scholarly journals GIS Application in Fluvial Geomorphology and Landscape Changes

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3481
Author(s):  
Maurizio Lazzari
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Fluvial Geomorphology ◽  
Landscape Changes ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
River Dynamics ◽  
Gis Application ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
River Landscape ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Ancient Landscapes

The main purpose of this Special Issue of Water is to propose on overview of studies and researches, in which the use of GIS is functional to the representation of fluvial geomorphology and river dynamics, linear erosion processes, erosion rates, ancient landscapes reshaped by the fluvial action, flooding areas, and historical anthropic changes of the river landscape and land use [...]

scholarly journals Reconstructing long-term gully dynamics in Mediterranean agricultural areas

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 235-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Hayas ◽  
Tom Vanwalleghem ◽  
Ana Laguna ◽  
Adolfo Peña ◽  
Juan V. Giráldez
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Gully Erosion ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Erosion Processes

Abstract. Gully erosion is an important erosive process in Mediterranean basins. However, the long-term dynamics of gully networks and the variations in sediment production in gullies are not well known. Available studies are often conducted only over a few years, while many gully networks form, grow, and change in response to environmental and land use or management changes over a long period. In order to clarify the effect of these changes, it is important to analyse the evolution of the gully network with a high temporal resolution. This study aims at analysing gully morphodynamics over a long timescale (1956–2013) in a large Mediterranean area in order to quantify gully erosion processes and their contribution to overall sediment dynamics. A gully network of 20 km2 located in southwestern Spain has been analysed using a sequence of 10 aerial photographs in the period 1956–2013. The extension of the gully network both increased and decreased in the study period. Gully drainage density varied between 1.93 km km−2 in 1956, a minimum of 1.37 km km−2 in 1980, and a maximum of 5.40 km km−2 in 2013. The main controlling factor of gully activity appeared to be rainfall. Land use changes were found to have only a secondary effect. A new Monte Carlo-based approach was proposed to reconstruct gully erosion rates from orthophotos. Gully erosion rates were found to be relatively stable between 1956 and 2009, with a mean value of 11.2 t ha−1 yr−1. In the period 2009–2011, characterized by severe winter rainfalls, this value increased significantly to 591 t ha−1 yr−1. These results show that gully erosion rates are highly variable and that a simple interpolation between the starting and ending dates greatly underestimates gully contribution during certain years, such as, for example, between 2009 and 2011. This illustrates the importance of the methodology applied using a high temporal resolution of orthophotos.

Deciphering the pedogenic and sedimentary archives and long-term landform dynamics to reconstruct complex landscape evolution within a lowland gully catchment over the Holocene

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Belyaev ◽  
Ilya Shorkunov ◽  
Ekaterina Garankina ◽  
Evgeniy Konstantinov ◽  
Alexey Rusakov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Sediment Budget ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
Landscape Changes ◽  
Buried Soils ◽  
Fluvial Systems ◽  
Small Catchment ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Duration Magnitude

<p>For the landscape and climatic conditions of the Eastern European Plain fluvial processes are considered to be the leading geomorphic force during the Holocene. Different hierarchical levels of fluvial landforms from individual hillslopes through gully network to river systems are characterized by various degrees of resilience and relaxation times in response to external impacts of different duration, magnitude and frequency. These characteristics of fluvial systems largely depend on their spatial scale, effective discharges and morphodynamics. Particularly important is understanding of hydrological and geomorphic connectivity at various scales, rates and patterns of hydrological and sedimentary signals propagation and variable sources-pathways-sinks structure of geomorphic cascades under changing climate and land use conditions. It is generally accepted that landscapes of the European plains have experienced alternating periods of relative stability and significant shifts in climate, soil and geomorphological development over the Holocene. A number of studies has been devoted to the Holocene soil and gully erosion processes in Russia and other European countries. Available sources of information on the past erosion and deposition cycles in small catchments include truncated soils, completely or partially infilled gullies, colluvial deposits and lake or reservoir sediments. The highest temporal resolution may be derived from lacustrine sediments. Such geoarchives are characterized by continuous records and often store signals of landscape changes, surface dynamics and vegetation variability (including land use patterns for the historical period) in decadal to seasonal resolution. However, because of the problem of variable fluvial connectivity and associated limited sediment delivery in cascade fluvial systems, quantification of small catchment sediment budget can be a very difficult task requiring thorough consideration of colluvial deposits storages and remobilization.<br>This study presents the new results of multidisciplinary reconstruction of interaction of geomorphic and soil-forming processes, landscape changes and stabilization phases during the Holocene for the Puzbol gully catchment (about 7.95 km2) draining the Borisoglebsk Upland northeastern slope towards the Nero Lake (Yaroslavl Region, central European Russia). The study is based on complex geomorphic, lithostratigraphic and soil surveys by means of detailed field description, photo-fixation, sampling and laboratory analysis of materials from >40 natural or artificial exposures, cores and soil sections. Observed absence of the early Holocene deposits can be explained by generally negative sediment budget of the catchment. It was more likely caused by high-magnitude low-frequency runoff events associated with climatic extremes rather than by dominance of continuous moderate erosion. A series of the middle Holocene 14C dates obtained by analyzing total organic carbon from humic layers of buried soils, lake gyttja and peats provides strong evidence of the synchronous phase of landscape stabilization in both upper and lower parts of the Puzhbol catchment accompanied by active infilling of smaller tributary gullies along its banks at middle part. The upper part of the Puzhbol Gully fan sediment shows clear evidence of synchronous accumulation of agrogenic colluvium and gully alluvium since XIIth Century on top of the Nero Lake terrace deposits.<br>The study is supported by the Russian Science Foundation (Project No. 19-77-10061).</p>

