Thesis Ph. D.)(Soil Sciece)--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Title from opening screen (viewed Oct. 09, 2004). Includes bibliographical references).

On most tropical volcanic islands the risk for soil erosion is enhanced due to a complex topography, high intensity rainfall and the exploitation of land for agriculture. Mauritius is a typical maritime tropical volcanic island with a distinct elevated interior. Rainfall is dominated by tropical weather systems and trade winds and the island is under intensive cultivation. Rainfall depth, duration, intensity, kinetic energy and erosivity were analysed for 385 erosive rainfall events at five locations over a five year period (2004 to 2008) on the island of Mauritius. Two stations located on the west coast and three stations sited on the Central Plateau above 550 m a.s.l. are used to provide detailed rainfall data at six minute intervals. Erosive storm events, defined here as a total rainfall exceeding 12.5 mm and a maximum 6-minute intensity exceeding 25 mm/hour, are found to differ markedly between the coastal lowlands and the elevated interior with regards to the frequency, the total rainfall generated, the duration, total kinetic energy and total erosivity of individual events. However, mean kinetic energy, mean and maximum rainfall erosivity (EI30) and maximum intensities (I30) from individual erosive events do not show this distinct differentiation. Erosivity measured during summer exceeds that recorded in winter, but the data indicate that large percentages of winter rainfall on Mauritius are defined as erosive and non-tropical cyclone rainfall can pose a substantial erosion risk. In this maritime tropical environment with its elevated interior, soil erosion risk occurs from storm scale to synoptic scale rainfall events and extreme events generate the bulk of the erosivity. Findings show that using rainfall records at an event scale within soil erosion risk assessments on tropical islands with a complex topography will increase the effectiveness of erosivity estimates

Thesis (M.Sc. (Statistics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / Several studies indicated a growing trend in terms of frequency and severity of extreme events. Extreme rainfall could cause disasters that lead to loss of property and life. The aim of the study was to model the monthly rainfall variability in selected provinces of South Africa using extreme value distributions. This study investigated the best-fit probability distributions in the five provinces of South Africa. Five probability distributions: gamma, Gumbel, log-normal, Pareto and Weibull, were fitted and the best was selected from the five distributions for each province. Parameters of these distributions were estimated by the method of maximum likelihood estimators. Based on the Akaike information criteria (AIC) and Bayesian information criteria (BIC), the Weibull distribution was found to be the best-fit probability distribution for Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga, while in Gauteng the best-fit probability distribution was found to be the gamma distribution. Monthly rainfall trends detected using the Mann–Kendall test revealed significant monotonic decreasing long-term trend for Eastern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, and insignificant monotonic decreasing longterm trends for Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Non-stationary generalised extreme value distribution (GEVD) and non-stationary generalized Pareto distribution (GPD) were applied to model monthly rainfall data. The deviance statistic and likelihood ratio test (LRT) were used to select the most appropriate model. Model fitting supported stationary GEVD model for Eastern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. On the other hand, model fitting supported non-stationary GEVD models for maximum monthly rainfall with nonlinear quadratic trend in the location parameter and a linear trend in the scale parameter for Limpopo, while in Mpumalanga the non-stationary GEVD model, which has a nonlinear quadratic trend in the scale parameter and no variation in the location parameter fitted well to the maximum monthly rainfall data. Results from the non-stationary GPD models showed that inclusion of the time covariate in our models was not significant for Eastern Cape, hence the bestfit model was the stationary GPD model. Furthermore, the non-stationary GPD model with a linear trend in the scale parameter provided the best-fit for KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, while in Gauteng and Limpopo the nonstationary GPD model with a nonlinear quadratic trend in the scale parameter fitted well to the monthly rainfall data. Lastly, GPD with time-varying thresholds was applied to model monthly rainfall excesses, where a penalised regression cubic smoothing spline was used as a time-varying threshold and the GPD model was fitted to cluster maxima. The estimate of the shape parameter showed that the Weibull family of distributions is appropriate in modelling the upper tail of the distribution for Limpopo and Mpumalanga, while for Eastern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, the exponential family of distributions was found to be appropriate in modelling the upper tail of the distribution. The dissertation contributes positively to the body of knowledge in extreme value theory application to rainfall data and makes recommendations to the government agencies on the long-term rainfall variability and their negative impact on the economy.

