Erosive rainfall in the Rio do Peixe Valley in Santa Catarina, Brazil: Part II - Characteristics and temporal distribution pattern

Abstract

Exploring the characteristics of erosive rain is an important aspect of studying erosive processes, and it allows researchers to create more natural and realistic hydrological simulations. The objective of this study was to analyse the characteristics of erosive rain and to determine the temporal distribution pattern of erosive rainfall in the Valley of Rio do Peixe in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Daily pluviograms from the meteorological stations located in the cities Campos Novos, Videira, and Caçador in Santa Catarina from 1984 to 2014 were utilized for this study. By studying rainfall that is classified as erosive, the values of kinetic energy, maximum intensity in thirty minutes, and the value of EI30 erosivity index were determined. The rainfall was also classified according to the temporal distribution of rainfall in advanced, intermediate, and delayed patterns. Erosive rainfalls occur at a frequency of 53.3% advanced, 31.1% intermediate, and 15.6% delayed patterns. Erosive rainfall has an average precipitation amount of 25.5 mm, duration of 11.1 h, kinetic energy of 5.6 MJ ha-1, maximum intensity of 30 min of 17.7 mm h-1, and erosivity of 206.4 MJ mm ha-1 h-1. The highest frequency of erosive rainfall occurred in rainfalls lasting from 6 to 12 h (36.1%), followed by rainfalls lasting from 4 to 6 h (22.4%).