scholarly journals Evaluating the importance of surface soil contributions to reservoir sediment in alpine environments: a combined modelling and fingerprinting approach in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park

Solid Earth ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 963-978 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Palazón ◽  
L. Gaspar ◽  
B. Latorre ◽  
W. H. Blake ◽  
A. Navas
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Sediment Fingerprinting ◽  
Sediment Yields ◽  
Resource Information ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Natural Park ◽  
Alpine Environments

Abstract. Soil in alpine environments plays a key role in the development of ecosystem services and in order to maintain and preserve this important resource, information is required on processes that lead to soil erosion. Similar to other mountain alpine environments, the Benasque catchment is characterised by temperatures below freezing that can last from November to April, intense rainfall events, typically in spring and autumn, and rugged topography which makes assessment of erosion challenging. Indirect approaches to soil erosion assessment, such as combined model approaches, offer an opportunity to evaluate soil erosion in such areas. In this study (i) the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) hydrological and erosion model and (ii) sediment fingerprinting procedures were used in parallel to assess the viability of a combined modelling and tracing approach to evaluate soil erosion processes in the area of the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park (central Spanish Pyrenees). Soil erosion rates and sediment contribution of potential sediment sources defined by soil type (Kastanozems/Phaeozems; Fluvisols and Cambisols) were assessed. The SWAT model suggested that, with the highest specific sediment yields, Cambisols are the main source of sediment in the Benasque catchment and Phaeozems and Fluvisols were identified as the lowest sediment contributors. Spring and winter model runs gave the highest and lowest specific sediment yield, respectively. In contrast, sediment fingerprinting analysis identified Fluvisols, which dominate the riparian zone, as the main sediment source at the time of sampling. This indicates the importance of connectivity as well as potential differences in the source dynamic of material in storage versus that transported efficiently from the system at times of high flow. The combined approach enabled us to better understand soil erosion processes in the Benasque alpine catchment, wherein SWAT identified areas of potential high sediment yield in large flood events but sediment fingerprinting identified areas that, due to high connectivity, contribute more to channel-stored sediment deposits.

scholarly journals Evaluating the importance of surface soil contributions to reservoir sediment in alpine environments: a combined modelling and fingerprinting approach in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1155-1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Palazón ◽  
L. Gaspar ◽  
B. Latorre ◽  
W. Blake ◽  
A. Navas
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Practical Interest ◽  
Sediment Sources ◽  
Sediment Yields ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Rugged Topography ◽  
Alpine Environments

Abstract. Soil in alpine environments plays a key role in the development of ecosystem. Identify, maintain and preserve its resources, as well as recognize processes that would affect them are important and of practical interest. Environmental concerns about these fragile systems which are threatened by the human pressure and climatic change have stressed the need to gather information in soil erosion processes. As most mountain alpine environment the Benasque catchment is characterized by temperatures below freezing that can last from November to April, strong rainfall events and rugged topography. Indirect studies, such as combined model approaches, could be an alternative to evaluate soil erosion on these areas. In this study the complementary tools of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and fingerprinting procedure were used to assess an initial approach on soil erosion processes which take place in the area of the Posets-Maladeta National Park (Central Spanish Pyrenees). Soil erosion rates and sediment contribution of potential sediment sources (Kastanozem/Phaeozem; Fluvisol; Cambisol and channel bed sediments) were assessed. SWAT model identified Cambisols as the main source of sediment of the Benasque catchment with the highest specific sediment yields and Phaeozems and Fluvisols were identified as the lowest sediment contributors. Spring and winter performed the highest and lowest specific sediment yield, respectively. Fingerprinting procedure identified channel bed sediment and Fluvisols as the main sediment sources indicating the main influence of connectivity. The combined approach enabled us to better understand soil erosion processes in the Benasque alpine catchment.

scholarly journals Prioritization of Sub-Watersheds to Sediment Yield and Evaluation of Best Management Practices in Highland Ethiopia, Finchaa Catchment

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 650
Author(s):  
Wakjira Takala Dibaba ◽  
Tamene Adugna Demissie ◽  
Konrad Miegel
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Sediment Yields ◽  
Soil And Water