Thesis (M. Sc. (Statistics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / The main purpose of modelling rare events such as heavy rainfall, heat waves, wind speed, interest rate and many other rare events is to try and mitigate the risk that might arise from these events. Heavy rainfall and floods are still troubling many countries. Almost every incident of heavy rainfall or floods might result in loss of lives, damages to infrastructure and roads, and also financial losses. In this dissertation, the interest was in modelling average monthly rainfall for South Africa using extreme value theory (EVT). EVT is made up mainly of two approaches: the block maxima and peaks-over thresh old (POT). This leads to the generalised extreme value and the generalised Pareto distributions, respectively. The unknown parameters of these distri butions were estimated using the method of maximum likelihood estimators in this dissertation. According to goodness-of-fit test, the distribution in the Weibull domain of attraction, Gumbel domain and generalised Pareto distri butions were appropriate distributions to model the average monthly rainfall for South Africa. When modelling using the POT approach, the point process model suggested that some areas within South Africa might experience high rainfall in the coming years, whereas the GPD model suggested otherwise. The block maxima approach using the GEVD and GEVD for r-largest order statistics also revealed similar findings to that of the GPD. The study recommend that for future research on average monthly rainfall for South Africa the findings might be improved if we can invite the Bayesian approach and multivariate extremes. Furthermore, on the POT approach, time-varying covariates and thresholds are also recommended. / National Research Foundation (NRF) and South African Weather Service (SAWS)

The Little Creek watershed was assessed to identify changes in event-based suspended sediment export and determine the factors contributing to sediment production the first year following the Lockheed Fire in 2009. The amount and volume of near-stream sediment sources were found to decrease, while an increase in hillslope sediment production was documented. High intensity, short duration rainfall (up to 87 mm/hr for 10 minute duration) initiated extensive rilling and minor channel-derived debris torrents originating from the upper south facing slopes. Rainfall simulations, hillslope erosion plots, and soil infiltration tests indicated that fire produced soil water repellency, the lack of ground cover, steep slopes, and high soil burn severity were the most influential factors contributing to hillslope erosion. Contrary to results reported in other western U.S. studies, regression analyses determined that the effect of fire significantly decreased suspended sediment concentrations with higher flows at North Fork and Upper North Fork monitoring stations. The effect of the fire did not produce increases in stormflow volumes and event sediment load, likely due to the fact near-stream sediment contribution was minimal and the majority of hillslope-derived sediment sources were not hydrologically connected. This study provides valuable information for landowners and land managers to understand how a coastal redwood dominated watershed responds to wildfire and prepare post-fire mitigation efforts following future wildfires.

The objectives of this research were to derive a design 24-hour duration rainfall distribution for use in southwest Florida, and peak rate factors for use in the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) unit hydrograph method for two watersheds, also in the southwest Florida area. The rainfall distribution is derived by applying a least squares polynomial curve fitting technique to National Weather Service hourly rainfall data collected in the study area. The screening criteria for data included in the curve fitting procedure are: storm duration of 18 to 26 hours, at least three inches of rainfall volume, and peak intensity period falling near the center of the storm. The analysis technique includes converting the raw data to dimensionless form which allows the flexibility of applying the 24-hour storm. Peak rate or attenuation factors are determined for the Hickory Creak (2400 acres) and the Gallagher Ditch (300 acres) the U.S. Geological Survey is used for the analysis. The screening criteria for the hydrographs produced from this data include a stable baseflow condition and a single hydrograph peak. The resulting hydrographs provide input to the Soil Conservation Service triangular unit hydrograph. An average of the peak rate factors calculated from the screened hydrographs is taken as the suitable factor for each watershed. The project results are then compared to the currently used rainfall distributions and the SCS peak rate default value of 484. The comparisons are accomplished by modeling a hypothetical watershed using both the SCS unit hydrograph and the Santa Barbara methods. The model Is run on a microcomputer using seven distributions, three return frequency volumes of rainfall, differing watershed sizes, times of concentrations and antecedent moisture conditions. The conclusion recommends a rainfall distribution and peak rate factor best suited to estimate hydrographs.

