Modeling hydrological response of intermittent catchments to rainfall variability and afforestation

While intermittent streams are distributed all around the world, there has been little focus on protecting them and understanding their hydrological behaviour. I developed a spatially distributed hydrological model of rural catchments with intermittent streamflow in south-west of Victoria. I applied the model to assess the impacts of rainfall frequency and land-use change on the water balance of seasonally dry regions. My study shows the important relationships between catchment topography and location of afforested areas, questioning the use of simple lumped models for the implementation of regulations to manage intermittent catchments.