Effects of anthropogenic land disturbances on a semiarid regional landscape water balance in south Texas.

摘要

The overall goal of this thesis project was to evaluate anthropogenic effects on the water balance on a small-scale watershed in a semiarid region. Five sites were chosen for this research representing anthropogenically disturbed and undisturbed land areas within a ranch located near Laredo, TX. Instruments to measure water balance components were installed and programmed. Data on precipitation, soil moisture, soil evaporation, evapotranspiration, and groundwater were collected and analyzed for a period of seven months between September 2004 and February 2005. Effects of vegetation cover, temperature, seasons, and diurnal effect on the soil moisture content were evaluated. These results show significant differences in hydrological parameters such as soil moisture and evaporation rates between all study sites. Thus, the research findings implied potentially significant influence of anthropogenic land disturbances on a landscape water balance in the semiarid Nueces River basin.