The concept of Intensity Duration Frequency (IDF) relationship curve presents crucial design contribution for several decades under the assumption of a stationary climate, the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall nonetheless seemingly increase worldwide. Based on the research conducted in recent years, the greatest increases are likely to occur in short-duration storms lasting less than a day, potentially leading to an increase in the magnitude and frequency of flash floods. The trend analysis of the precipitation influencing the climate variability and extreme rainfall in the state of Florida is conducted in this study. Since these local changes are potentially or directly related to the surrounding oceanic-atmospheric oscillations, the following oscillations are analyzed or highlighted in this study: Atlantic Multi-Decadal Oscillation (AMO), El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and Pacific Decadal Oscillations (PDO). Collected throughout the state of Florida, the precipitation data from rainfall gages are grouped and analyzed based on type of duration such as short-term duration or minute, in hourly and in daily period. To assess statistical associations based on the ranks of the data, the non-parametric tests Kendall’s tau and Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient are used to determine the orientation of the trend and ultimately utilize the testing results to determine the statistical significance of the analyzed data. The outcome of the latter confirms with confidence whether there is an increasing or decreasing trend in precipitation depth in the State of Florida. The main emphasis is on the influence of rainfall extremes of short-term duration over a period of about 50 years. Results from both Spearman and Mann-Kendall tests show that the greatest percentage of increase occurs during the short rainfall duration period. The result highlights a tendency of increasing trends in three different regions, two of which are more into the central and peninsula region of Florida and one in the continental region. Given its topography and the nature of its water surface such as the everglades and the Lake Okeechobee, Florida experience a wide range of weather patterns resulting in frequent flooding during wet season and drought in the dry season. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Estima-se que a água potável no futuro será limitada devido a: (1) problemas ambientais, (2) aumento na demanda (a população mundial deve atingir 10,5 bilhões de habitantes em 2050); e (3) 60% do consumo mundial é baseado em recursos não renováveis. Conseqüentemente, é imperativo que os recursos de águas doces sejam cuidadosamente manejados para assegurar seu uso para as gerações futuras. Um dos principais problemas ambientais que limita o uso da água é a eutrofização, que pode ser acelerada por entradas de nitrogênio (N) e fósforo (P). Como resultado, a minimização das perdas de P para as águas é essencial para diminuição da incidência e severidade da eutrofização. Entretanto, suplementos adequados de P são necessários para produção de culturas de interesse econômico na maioria das vezes dependentes de suplementação adequada de P do solo. Sendo assim, o P é adicionado rotineiramente para melhores rendimentos de todas as culturas. A maioria dos fertilizantes fosfatados utilizados na agricultura são altamente solúveis em água, afim de fornecer P prontamente disponível para absorção das plantas. Entretanto, uma alta proporção desse fósforo aplicado torna-se indisponível devido as reações químicas dos constituintes do solo (fixação). Fertilizantes fosfatados com alta solubilidade em água tendem a dissolver-se rapidamente, disponibilizando P para as plantas em estágios iniciais, mais o P pode ser fixado pelas partículas do solo ou lavados do solo durante a enxurrada. O Brasil possui poucas informações nos impactos da agricultura na qualidade da água. Sendo assim, um levantamento foi conduzido utilizando-se dados de 1993 a 2003 que avaliou o desenvolvimento e mudanças nos sistemas de produção que podem afetar a futura qualidade da água, e como estas podem ser manejadas. Esse levantamento mostrou que o recente desenvolvimento dos sistemas produtores em certas regiões no Brasil (principalmente no Sul), tem o potencial de acumular grandes quantidades de P que podem se tornar fontes para a enxurrada e danificar recursos de águas regionais. Alguns estudos mostram que o potencial do fósforo dissolvido reativo (PDR) no transporte da enxurrada superficial é maior quando fertilizantes "high-grade", com alta solubilidade em água (ex. superfosfato triplo) é aplicado, comparando-se com fertilizantes com baixa solubilidade em água (ex. fosfato diamônico). Entretanto, poucos estudos tem comparado o efeito de fertilizantes fosfatados como rocha fosfatadas e superfosfatos, variando em na solubilidade de P (1,5 a 