associated mainly with aggregate amount and intensity of rainfall and to a less extent vegetational characteristic.
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Keywords
Rainfall interception , Aforestation