scholarly journals Impact of Land Use/Cover Changes on Soil Erosion in Western Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9740
Author(s):  
Benjamin Kipkemboi Kogo ◽  
Lalit Kumar ◽  
Richard Koech
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Western Kenya ◽  
Useful Knowledge ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Multi Temporal ◽  
The Impact

This study examined the impact of land use/cover changes on soil erosion in western Kenya in the years 1995 and 2017. The study used the GIS-based Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) modelling approach and remote sensing assessment. The results showed that the average soil loss through sheet, rill and inter-rill soil erosion processes was 0.3 t/ha/y and 0.5 t/ha/y, in the years 1995 and 2017, respectively. Of the total soil loss, farms contributed more than 50%, both in 1995 and 2017 followed by grass/shrub (7.9% in 1995 and 11.9% in 2017), forest (16% in 1995 and 11.4% in 2017), and the least in built-up areas. The highest soil erosion rates were observed in farms cleared from forests (0.84 tons/ha) followed by those converted from grass/shrub areas (0.52 tons/ha). The rate of soil erosion was observed to increase with slope due to high velocity and erosivity of the runoff. Areas with high erodibility in the region are found primarily in slopes of more than 30 degrees, especially in Mt. Elgon, Chereng’anyi hills and Elgeyo escarpments. This study forms the first multi-temporal assessment to explore the extent of soil erosion and seeks to provide a useful knowledge base to support decision-makers in developing strategies to mitigate soil erosion for sustainable crop production.

scholarly journals Reconstructing long-term gully dynamics in Mediterranean agricultural areas

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Hayas ◽  
Tom Vanwalleghem ◽  
Ana Laguna ◽  
Adolfo Peña ◽  
Juan V. Giráldez
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Drainage Density ◽  
Gully Erosion ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Erosion Processes

Abstract. Gully erosion is an important erosive process, especially in Mediterranean basins. However, the longterm dynamics of gully networks and the variation of sediment production in gullies is not well known. Available studies are often done over a few years only, while many gully networks form, grow, and change in response to environmental and land use or management changes over a long period. In order to clarify the effect of these changes, it is important to analyze the evolution of the gully network with a high temporal resolution. This study aims at analyzing gully morphodynamics over a long time scale (1956–2013) in a large Mediterranean area in order to quantify gully erosion processes and its contribution to overall sediment dynamics. A gully network of 20 km2 located in SW Spain, has been analyzed using a sequence of 10 aerial photographs in the period 1956–2013. The extension of the gully network both increased and decreased in the study period. Gully drainage density varied between 1.93 km km−2 in 1956, with a minimum of 1.37 km km−2 in 1980 and a maximum of 5.40 km km−2 in 2013. The main controlling factor of gully activity appeared to be rainfall, while land use changes were found to have only an indirect effect. A new Monte Carlo-based approach was proposed to reconstruct gully erosion rates from orthophotos. Gully erosion rates were found to be relatively stable between 1956–2009, with a mean value of 11.2 ton ha−1 yr−1, while in the period 2009–2011, characterized by extreme winter rainfalls, this value increased significantly, to 591 ton ha−1 yr−1. These results show that gully erosion rates are highly variable and that a simple interpolation between the start and end date would highly underestimate gully contribution during certain years, such as for example between 2009–2011. This illustrates the importance of the applied methodology using a high temporal resolution of orthophotos.

scholarly journals The impact of road and railway embankments on runoff and soil erosion in eastern Spain