85% de fósforo solúvel em água, respectivamente) no movimento do P na enxurrada superficial. Estudos de enxurrada em campo e em laboratório foram conduzidos utilizando-se 4 fontes de P variando na solubilidade em água, com três intensidades de chuva para avaliar seus efeitos no transporte de P. Os resultados mostraram que enquanto o P na enxurrada foi maior após a aplicação do superfosfato triplo, uma contínua liberação de P proveniente das fontes menos solúveis (ex. "low-grade" superfosfato simples e rocha fosfatada da Carolina do Norte) pode ser um risco a longo prazo no enriquecimento de P na enxurrada. Opções de manejo para a minimização dos ricos para a agricultura brasileira são sugeridos. / It has been estimated that potable water will be limited in the future due to: (1) environmental problems, (2) increased demand (world population may reach 10.5 billion by year 2050 before starting to decrease), and (3) 60% of world consumption is based on underground non-renewable resources. Consequently, it is imperative that these fresh water resources are carefully managed to ensure their use for future generations. One of the main environmental problems limits water use is eutrophication, which can be accelerated by increased inputs of nitrogen (N) and particularly phosphorus (P) to these waters. As a result, minimizing P loss to fresh waters is essential to decreasing the incidence and severity of eutrophication. However, adequate P supplies are also necessary for economic crop production that are most of the times dependent on the adequate supply of P from the soil. Thus, P is routinely added for optimum yields of all crops. Most of the P fertilizers utilized in agriculture are highly water soluble, in order to readily supply P in an available form for crop to take up. However, a high proportion of the P applied becomes plant unavailable due to chemical reactions with soil constituents (fixation). Phosphate fertilizers with high water solubility tend to dissolve rapidly, providing P to the plants at early stages, but P can be fixed by soil particles or be washed off the soil during rainfall induced runoff. Brazil has little information on the impacts of agriculture on water quality. Thus, a survey was conducted using a data base from 1993 to 2003 to evaluate the development and changes in the Brazilian production systems that can affect future water quality and how it can be managed. This survey showed that the recent development of farming systems in certain regions of Brazil (mainly south), has the potential to accumulate large amounts of P that may become sources to runoff and impair regional water resources. Some studies have shown the potential for dissolved reactive P (DRP) transport in surface runoff is greater when "high-grade" fertilizers, with high water soluble P (e.g., triple superphosphates) are compared with lower P solubility fertilizers are applied (e.g., diammonium phosphate). However, few studies have compared the effect of P fertilizers, such as rock phosphate and superphosphates, varying in P solubility (1.5 to 85% water soluble P, respectively) on P movement in surface runoff. Outdoor and indoor runoff studies were conducted using four sources of P varying in water soluble P and three rainfall intensities to evaluate their effect on P transport. Results showed that while P runoff was greatest after triplesuperphosphate application, continued release of P from less soluble sources (e.g., low-grade superphosphate and North Carolina Rock Phosphate) may pose a long-term risk to runoff P enrichment. Management options to minimize this risk for Brazilian agriculture are suggested.

Estima-se que a água potável no futuro será limitada devido a: (1) problemas ambientais, (2) aumento na demanda (a população mundial deve atingir 10,5 bilhões de habitantes em 2050); e (3) 60% do consumo mundial é baseado em recursos não renováveis. Conseqüentemente, é imperativo que os recursos de águas doces sejam cuidadosamente manejados para assegurar seu uso para as gerações futuras. Um dos principais problemas ambientais que limita o uso da água é a eutrofização, que pode ser acelerada por entradas de nitrogênio (N) e fósforo (P). Como resultado, a minimização das perdas de P para as águas é essencial para diminuição da incidência e severidade da eutrofização. Entretanto, suplementos adequados de P são necessários para produção de culturas de interesse econômico na maioria das vezes dependentes de suplementação adequada de P do solo. Sendo assim, o P é adicionado rotineiramente para melhores rendimentos de todas as culturas. A maioria dos fertilizantes fosfatados utilizados na agricultura são altamente solúveis em água, afim de fornecer P prontamente disponível para absorção das plantas. Entretanto, uma alta proporção desse fósforo aplicado torna-se indisponível devido as reações químicas dos constituintes do solo (fixação). Fertilizantes