Modeling nutrient and sediment runoff for optimal placement of riparian buffers and wetlands in a Pampa´s watershed

BOOMAN, GISEL; ORÚE, M. EUGENIA; LATERRA, PEDRO

Brisbane, Australia

Congreso; 10th International Congress of Ecology; 2009

International Association for Ecology

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> Riparian buffers and wetlands can improve stream watershed quality by the removal of sediments and nutrients carried by runoff from non point sources. This work is aimed to identify critical areas for the restoration and/or conservation of wetlands and riparian buffers in an agricultural watershed in the Pampas Region (Argentina). Different models were generated to predict the accumulated nutrient and sediment quantities in stream margins and reaches after a two-year storm event and over different scenarios of land use, with or without the implementation of best management practices (BMPs). Input information consist of a digital elevation model (DEM), and the spatial distribution of land use, soil types, and hydrologic properties. An uneven distribution of nutrient and sediment loads as well as a marked hierarchy of nutrient and sediment removal was predicted by the model for the different riparian and wetland sites. High sensitivity of outputs to expected land use changes make this model suitable for ecosystem services valuation and for environmental management support