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 12947-12985 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Pereira ◽  
A. Gimeìnez-Morera ◽  
A. Novara ◽  
S. Keesstra ◽  
A. Jordán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Infiltration Rates ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
On The Road ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Road and railway infrastructure increased in the Mediterranean region during the last three decades. This included the building of embankments, which are assumed to be a~large source of sediments and runoff. However, little is known about soil erosion rates, the factors that control them, and the processes that contribute to detachment, transport and deposition of sediments from road and railway embankments. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the impacts of road and railway embankments as a source of sediment and water, and compare them to other land use types (citrus plantations and shrublands) representative of the Cànyoles watershed to evaluate the importance of road embankments as a~source of water and sediment under high magnitude low frequency rainfall events. Sixty rainfall experiments (1 m2 plots; 60 min duration; 78 mm h−1 rainfall intensity) were carried out on these land use types: 20 on two railway embankments (10 + 10), 20 on two road embankments (10 + 10), and 10 on citrus and 10 on shrubland. Road and railway embankments were characterized by bare soils with low organic matter and high bulk density. Erosion processes were more active in road, railway and citrus plots, and null in the shrublands. The non-sustainable soil erosion rates of 3 Mg ha−1 y−1 measured on the road embankments were due to the efficient runoff connectivity plus low infiltration rates within the plot as the runoff took less than one minute to reach the runoff outlet. Road and railway embankments are both an active source of sediments and runoff, and soil erosion control strategies must be applied. The citrus plantations also act as a~source of water and sediments (1.5 Mg ha−1 y−1), while shrublands are sediment sinks, as no overland flow was observed due to the high infiltration rates.

scholarly journals Soil erosion by snow gliding – a first quantification attempt in a subalpine area in Switzerland

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 3763-3775 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Meusburger ◽  
G. Leitinger ◽  
L. Mabit ◽  
M. H. Mueller ◽  
A. Walter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Snow Gliding

Abstract. Snow processes might be one important driver of soil erosion in Alpine grasslands and thus the unknown variable when erosion modelling is attempted. The aim of this study is to assess the importance of snow gliding as a soil erosion agent for four different land use/land cover types in a subalpine area in Switzerland. We used three different approaches to estimate soil erosion rates: sediment yield measurements in snow glide depositions, the fallout radionuclide 137Cs and modelling with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). RUSLE permits the evaluation of soil loss by water erosion, the 137Cs method integrates soil loss due to all erosion agents involved, and the measurement of snow glide deposition sediment yield can be directly related to snow-glide-induced erosion. Further, cumulative snow glide distance was measured for the sites in the winter of 2009/2010 and modelled for the surrounding area and long-term average winter precipitation (1959–2010) with the spatial snow glide model (SSGM). Measured snow glide distance confirmed the presence of snow gliding and ranged from 2 to 189 cm, with lower values on the north-facing slopes. We observed a reduction of snow glide distance with increasing surface roughness of the vegetation, which is an important information with respect to conservation planning and expected and ongoing land use changes in the Alps. Snow glide erosion estimated from the snow glide depositions was highly variable with values ranging from 0.03 to 22.9 t ha−1 yr−1 in the winter of 2012/2013. For sites affected by snow glide deposition, a mean erosion rate of 8.4 t ha−1 yr−1 was found. The difference in long-term erosion rates determined with RUSLE and 137Cs confirms the constant influence of snow-glide-induced erosion, since a large difference (lower proportion of water erosion compared to total net erosion) was observed for sites with high snow glide rates and vice versa. Moreover, the difference between RUSLE and 137Cs erosion rates was related to the measured snow glide distance (R2 = 0.64; p < 0.005) and to the snow deposition sediment yields (R2 = 0.39; p = 0.13). The SSGM reproduced the relative difference of the measured snow glide values under different land uses and land cover types. The resulting map highlighted the relevance of snow gliding for large parts of the investigated area. Based on these results, we conclude that snow gliding appears to be a crucial and non-negligible process impacting soil erosion patterns and magnitude in subalpine areas with similar topographic and climatic conditions.

scholarly journals Analyzing Regional Geographic Challenges: The Resilience of Chinese Vineyards to Land Degradation Using a Societal and Biophysical Approach

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 227
Author(s):  
Yang Yu ◽  
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Irreversible Damage ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Scientific Hypothesis ◽  
Vineyard Soil

