The biophysical modeling of water ecosystem services is crucial to understanding their availability, vulnerabilities, and fluxes. Among the most popular models, the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) models stand out. While many studies have used them, few have assessed their performance. This study evaluates the performance of InVEST’s Seasonal Water Yield, Nutrient Delivery Ratio, and Sediment Delivery Ratio models in a subtropical basin in southeastern Brazil on temporal and spatial scales, using 39 years of streamflow data, 29 for total phosphorus and total nitrogen, and 19 for total suspended solids. Statistical indicators R2, PBIAS, and NSE, were also calculated. The performance of the models varied according to the type of simulated WES and analysis scales used, with the Seasonal Water Yield model demonstrating the best performance and effectively representing the spatial and temporal variability of the average annual streamflow. All models performed well in simulating long-term mean values when compared to observed data. While one should bear in mind the study’s limitations, the results indicate that the models perform well in terms of relative magnitude, although their application in studies involving water-resource management and decision making is limited.
Although healthy ecosystems are vital to sustaining human society, the Brazilian Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes have suffered from disorderly human development and the intense use of natural resources. Thus, cost-effective studies are needed to develop tools to assess environmental conservation and the integrity of water courses to inform decisions for ensuring their recovery where ecosystem maintenance is deficient. This study sought to develop a methodology in which the Watershed Habitat Evaluation and Biotic Integrity Protocol (WHEBIP) and Rapid Assessment Protocol for Habitat Diversity (RAP) could be used in an integrated, adaptive manner to evaluate the Water Ecosystem Integrity (WEI) in courses of rivers and streams in tropical regions of the Brazilian Cerrado–Atlantic Forest interface undergoing intense agricultural exploitation. Accordingly, a spatial assessment using geographic information systems was followed by a field visit to apply the methodology. A preliminary assessment of the soil conditions in the Lobo Reservoir Hydrographic Basin was conducted, identifying stretches of rivers and streams that were suitable for payment for environmental services and for recovery from the impact of anthropic activities. Such activities were present in 50.23% of the basin’s total area, and intensive degradation was found in stretches of the water courses, primarily where the head springs of the Itaqueri River and Lobo Stream, the principal tributaries of the Lobo Reservoir, lie. Native vegetation, Brazilian Cerrado, and reforestation occupy a total of 38.5% of the basin, comprising areas of intense conservation activity by the Brazilian government.
As atividades humanas realizadas para promoção do desenvolvimento econômico e social alteram a quantidade e a qualidade das águas. A análise da qualidade dos ecossistemas aquáticos é importante para compreender o estado de conservação dos recursos hídricos e identificar áreas prioritárias à gestão das águas. O objetivo desse trabalho foi analisar a qualidade das águas e o estado trófico de cursos hídricos afluentes ao reservatório do Lobo, localizados na bacia hidrográfica do ribeirão do Lobo (BHRL), situada na região centro-leste do estado de São Paulo. Para tanto, foram analisados parâmetros físicos e químicos da água em 10 pontos de coleta distribuídos entre o rio Itaqueri, ribeirão do Lobo e córrego Água Branca. Os parâmetros foram analisados em duas campanhas realizadas em 2018, uma no período seco, nos meses de junho/julho, e outra no período chuvoso no mês de novembro. Os resultados dos parâmetros de qualidade da água foram comparados aos valores de referência estabelecidos pela Resolução CONAMA 357/2005 para rios classe 2. A análise dos parâmetros de qualidade da água mostra que alguns trechos dos cursos hídricos analisados não estão em conformidade com os padrões de referência estabelecidos pela Resolução. Os trechos mais críticos ocorrem no córrego Água Branca, a jusante da cidade de Itirapina, que recebe os efluentes da Estação de Tratamento de Esgoto de Itirapina, e nas regiões de nascentes do rio Itaqueri e ribeirão do Lobo, provavelmente devido às atividades agropecuárias que ocorrem no local. Analysis of water quality and trophic state of tributaries of the Lobo reservoir, Itirapina, Sao Paulo, Brazil A B S T R A C TAnthropic activities performed to promote economic and social development alter the quantity and quality of water. Analysis of aquatic ecosystems quality is important to understand the state of water resources conservation and to identify priority areas for water management. The objective of this study was to evaluate the water quality and trophic state of watercourses that flow into the Lobo reservoir, located in the Lobo Stream Drainage Basin (LSDB), located in the east region of the state of São Paulo. For this, physical and chemical water parameters were analyzed in 10 sampling points distributed in the Itaqueri river, Lobo stream and Água Branca stream. The parameters were analyzed in two campaigns carried out in 2018, one in the dry period, in June and July, and another in the rainy period, in November. The results of the water quality parameters were compared with the reference values established by CONAMA Resolution 357/2005 for class 2 rivers. The results show that some sections of the analyzed watercourses do not comply with the reference standards established by the Resolution. The most critical sections occur in the Água Branca stream, downstream the city of Itirapina, which receives the effluents from the Itirapina sewage treatment plant, and in the headwaters of the Itaqueri river and Lobo streams, due to the agricultural activities that occur in this region.Keywords: water resources, water quality, Itaqueri river, Lobo reservoir, trophic state.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.