Deforestation process consequences upon surface runoff coefficients. Catchment level case study from the Apuseni Mountains, Romania

George COSTEA

ABSTRACT: This article describes the development and the application of a methodology that can be used in assessing the consequences of deforestation process and last but not least is showing that deforestation may have consequences upon runoff. The original spatial datasets used in the study were obtained in previous studies using Remote Sensing and digital cartography techniques. Thus, the method for assessing the consequences regarding the changes of the underlying surface characteristics involves the use of GIS. In this way we have obtained data that helped us to estimate the afforestation degree and the Frevert runoff coefficients used in the Rational Method for estimating runoff. The methodology was applied in three catchments from the Apuseni Mountains, Romania. By applying the assessing methodology for the considered catchments it could be noticed that when the afforestation degree drops down under the optimal level, the curve that is describing the weighted runoff coefficient variability is following close to the perfection the runoff variability. With the obtained results we were able to conclude which catchment had truly suffered from deforestation, and what catchment may have a high risk of floods caused by deforestation.

Keywords: Deforestation, runoff, underlying surface characteristics, GIS, Apuseni Mountains.

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