Excessive soil loss and sediment yield in the highlands of Ethiopia are the primary factors that accelerate the decline of land productivity, water resources, operation and function of existing water infrastructure, as well as soil and water management practices. This study was conducted at Finchaa catchment in the Upper Blue Nile basin of Ethiopia to estimate the rate of soil erosion and sediment loss and prioritize the most sensitive sub-watersheds using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The SWAT model was calibrated and validated using the observed streamflow and sediment data. The average annual sediment yield (SY) in Finchaa catchment for the period 1990–2015 was 36.47 ton ha−1 yr−1 with the annual yield varying from negligible to about 107.2 ton ha−1 yr−1. Five sub-basins which account for about 24.83% of the area were predicted to suffer severely from soil erosion risks, with SY in excess of 50 ton ha−1 yr−1. Only 15.05% of the area within the tolerable rate of loss (below 11 ton ha−1yr−1) was considered as the least prioritized areas for maintenance of crop production. Despite the reasonable reduction of sediment yields by the management scenarios, the reduction by contour farming, slope terracing, zero free grazing and reforestation were still above the tolerable soil loss. Vegetative contour strips and soil bund were significant in reducing SY below the tolerable soil loss, which is equivalent to 63.9% and 64.8% reduction, respectively. In general, effective and sustainable soil erosion management requires not only prioritizations of the erosion hotspots but also prioritizations of the most effective management practices. We believe that the results provided new and updated insights that enable a proactive approach to preserve the soil and reduce land degradation risks that could allow resource regeneration.

The Impacts of Land-Use Change Patterns on Soil Erosion in the Xixian Basin, China

2015 ◽  
Vol 737 ◽  
pp. 762-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Yuan Han ◽  
Tao Cai
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Huaihe River ◽  
Soil And Water

To investigate the impacts of land-use patterns on the sediment yield characteristics in the upper Huaihe River, Xixian hydrological controlling station was selected as the case study site. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to simulate land-use change effects on sediment yield by the use of three-phase (1980s, 1990s and 2000s) land-use maps, soil type map (1:200000) and 1987 to 2008 daily time series of rainfall from the upper Huaihe River basin. On the basis of the simulated time series of daily sediment concentration, land-use change effects on spatio-temporal change patterns of soil erosion modulus. The results revealed that under the same condition of soil texture and terrain slope the advantage for sediment yield was descended by woodland, paddy field and farmland. The outputs of the paper could provide references for soil and water conservation and river health protection in the upper stream of Huaihe River.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal Patterns of Hillslope Erosion Investigated Based on Field Scouring Experiments and Terrestrial Laser Scanning

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1674
Author(s):  
Pengfei Li ◽  
Mingkui Hao ◽  
Jinfei Hu ◽  
Chendi Gao ◽  
Guangju Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Terrestrial Laser Scanning ◽  
Sharp Decrease ◽  
Spatiotemporal Patterns ◽  
Sediment Yields ◽  
Weak Relationship ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Relative Errors

Hillslope erosion is an essential source of catchment sediment yield. However, the current understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns of field hillslope erosion processes is limited. In this study, fourteen runoff scouring experiments were undertaken on two plots (A and B) established on one field slope of the hilly and gully loess plateau in China. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) was employed to investigate soil erosion processes across the hillslopes of the plots. The results demonstrated that the TLS-derived cumulative sediment yields of the hillslopes were more accurate than the TLS-derived consecutive sediment yields (i.e., the sediment yields for individual experiments). The magnitudes of the mean absolute/relative errors for the TLS-derived cumulative sediment yield for slopes A and B were 0.87 kg/25.02% and 1.26 kg/56.82%, respectively, with the linear relation R2 between the calculated and measured values over 0.60 (p < 0.001). The sediment yields from the hillslopes fluctuated considerably even when the runoff production became stable, leading to a weak relationship between the sediment yield and runoff discharge (the R2 values for slopes A and B were 0.57 (p = 0.002) and 0.08 (p = 0.321) for inter-experiments, and 0.37 (p < 0.001) and 0.06 (p = 0.035) for intra-experiments, respectively). The development of hillslope erosion was found to experience three major stages, which included a rapid increase and widespread distribution, a sharp decrease, and a stable distribution of the area with erosion/deposition. The rill development impacted the cumulative erosion and sediment yield rather than the cumulative deposition, with the impacts of rill depth and rill width development being stronger than those of rill length. The peak sediment yield corresponded well with the evolution of rills, partly accounting for the weak relationship between runoff and sediment yield. Our results provide a useful reference for the development of process-based soil erosion models and the establishment of spatially targeted control of soil erosion.

