Eventos hidrológicos extremos e morfodinâmica fluvial em área afetada por processos de arenização no sudoeste do Rio Grande do Sul: bacia hidrográfica do Arroio Miracatu

Abstract

The sandization processes in the southwestern of Rio Grande do Sul State have their explanation on the relationship between environment fragility and water dynamics, and this, supported by torrential rain event. The presence of erosive processes in the form of ravines and gullies and the exposure of soil surface in the sand deposits attest, in this area, high sediment mobility. In addition, agricultural activities without appropriate management have intensified these natural processes, expanding water-sediment interaction between the slopes and valley bottoms. Although there are numerous studies that discuss the sandization process and the dynamics of the geographic space in the southwestern of Rio Grande do Sul, there is still, a gap in research aimed at understanding their interrelations with the fluvial morphodynamics. The Miracatu arroyo watershed was defined as the study area of this research, which aims to analyze the importance of extreme hydrological events in the river morphodynamics and their interaction with sandization processes. Rainfall and river-flow were analyzed in order to identify the rain-flow regime. For this purpose, statistical parameters were used in order to discriminate the most common of those rare events. The extreme hydrological events were observed from different time scales (annual, monthly, daily and pentad) and related either to excess, as the water scarcity. The results indicate a high variability in rainfall that tend to occur in a few days both annual as monthly. Was observed a relationship between rainfall and river-flow and it happens due the influence of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) that modulate the rains and therefore the flow in Miracatu Arroyo. Furthermore, was identified a succession of drier (PDO-) and rainiest periods (PDO+). These periods were fundamental to the understanding of fluvial morphodynamics, once it allow characterize alternating drought- and flood dominated regimes. In order, to evaluate the fluvial adjustment processes were selected a segment-river located in the Areia Creek. In this place, the drainage network is influenced by sandization processes, with connection between the slopes and the valley bottom, with strong input of sediments. Based on remote sensing images (air photo and satellite) was identified the channel position in ten occasions in the period of 1948-2013. The fluvial adjustments that were processed in this segment allowed to divide it into two distinct reaches (upstream and downstream reaches), with different evolution. It was also observed variations in the width and channel pattern, sometimes showing a braided channel (wider) while in others a meandering course (narrower). Concurrently with these adjustments, the fluvial incision promoted the sculpturing of different features and it is possible define two levels of terraces and a flood plain level. The intention to understand the erosive-depositional processes proceeded to monitoring nine cross sections in the upstream reach of the segment-river studied in Areia Creek. The river channel, initially meandering with narrow and deep channel, passed for a braided pattern with bed wider and shallower at the end of the survey. These fluvial adjustments are not processed in a continuous manner, but abruptly, due to exceptional flood-pulse during extreme pentadal rain. This event promoted an abrupt increase in load-bed forming a braided channel (shallow and wide) by in-channel sediment storage. Adjustments of this nature shape the channel morphology and occur periodically in Areia Creek.