0000000000165851
AUTHOR
Eva Arnau-rosalen
Rainfall timing and runoff: The influence of the criterion for rain event separation
Abstract Rain is not uniform in time and space in semiarid areas and its distribution is very important for the runoff process. Hydrological studies usually divide rainfall into events. However, defining rain events is complicated, and rain characteristics vary depending on how the events are delimited. Choosing a minimum inter-event time (MIT) is a commonly used criterion. Our hypothesis is that there will be an optimal MIT that explains the maximum part of the variance of the runoff, with time to runoff used as a surrogate. The objective is to establish a procedure in order to decide upon this optimal MIT. We developed regressions between time to runoff (T0) and three descriptive variable…
Eco-geomorphological connectivity and coupling interactions at hillslope scale in drylands: Concepts and critical examples
The diagnosis of land degradation requires a deep understanding of ecosystem functioning and evolution. In dryland systems, in particular, research efforts must address the redistribution of scarce resources for vegetation, in a context of high spatial heterogeneity and non-linear response. This fact explains the prevalence of eco-hydrological perspectives interested in runoff processes and, the more recent, focused on connectivity as an indicator of system resource optimisation. From a geomorphological perspective and reviewing the concepts of eco-hydro-geomorphological interactions operating in ecosystems, this paper explores the effects of erosion on vegetation configuration through two …
Analysis of soil surface component patterns affecting runoff generation. An example of methods applied to Mediterranean hillslopes in Alicante (Spain)
Spatial patterns of soil surface components (vegetation, rock fragments, crusts, bedrock outcrops, etc.) are a key factor determining hydrological functioning of hillslopes. A methodological approach to analyse the patterns of soil surface components at a detailed scale is proposed in this paper. The methods proposed are applied to two contrasting semi-arid Mediterranean hillslopes, and the influence of soil surface component patterns on the runoff response of the slopes was analysed. A soil surface components map was derived from a high resolution photo-mosaic obtained in the field by means of a digital camera. Rainfall simulation experimental data were used to characterise the hydrologica…
Causes and underlying processes of measurement variability in field erosion plots in Mediterranean conditions
Published online 25 May 2006
Defining minimum runoff length allows for discriminating biocrusts and rainfall events
This study was started in the context of the research projects PECOS (REN2003-04570/GLO) and PREVEA (CGL2007-63258/BOS) , both funded by the Spanish National Plan for RD&I and by the European ERDF Funds (European Regional Development Fund) , and continued during the project SCIN (Soil Crust In-terNational, PRI-PIMBDV-2011-0874, European project of ERA-NET BIODIVERSA, the Spanish team being funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness) . The work was finally supported and culminated by the DINCOS project (CGL2016-78075-P, Spanish State Programme for Scientific Research) and by the European ERDF Funds (Euro-pean Regional Development Fund) . Consuelo Rubio's partici-pation was…
Chapter 3 patterns and thresholds of runoff generation and sediment transport on some Mediterranean hillslopes
Abstract Runoff and sediment transport data obtained from hillslopes in two limestone areas in southeast Spain are analysed in order to define spatial and temporal thresholds for sediment movement at the patch scale under Mediterranean semiarid and subhumid climatological conditions. The data discussed in this paper include a 7-year series of runoff and sediment collection in open Gerlach plots. The 136 events are analysed in relation to characteristics of rainfall, soil and soil surface components. In both cases slopes behave as a patchwork of runoff and runon areas and the size of the runoff or runon patches being dependent on the climatological conditions. These control the hydrological …
Multi-temporal Forest Cover Change and Forest Density Trend Detection in a Mediterranean Environment
The loss of forests along with the various types of shrubs in the Mediterranean region is seen as an important driver of climate change and has been repeatedly related with the observed land degradation and desertification in the region. Nevertheless, the extent of woody perennial vegetation cover (WPVC) and its density remain largely unclear. Here, we apply a series of algorithms and methods operationally used in Australia for large-scale WPVC mapping and monitoring and demonstrate their applicability in the Mediterranean region using a Spanish area as the trial site. Five Landsat TM and ETM+ images from various dates spanning 14 years are used to map changes in the extent of WPVC and to i…
Erosion and stabilisation sequences in relation to base level changes in the El Cautivo badlands, SE Spain
Abstract The complex multiple-age badlands at El Cautivo are cut in upper Miocene marls of the uplifted and dissected Tabernas Basin, Almeria, in semi-arid SE Spain. Previous work identified six episodes of erosion and subsequent stabilisation, with ages ranging from the late Pleistocene to the present day. This paper uses newly-acquired digital elevation models, orthorectified aerial photographs, and field survey data to illustrate the development sequence of a series of gullies which drain into the Rambla de Tabernas. Changing drainage directions and phases of incision and stabilisation are related to the filling and subsequent dissection of the Tabernas lower lake sediments, differential…
Biocrusts and catchment asymmetry in Tabernas Desert (Almeria, Spain)
Abstract Catchment asymmetry is a fairly frequent phenomenon on a global scale but the main causes leading to its formation are still not well understood. Where the intervention of structural or tectonic causes is not relevant, asymmetry seems to result from differential erosion between opposite slopes that flow into the same channel, which is frequently associated with contrasted biocrust and/or vegetation covers. Biocrusts are known to be important surface stabilizing agents. However, their geomorphological consequences at the landscape scale are little known. In this study we combined field measurements with digital elevation models and image analysis to determine whether catchment asymm…
Measuring soil erosion by field plots: Understanding the sources of variation
Soil erosion plots of different types and sizes are widely used to investigate the geomorphological processes related to soil erosion. This field method has provided a variety of results, depending on the characteristics of the plots, on their suitability to reflect the ecosystem's characteristics and on the objectives of each particular research. The coupling of real soil loss at patch and slope scale within a landscape and the values obtained by field plots depend, among other things, on how good the methodology performs over a set of ecosystem properties, such as those related with temporal and spatial scale issues, disturbance and representation of natural conditions, and the ability to…