scholarly journals Soil Erosion Modelling and Risk Assessment in Data Scarce Rift Valley Lake Regions, Ethiopia

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alemu Aga ◽  
Bayou Chane ◽  
Assefa Melesse
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Slope Length ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Erosion Modelling ◽  
Lakes And Reservoirs ◽  
Bathymetric Changes

To prolong the useful life of lakes and reservoirs, prioritizing watersheds by severity and risk of soil erosion is an essential index to develop sound sediment management plans. This study aims to predict soil erosion risk and sediment yield using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model in Lake Ziway basin, Ethiopia, and the model result is validated with lake bathymetric changes. The SUFI-2 program was applied for a model calibration and the performance of the model was assessed. The catchment prioritization study indicated that some sub-basins having the same soil type and land use but a higher slope gives higher sediment yield. This confirms that, in the basin, the upland is the main source of sediment for the lake, hence the variation of sediment yield is more sensitive to terrain slope. Furthermore, the soil conservation scenarios demonstrated in SWAT that reduce the slope length of the watershed by 50% for a slope greater than 5% are decreasing the sediment yield of the basin by 55%. The bathymetric differencing of the lake indicates that the sediment was accumulating at a rate of 3.13 t/ha/year while a calibrated SWAT model resulted in 5.85 t/ha/year. The identified reasons for these variations are the existence of outlet for the lake, floodplain depositions and abstraction of sediment (sand mining) from the tributary rivers before flowing to the lake.

scholarly journals Assessing the Impact of Man–Made Ponds on Soil Erosion and Sediment Transport in Limnological Basins

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2526
Author(s):  
Mario J. Al Sayah ◽  
Rachid Nedjai ◽  
Konstantinos Kaffas ◽  
Chadi Abdallah ◽  
Michel Khouri
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Transport ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Sediment Yields ◽  
Risk Zones ◽  
Transport Patterns ◽  
Scientific Attention ◽  
The Impact

The impact of ponds on basins has recently started to receive its well-deserved scientific attention. In this study, pond-induced impacts on soil erosion and sediment transport were investigated at the scale of the French Claise basin. In order to determine erosion and sediment transport patterns of the Claise, the Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) erosion and Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) models were used. The impact of ponds on the studied processes was revealed by means of land cover change scenarios, using ponded versus pondless inputs. Results show that under current conditions (pond presence), 12.48% of the basin corresponds to no-erosion risk zones (attributed to the dense pond network), while 65.66% corresponds to low-erosion risk, 21.68% to moderate-erosion risk, and only 0.18% to high-erosion risk zones. The SWAT model revealed that ponded sub-basins correspond to low sediment yields areas, in contrast to the pondless sub-basins, which yield appreciably higher erosion rates. Under the alternative pondless scenario, erosion risks shifted to 1.12%, 0.52%, 76.8%, and 21.56% for no, low, moderate, and high-erosion risks, respectively, while the sediment transport pattern completely shifted to higher sediment yield zones. This approach solidifies ponds as powerful human-induced modifications to hydro/sedimentary processes.

Impacts of climate and land use changes on the erosion processes in a Mediterranean agricultural catchment (Northern Morocco)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamza Briak ◽  
Rachid Moussadek ◽  
Khadija Aboumaria ◽  
Fassil Kebede ◽  
Rachid Mrabet
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Baseline Scenario ◽  
Erosion Processes