fosfatados com alta solubilidade em água tendem a dissolver-se rapidamente, disponibilizando P para as plantas em estágios iniciais, mais o P pode ser fixado pelas partículas do solo ou lavados do solo durante a enxurrada. O Brasil possui poucas informações nos impactos da agricultura na qualidade da água. Sendo assim, um levantamento foi conduzido utilizando-se dados de 1993 a 2003 que avaliou o desenvolvimento e mudanças nos sistemas de produção que podem afetar a futura qualidade da água, e como estas podem ser manejadas. Esse levantamento mostrou que o recente desenvolvimento dos sistemas produtores em certas regiões no Brasil (principalmente no Sul), tem o potencial de acumular grandes quantidades de P que podem se tornar fontes para a enxurrada e danificar recursos de águas regionais. Alguns estudos mostram que o potencial do fósforo dissolvido reativo (PDR) no transporte da enxurrada superficial é maior quando fertilizantes “high-grade”, com alta solubilidade em água (ex. superfosfato triplo) é aplicado, comparando-se com fertilizantes com baixa solubilidade em água (ex. fosfato diamônico). Entretanto, poucos estudos tem comparado o efeito de fertilizantes fosfatados como rocha fosfatadas e superfosfatos, variando em na solubilidade de P (1,5 a 85% de fósforo solúvel em água, respectivamente) no movimento do P na enxurrada superficial. Estudos de enxurrada em campo e em laboratório foram conduzidos utilizando-se 4 fontes de P variando na solubilidade em água, com três intensidades de chuva para avaliar seus efeitos no transporte de P. Os resultados mostraram que enquanto o P na enxurrada foi maior após a aplicação do superfosfato triplo, uma contínua liberação de P proveniente das fontes menos solúveis (ex. “low-grade” superfosfato simples e rocha fosfatada da Carolina do Norte) pode ser um risco a longo prazo no enriquecimento de P na enxurrada. Opções de manejo para a minimização dos ricos para a agricultura brasileira são sugeridos. / It has been estimated that potable water will be limited in the future due to: (1) environmental problems, (2) increased demand (world population may reach 10.5 billion by year 2050 before starting to decrease), and (3) 60% of world consumption is based on underground non-renewable resources. Consequently, it is imperative that these fresh water resources are carefully managed to ensure their use for future generations. One of the main environmental problems limits water use is eutrophication, which can be accelerated by increased inputs of nitrogen (N) and particularly phosphorus (P) to these waters. As a result, minimizing P loss to fresh waters is essential to decreasing the incidence and severity of eutrophication. However, adequate P supplies are also necessary for economic crop production that are most of the times dependent on the adequate supply of P from the soil. Thus, P is routinely added for optimum yields of all crops. Most of the P fertilizers utilized in agriculture are highly water soluble, in order to readily supply P in an available form for crop to take up. However, a high proportion of the P applied becomes plant unavailable due to chemical reactions with soil constituents (fixation). Phosphate fertilizers with high water solubility tend to dissolve rapidly, providing P to the plants at early stages, but P can be fixed by soil particles or be washed off the soil during rainfall induced runoff. Brazil has little information on the impacts of agriculture on water quality. Thus, a survey was conducted using a data base from 1993 to 2003 to evaluate the development and changes in the Brazilian production systems that can affect future water quality and how it can be managed. This survey showed that the recent development of farming systems in certain regions of Brazil (mainly south), has the potential to accumulate large amounts of P that may become sources to runoff and impair regional water resources. Some studies have shown the potential for dissolved reactive P (DRP) transport in surface runoff is greater when “high-grade” fertilizers, with high water soluble P (e.g., triple superphosphates) are compared with lower P solubility fertilizers are applied (e.g., diammonium phosphate). However, few studies have compared the effect of P fertilizers, such as rock phosphate and superphosphates, varying in P solubility (1.5 to 85% water soluble P, respectively) on P movement in surface runoff. Outdoor and indoor runoff studies were conducted using four sources of P varying in water soluble P and three rainfall intensities to evaluate their effect on P transport. Results showed that while P runoff was greatest after triplesuperphosphate application, continued release of P from less soluble sources (e.g., low-grade superphosphate and North Carolina Rock Phosphate) may pose a long-term risk to runoff P enrichment. Management options to minimize this risk for Brazilian agriculture are suggested.

