| RHP |
South African
River Health Programme |
Ecological State of the Major Rivers of Mpumalanga |
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Level II Ecoregions |
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| Main Attributes | Ecoregion 2.11 |
| Main Rivers | Tributaries Olifants, Steelpoort & Spekboom |
| Terrain morphology: Broad division | 1.Plains, moderate relief. 2. Closed hills, mountains, moderate to high relief. |
| Vegetation types | 1. Moist sandy highveld grassland 2. North-eastern mountian grassland |
| Altitude (m a.m.s.l) | 2000-2500; 1750-2000; 1500-1750; 1250-1500; 1000-1250 |
| Geology | Hornblende and biotite granite, granophyre, quartzite, shale, basalt, andesite, conglomerate |
| Soils | Deep, red to yellow sandy soils;shallow lithosols |
| Mean annual precipitation (mm) | 600-800; 800-1000 |
| CV (%) of annual precipitation | 25-30 |
| Rainfall concentration index (%) | 55-60; 60-65 (limited) |
| Rainfall seasonality | Early summer (peak December or earlier) |
| Mean annual temperature ( ºC) | 10-12; 12-14; 14-16 |
| Range of median annual runoff (mm) for quaternary catchments (natural, simulated)* |
60-80; 80-100; 100-150 |
| CV (%) of annual simulated runoff for quaternary catchments | 50-60; 60-70; 70-80; 80-90 |
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After: Schulze et al. 1997; Low & Rebelo 1996; van Riet et al. 1997
* Based on ACRU model (Schulze et al. 1997) |
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