Hydrosedimentologic disturbance index applied to watersheds of Minas Gerais state

Abstract

Ecological indicators have become important tools for assessment and monitoring of natural resources, being the understanding of the relationship between antropic activities and the environmental response essential for their structuring. Although the development of potential indicators may prove sensitive to many variables, they must demonstrate their ability to take the surrounding conditions, from those relatively preserved to those highly disturbed. Based on this premise, the development of the Hydrossedimentological DisturbanceIndex (HSDI) for environmental assessment at watersheds in Minas Gerais state, emerges as a potential tool to support decisions which should be focused on the improvement of natural resources management. A HSDI proposal was developed from the hydrological, climate and water quality database available in Minas Gerais state, highlighting sediment transport (ST), hydrological stress (HS), groundwater recharge (Rec) and current soil erosion potential (SEP), working with a robust tool for determining the weights of factors with appropriate scientific background and subsequent development of map for analyzing its distribution, having Paraopeba river watershed as study case.