This study aimed to evaluate the distribution and the interaction between the components of the water balance in pasture area cultivated in Serra Talhada, in the semi-arid region of Pernambuco. Precipitation (P), the variation in water storage (ΔWS) and runoff (R) were monitored for determination of water balance. The evapotranspiration (ET) was obtained from the Eddy covariance method. The total flow of water in the soil (Q), i.e. the drainage (-Q) and raising damp (+Q) was obtained from the equation of water balance. The rate of evapotranspiration of pasture was low, yet this was the main system of water output component, followed by runoff, which together totaled approximately 80% of precipitation. This research demonstrated that, even in years of drought it is necessary to quantify the runoff and losses and/or water gains at lower limit of the soil to get accurate assessment of the dynamics of water in soil-pasture system in semi-arid conditions.
runoff; evapotranspiration; drainage; soil water storage
