Canopy Storage Implications on Interception Loss Modeling

Cesar Véliz-Chávez¹, Carlos Alberto Mastachi-Loza², Enrique González-Sosa^3*, Rocio Becerril-Piña², Norma Maricela Ramos-Salinas⁴

¹Facultad de Ingeniería, Centro Universitario S/N, Cerro de las Campanas, Santiago de Querétaro, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, México.
²Centro Interamericano de Recursos del Agua, Facultad de Ingeniería Cerro de Coatepec, Ciudad Universitaria, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México Toluca, Toluca de Lerdo, México.
³Departamento de Tecnología Ciencia Arte y Humanidades, Blvd Villas del Meson No. 1000 col. Provincia Juriquilla, Santiago de Querétaro, Universidad del Valle de México Campus Querétaro, Querétaro, México.
⁴División de Estudios de Posgrado, Facultad de Contabilidad y Administración, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Cerro de las Campanas S/N Centro, Querétaro, México.

DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2014.520320                

Abstract

A rainfall interception methodology was implemented in a deciduous Ficus benjamina (L.) tree to evaluate the interception loss, as well as the dynamics on canopy storage capacity (S) and free through fall (ρ). Measurements of gross precipitation (P_g), through fall and meteorological data were recorded every 5 minutes. Nineteen individual storms from summer to autumn 2005, and twenty one in spring to autumn, 2006 were analyzed. For the studied period, 151.59 mm and 203.35 mm of rainfall occurred on 2005 and 2006 respectively. Canopy interception was 59.46% and 70.98% of P_g for the first and second year. Throughfall data recorded during 2005 were  38.14% (of P_g) and 27.21% (of P_g) for 2006. The throughfall and gross precipitation relationship yielded S = 1.50 mm for the 2005 data. In 2006 storms were analyzed in detail, where ρ and S varied in a range from 0.10 to 0.64 and from 1.00 to 2.03 mm, respectively. Moreover, application of the Rutter and Gash models with two years of rainfall data (2005-2006) from the study area indicated an underestimation and overestimation of 69% and 88%, respectively. The slightly best prediction of the interception loss was obtained with the Gash model. Yet S and ρ change significantly due to wind speed, temperature, rainfall intensity and seasonal vegetation development.

Keywords

Interception, Storage Capacity, Throughfall, Gash Model

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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