Land degradation, especially soil erosion, is a societal issue that affects vineyards worldwide, but there are no current investigations that inform specifically about soil erosion rates in Chinese vineyards. In this review, we analyze this problem and the need to avoid irreversible damage to soil and their use from a regional point of view. Information about soil erosion in vineyards has often failed to reach farmers, and we can affirm that to this time, soil erosion in Chinese vineyards has been more of a scientific hypothesis than an agronomic or environmental concern. Two hypotheses can be presented to justify this review: (i) there are no official and scientific investigations on vineyard soil erosion in China as the main topic, and it may be understood that stakeholders do not care about this or (ii) there is a significant lack of information and motivation among farmers, policymakers and wineries concerning the consequences of soil erosion. Therefore, this review proposes a plan to study vineyard soil erosion processes for the first time in China and develop a structured scientific proposal considering different techniques and strategies. To achieve these goals, we present a plan considering previous research on other viticultural regions. We hypothesize that the results of a project from a regional geographic point of view would provide the necessary scientific support to facilitate deriving guidelines for sustainable vineyard development in China. We concluded that after completing this review, we cannot affirm why vine plantations have not received the same attention as other crops or land uses.

scholarly journals Fluvial Geomorphology and River Management

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1608
Author(s):  
Salvatore Ivo Giano
Keyword(s):  
Human Activities ◽  
River Restoration ◽  
Fluvial Geomorphology ◽  
Landscape Evolution ◽  
River Management ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Fluvial Systems ◽  
The Impact

This Special Issue deals with the role of fluvial geomorphology in landscape evolution and the impact of human activities on fluvial systems, which require river restoration and management [...]

scholarly journals Impacts of oak deforestation and rainfed cultivation on soil redistribution processes across hillslopes using 137Cs techniques

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamsollah Ayoubi ◽  
Nafiseh Sadeghi ◽  
Farideh Abbaszadeh Afshar ◽  
Mohammad Reza Abdi ◽  
Mojtaba Zeraatpisheh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Magnetic Susceptibility ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Erosion Rate ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Oak Forests ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Rainfed Farming

Abstract Background As one of the main components of land-use change, deforestation is considered the greatest threat to global environmental diversity with possible irreversible environmental consequences. Specifically, one example could be the impacts of land-use changes from oak forests into agricultural ecosystems, which may have detrimental impacts on soil mobilization across hillslopes. However, to date, scarce studies are assessing these impacts at different slope positions and soil depths, shedding light on key geomorphological processes. Methods In this research, the Caesium-137 (137Cs) technique was applied to evaluate soil redistribution and soil erosion rates due to the effects of these above-mentioned land-use changes. To achieve this goal, we select a representative area in the Lordegan district, central Iran. 137Cs depth distribution profiles were established in four different hillslope positions after converting natural oak forests to rainfed farming. In each hillslope, soil samples from three depths (0–10, 10–20, and 20–50 cm) and in four different slope positions (summit, shoulder, backslope, and footslope) were taken in three transects of about 20 m away from each other. The activity of 137Cs was determined in all the soil samples (72 soil samples) by a gamma spectrometer. In addition, some physicochemical properties and the magnetic susceptibility (MS) of soil samples were measured. Results Erosion rates reached 51.1 t·ha− 1·yr− 1 in rainfed farming, whereas in the natural forest, the erosion rate was 9.3 t·ha− 1·yr− 1. Magnetic susceptibility was considerably lower in the cultivated land (χhf = 43.5 × 10− 8 m3·kg− 1) than in the natural forest (χhf = 55.1 × 10− 8 m3·kg− 1). The lower soil erosion rate in the natural forest land indicated significantly higher MS in all landform positions except at the summit one, compared to that in the rainfed farming land. The shoulder and summit positions were the most erodible hillslope positions in the natural forest and rainfed farming, respectively. Conclusions We concluded that land-use change and hillslope positions played a key role in eroding the surface soils in this area. Moreover, land management can influence soil erosion intensity and may both mitigate and amplify soil loss.

Reconnaissance Mapping for Land-use Planning in the Natal Drakensberg, South Africa

1977 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald G. Garland ◽  
J. Pelham Chisholm ◽  
Colin R. Christian
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Mass Movement ◽  
Land Use Pattern ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Reconnaissance Survey ◽  
Adequate Understanding ◽  
Geomorphological Processes ◽  
Detailed Work

Changes in land-use can have an important effect on rates of erosion and denudation. In order to avoid accelerating erosion rates, decision makers in land-use planning require adequate information on the contemporary geomorphological processes and hydrology of areas where modifications in the land-use pattern are envisaged. The first phase in the acquisition of the information is the reconnaissance survey, which shows where and how the erosional status of an area is likely to be affected, and also acts as a foundation on which to base more detailed work in the future.The Solitude area is an active erosional system, dominated by mass movement and fluvial processes. The rate of removal of material is likely to be increased by modifications in land-use which, from other points of view, would be considered entirely suitable for the area. Therefore, if accelerated denudation is to be avoided, projects involving land-use changes should be implemented only by those having an adequate understanding of the mechanism of geomorphological processes operating in the area.

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