The search for information and technology that can contribute for an adequate management of soil and water utilization has been in an increasing need, as their conservation is of great matter for a sustainable agriculture. The goal of the present work was determining and modelling the water losses through surface runoff, of a soil with different levels of crop residue and declivity, using simulated rainfall. The work was conducted inside an area for experiments of the Departamento de Engenharia Rural da UFSM, in four locations, which had slope of zero, 2.5, 5 e 8%, respectively. The design of the experiment was completely randomized, with three levels of crop residue of oat in the surface (0, 2.5 e 5 Mg ha-1) in three replicates. The parcels of the experiment of 0.5 m2 were delimited using galvanized metal sheets implanted in the soil with a gutter at the bottom, to collect the water of the surface runoff (measuring in 5 minutes intervals). The rainfall intensities of 30, 80 and 120 mm h-1 were applied using a rainfall simulator of multiple and oscillating nozzles, doing two simulations (Rainfall 1 and 2, applied alternately each day) in each slope for each intensity. For each simulated rainfall it was determined the starting time and the runoff rate, besides rain (amount, duration and intensity), initial humidity and soil saturation. For estimating the surface runoff, it was used the modified Smith model. The model parameters were adjusted through multivariate equations. In the Rainfall 1, with intensity of 30 mm h-1 there was no runoff for the zero slope, and for the remaining slopes, the runoff represented 1.0, 8.8 e 11.5% of the amount of rain applied. In the rainfalls with intensity of 80 and 120 mm h-1, the water losses through surface runoff represented about 59 and 53% of the amount of rain applied, respectively. In Rainfall 2, the water losses through surface runoff represented 33, 45 e 73%, of the amount applied, respectively, for the intensities of 30, 80 and 120 mm h-1. The presence of crop residue delays the start of surface runoff and reduces the surface runoff rate, for different rain intensities (30, 80 e 120 mm h-1) and slope steepness (zero, 2.5, 5 and 8%). The multivariate equations generated from the rain characteristics and soil humidity showed good precision in estimating the surface runoff rate and the starting time of the runoff. / A conservação da água e do solo constitui um aspecto de grande relevância para uma produção agrícola mais sustentável, assim, a busca de tecnologias e informações que contribuam para um adequado manejo do solo e o uso da água se faz cada vez mais necessária. O objetivo desse trabalho foi determinar e modelar as perdas de água por escoamento superficial, de um solo com diferentes níveis de resíduos vegetais na superfície e declividades do terreno, a partir de chuvas simuladas. O trabalho foi desenvolvido em área experimental do Departamento de Engenharia Rural da UFSM, em quatro locais, os quais possuíam declividades de zero, 2,5, 5 e 8%, respectivamente. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado, com três níveis de resíduos vegetais de aveia na superfície do solo (0, 2,5 e 5 Mg ha-1) em três repetições. As parcelas experimentais de 0,5m2 foram delimitadas por chapas metálicas galvanizadas cravadas no solo contendo na parte inferior uma calha coletora, para coletar a água do escoamento superficial (mensurado em intervalos de cinco minutos). A intensidade de precipitação de 30, 80 e 120 mm h-1 foram aplicadas utilizando um simulador de chuvas de bicos múltiplos e oscilantes, fazendo duas simulações (chuva 1 e 2, aplicados alternadamente, a cada dia) em cada declividade para cada intensidade. . Em cada intensidade de chuva simulada simulação foi determinado o tempo de início e a taxa de escoamento superficial, além da chuva (quantidade, duração e intensidade), umidade inicial e de saturação do solo. Utilizou-se o modelo modificado de Smith para estimativa do escoamento superficial. Os parâmetros do modelo foram ajustados através de equações multivariadas. Na chuva 1, intensidade de 30 mm h-1 não houve escoamento superficial na declividade zero, nas demais declividades, o escoamento superficial representou 1,0, 8,8 e 11,5%, da quantidade de chuva aplicada. Nas chuvas de intensidades de 80 e 120 mm h-1, as perdas de água por escoamento superficial representaram em média 59 e 53% da quantidade de chuva aplicada, respectivamente. Na chuva 2, as perdas de água por escoamento superficial representaram 33, 45 e 73%, da quantidade aplicada, respectivamente, para as intensidades de 30, 80 e 120 mm h-1. A presença de resíduo vegetal na superfície retarda o início do escoamento superficial e reduz a taxa de escoamento superficial constante, para diferentes intensidades de chuva (30, 80 e 120 mm h-1) e declividades do terreno (zero, 2,5, 5 e 8%). As equações multivariadas geradas a partir das características da chuva e do teor de umidade no solo apresentaram boa precisão na estimativa da taxa de escoamento superficial constante e o tempo de início do escoamento superficial.