Potential effects of wildfire on watershed hydrologic responses : Sabino Creek Basin, Arizona

Abstract

As a result of drought and decades of fire suppression, wildfires are occurring with greater frequency and intensity in the Southwest. Distributed hydrological models can identify rehabilitation zones in a watershed to minimize fire consequences such as increased flow peaks. In this study, a distributed watershed model was used to evaluate the effects of the 2003 Aspen fire on watershed hydrologic response in the Sabino Creek watershed north of Tucson, Arizona. The effects of vegetation loss and the presence of hydrophobicity in the watershed response were studied through a series of scenarios. The study points out the important role of vegetation loss in decreasing the number of low flow events and increasing the number of mid and high flow events. The observed increase on extreme events appears to be caused by the presence of a hydrophobic layer.