RHP
South African
River Health Programme
Ecological State of the Major Rivers
of Mpumalanga
Level II Ecoregions
Main Attributes
Ecoregion 3.02
Main Rivers
Elands & tributary of Olifants
Terrain morphology: Broad division
Plains, low relief;Lowlands, hills, moderate relief
Vegetation types
Mixed bushveld
Altitude (m a.m.s.l)
1250-1500; 1000-1250; 800-1000
Geology
Mudstone, sandstone, shale, hornblende and biotite granite
Soils
Mostly coarse, sandy & shallow
Mean annual precipitation (mm)
400-600; 600-800
CV (%) of annual precipitation
25-30; 30-35
Rainfall concentration index (%)
60-65
Rainfall seasonality
Early summer (peak December or earlier)
Mean annual temperature ( ºC)
16-18; 18-20; 20-22 (along Olifants)
Range of median annual runoff (mm) for
quaternary catchments (natural, simulated)*
20-40; 40-60
CV (%) of annual simulated runoff for quaternary catchments
50-60; 60-70; 70-80; 80-90
After: Schulze
et al.
1997; Low & Rebelo 1996; van Riet
et al.
1997
* Based on ACRU model (Schulze
et al.
1997)