A Modeling Approach for Analyzing the Hydrological Impacts of the Agribusiness Land-Use Scenarios in an Amazon Basin

Zandra A. Cunha, Carlos R. Mello (), Samuel Beskow, Marcelle M. Vargas, Jorge A. Guzman and Maíra M. Moura
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Zandra A. Cunha: Water Resources Graduate Program, Federal University of Pelotas de Pelotas (UFPel), Gomes Carneito Street 1, Porto, Pelotas 96010-610, RS, Brazil
Carlos R. Mello: Water Resources Department, School of Engineering, Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras 37200-900, MG, Brazil
Samuel Beskow: Water Resources Graduate Program, Federal University of Pelotas de Pelotas (UFPel), Gomes Carneito Street 1, Porto, Pelotas 96010-610, RS, Brazil
Marcelle M. Vargas: Water Resources Graduate Program, Federal University of Pelotas de Pelotas (UFPel), Gomes Carneito Street 1, Porto, Pelotas 96010-610, RS, Brazil
Jorge A. Guzman: Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, College of ACES, University of Illinois at Ubana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Maíra M. Moura: Water Resources Graduate Program, Federal University of Pelotas de Pelotas (UFPel), Gomes Carneito Street 1, Porto, Pelotas 96010-610, RS, Brazil

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-20

Abstract: The Xingu River Basin (XRB) in the Brazilian Amazon region has a great relevance to the development of northern Brazil because of the Belo Monte hydropower plant and its crescent agribusiness expansion. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of the Lavras Simulation of the Hydrology (LASH) model to represent the main hydrological processes in the XRB and simulate the hydrological impacts in the face of land-use change scenarios. Following the trend of the most relevant agribusiness evolution in the XRB, four agribusiness scenarios (S) were structured considering the increase in grasslands (S 1 : 50% over the native forest; S 2 : 100% over the native forest) and soybean plantations (S 3 : 50% over the native forest; S 4 : 100% over native forest). Average hydrographs were simulated, and the frequency duration curves (FDC) and average annual values of the main hydrological components for each scenario were compared. The results showed that, in general, changes in land use based on deforestation in the XRB would lead to an increase in flood streamflow and a reduction in baseflow. The increases in direct surface runoff varied from 4.4% for S 1 to 29.8% for S 4 scenarios. The reduction in baseflow varied from −1.6% for S 1 to −4.9% for S 2 . These changes were reduced when the entire XRB was analyzed, but notable for the sub-basins in its headwater region, where the scenarios were more effective.

Keywords: Amazon region; Xingu River Basin; land-use changes; hydrological impacts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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