The Role of Land Use Intensity on Vegetation Recovery Gradients After Land Abandonment in the Semiarid SE Alentejo, Portugal

Using four years of rainfall, soil water content, and streamflow measurements in an abandoned Mediterranean terraced catchment we examined why some storms produce runoff while most do not. Runoff mainly occurred during wetter periods, when landscape units became better connected and water could move downslope more easily. Terraces strongly altered how water was stored and transmitted, showing that landscape structure is important for predicting flood response in Mediterranean environments.