Comparative study of water balance on the experimental catchments Vseminkaand Drevnice

The paper deals with the computation of water balance of the 1997 growing s eason (April-October) on two small Moravian catchments Vseminka and Drevnic e both with different forested catchment areas (Vseminka 48%, Drevnice 81%) . It provides results using the WBCM-5 model reconstruction in the major wa ter balance components and it also provides information on water storages i n both unsaturated and saturated zones and the interactions between them. I t reliably tests the capability of the model to reconstruct rainfall-runoff regimes in the period examined. The results have shown that on the Drevnic e catchment although much more forested than VSeminka, the total runoff in July 1997 was 65% higher there when the rainfall was only 30% higher. This event focuses on assumptions that a rainfall depth and its intensity is of greater importance than land use in a flood consideration. Further, the pap er provides results of water balance components after implementing the scen ario, which simulates 50% deforestation of the catchments. Changes on total runoff, direct runoff, interception and subsurface water storage have been computed. Under 50% deforestation, the direct runoff is 22-35% higher, sum mary interception is 38% lower (on both catchments) and subsurface water st orages have been not significantly lowered as the flood year of 1997 was ri ch in rainfall depth. A conclusion can be made that the WBCM-5 model in an adequate tool for catchment water balance simulation both in real and scena rio situations.