Morphometric Study of the Jacuí River Watershed in João Monlevade (MG): A Geographic Perspective

Abstract

Knowledge of the characteristics of a watershed is fundamental to understanding the environmental dynamics of this planning unit. In this sense, the objective of this work was to characterize the morphometric aspects of the Córrego Jacuí watershed, located in the municipality of João Monlevade (MG), since this characterization makes it possible to understand the hydrological behaviour of the watershed and provide subsidies for its management. The bibliographic survey showed no morphometric studies available for the watershed studied. Considering the increasing urbanization of the basin, these first studies are important to understand its dynamics. The study used the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) image with a resolution of 30 m and the digital elevation model (DEM) generated from it. The geoprocessing of the watershed information was carried out using tools from the free software Quantum Gis (QGIS). The morphometric parameters determined for the studied basin were area, perimeter, total length of tributary channels, compactness coefficient (Kc), shape factor (Kf), drainage density (Dd) and circularity index (Ic). The results indicate that the basin is elongated, with moderately developed dendritic drainage and a low to moderate propensity to flood under average annual rainfall conditions.  It should be noted, however, that land use and occupation activity that interferes with the main channel can alter this trend by silting up the watercourse, making flooding more frequent than the morphometric characteristics of the watershed indicate.