Abstract

HUERTA FERNANDEZ, Pablo  and  LOLI FIGUEROA, Oscar. Water erosion in the high basin of the Moche river. Ecol. apl. [online]. 2014, vol.13, n.1, pp.15-22. ISSN 1726-2216.

The objective of this work was to study soil loss and incidence of pluvial precipitation as a factor in erosion. Surface runoff and soil loss under the terms of land use in the Huangamarca and Pollo watersheds of the river Moche were quantified. For this purpose, the rivers’ discharge using rainfall records over a period of 24 years (1988-2011) as registered by the SENAMHI weather station were determined. Data allowed the estimation of the erosive power of rainfall as a determinant of erosion in terms of specific degradation in t/ha/year. The Fournier method, based on the fundamental role of the p2/P ratio, where p is the precipitation of the wettest month and P is the annual total precipitation, was used. Soil losses by water erosion were obtained in the order of 7.29 and 33.40 t/ha at Huangamarca and Pollo basins, respectively. These losses by erosion are considered as high values, compared to the permissible range by FAO (0, 4-1, 8 t/ha/yr), that affect agro-ecosystems.

Keywords : erosion; soil loss; basin.

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