&lt;p&gt;Recent studies on vulnerability to climate and land use change show a trend towards increased aridity accelerating soil erosion which is the primary factor to be considered by decision makers in the environmental field. Furthermore, to reduce the soil erosion intensity, it is required to clarify the sources zones of sediment yield where soil conservation works have to focus on. The model selected for this work is the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) which is one of many models widely used to assess soil erosion risk and simulate conservation measures efficiency. In fact, the objective of this work is to evaluate the effects of different agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) on sediments using SWAT model in the Kalaya river basin located in the North of Morocco in order to recommend the most appropriate one. The model was calibrated and validated using observed data of flow and sediment concentration; the performance of the model was evaluated using statistical methods and the total soil erosion rate was estimated by this model in the study area. However, we concentrated on the representation of three interesting and most usable practices by the SWAT model: contouring, strip-cropping and terracing. The general parameters of the model have been modified to reflect the implementation of four different BMPs. The modification of these parameters was based on previous research and modeling efforts conducted in watersheds. Resulting sediment yield were compared with the result of simulation of the baseline scenario (existing conditions). In fact, effective measures to reduce sediment losses at the watershed level are organized according to their effectiveness, and these are terracing (28% reduction and the value is 15t/ha/y) followed by strip-cropping (9% reduction and the value is 5t/ha/y). On the other hand, measurements performed by the contouring are inappropriate for the study area because they have contributed to increasing the soil erosion (more than 31% of losses and the value is 17t/ha/y more than existing conditions). The mean annual values of sediment yields obtained for scenarios with and without BMPs were compared to assess the effectiveness of BMPs. Among all other practices, terracing was the most effective BMPs for reducing sediments which is perfectly recommended in the Mediterranean regions in general to avoid the risk of damage during intense rainfall. These results indicates that the use of terracing on agricultural land can potentially make improvements marked the control and limitation of soil erosion, and it also affords useful information for involved stakeholders in water and soil conservation activities for targeted management.&lt;/p&gt;

Sediment Yield Simulation Using SWAT Model for Water Environmental Protection in an Agricultural Watershed

2015 ◽  
Vol 713-715 ◽  
pp. 1894-1898
Author(s):  
Kai Xu ◽  
Hui Qing Peng ◽  
De Ge Ji Rifu ◽  
Rui Xin Zhang ◽  
Hao Xiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Agricultural Watershed ◽  
Ecological Environment ◽  
Validation Period ◽  
Sediment Data ◽  
Water Assessment

Soil erosion in a catchment has becoming a serious environmental issue for an increasing damage to the surface ecological environment. To quantitatively simulate the sediment yield, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was introduced in Tao River Basin. The investigation was conducted using a 8-year historical observed sediment data from 2001 to 2008. The performance evaluation shows that the simulated monthly sediment yield matched the observed data satisfactorily, with Re was less than 15%, R2 > 0.9 and Nash-suttclife (Ens)>0.8 for both calibration (2001-2004) and validation period (2005-2008) at two observed stations, indicating the validity of SWAT model for sediment yield simulation in the study area. The results of this study can be helpful for solving the soil erosion issue for water environmental protection.

scholarly journals Sediment management modelling in the Blue Nile Basin using SWAT model

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 807-818 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D. Betrie ◽  
Y. A. Mohamed ◽  
A. van Griensven ◽  
R. Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Water Resources Development ◽  
Blue Nile ◽  
Filter Strips ◽  
Sediment Yields ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Resources Development

Abstract. Soil erosion/sedimentation is an immense problem that has threatened water resources development in the Nile river basin, particularly in the Eastern Nile (Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt). An insight into soil erosion/sedimentation mechanisms and mitigation methods plays an imperative role for the sustainable water resources development in the region. This paper presents daily sediment yield simulations in the Upper Blue Nile under different Best Management Practice (BMP) scenarios. Scenarios applied in this paper are (i) maintaining existing conditions, (ii) introducing filter strips, (iii) applying stone bunds (parallel terraces), and (iv) reforestation. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to model soil erosion, identify soil erosion prone areas and assess the impact of BMPs on sediment reduction. For the existing conditions scenario, the model results showed a satisfactory agreement between daily observed and simulated sediment concentrations as indicated by Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency greater than 0.83. The simulation results showed that applying filter strips, stone bunds and reforestation scenarios reduced the current sediment yields both at the subbasins and the basin outlets. However, a precise interpretation of the quantitative results may not be appropriate because some physical processes are not well represented in the SWAT model.

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