The raster digital elevation model (DEM) resolution has influence on simulating hydrological features (stream characterization and morphology, watershed delineation and size, flow accumulation threshold values). The extra detail (higher quality) inherent in very high terrestrial data has benefits to analyse hydrological simulations. The trunks of the woody crops (vineyard, almond, olive, orange, coffee, tea and other fruit groves) and the plantation disposition act as permanent features in the land controlling the overland flow patterns. The scale-dependent information is necessary to utilise many scientific theories and provides hypotheses to be tested using large scale experimentation. The current advancements in computing facilities allow handle large data sets and model hydrological processes at catchment scale and using small grid cell sizes. However, we did not find any study dealing with the effect of DEM resolution on the magnitude and patterns of simulated hydrological features in woody crops. In this study, we evaluate the effect of coarse (5x5 m), high (0.5 to 1 m) and very high (0.10 m and lower) spatial resolution DEMs on simulating hydrological features and connectivity (HC) in two contrasted agricultural systems.

1 .pdf file with the detailed abstract from the JGU Book Abstracts.- 1 .pdf copy of the front page of the oral presentation of the authors.

This research was funded by the Spanish project “EroCostModel” (Ref. CGL2014-54877-JIN).

Peer reviewed