Search results for "Forestal"

A new expression of the slope length factor to apply USLE-MM at Sparacia experimental area (Southern Italy)

2013

Abstract Predicting soil loss due to water erosion by empirical models is useful to assess the severity of the phenomenon in an area of interest and to predict the effect of alternative soil erosion control practices. The USLE scheme cannot be used at the Sparacia experimental area (Sicily, South Italy) to predict event soil loss per unit plot area, Ae, because experimental data suggest that, generally, Ae does not increase with plot length, λ. The USLE-MM scheme uses the runoff coefficient, QR, as an additional independent variable in order to develop an empirical model allowing prediction of storm soil loss values that do not necessarily increase with λ. According to this model, Ae is exp…

Advances in designing drip irrigation laterals

2018

It is known that using paired laterals, in which two distribution pipes extend in opposite directions from a common manifold, contribute to increasing water use efficiency (WUE). Recently, an analytical procedure to optimally design paired drip laterals on uniform slopes was proposed. More recently, this design procedure was simplified by deriving simple explicit relationships, as a function of 16 calibration constants, with relative errors that were less than 2%. In this paper, further simple design relationships are derived that require only 3 calibration constants, thus more readily obtainable results are produced and the influence of the flow rate and diameter exponents of resistance eq…

Sequent Depth Ratio of a B-Jump

2011

A B-jump is defined as the jump having the toe section located on a positively sloping upstream channel and the roller end on a downstream horizontal channel. This jump often occurs in the stilling basins with a horizontal bottom and located downstream of a steep channel. For a B-jump, a completely theoretical approach is not sufficient to solve the momentum equation and to establish the sequent depth ratio. In this paper, by using the laboratory measurements carried out in this investigation, some available empirical relationships useful for estimating the sequent depth ratio are tested. Then, by using the Π theorem of the dimensional analysis and the incomplete self-similarity theory, a g…

New-stage discharge relationships for free and submerged sluice gates

2012

Abstract The flow movement through a sluice gate is investigated for both free and submerged flow conditions. For free flow condition, the current dimensionless formula, indicated acceptable accuracy; while for submerged flow condition it was modified especially for low submerged condition. In this regard, Buckingham theorem along with the Incomplete Self-Similarity concept was employed and a new stage–discharge relationship was developed accordingly. Also, to achieve a suitable formula for submerged flow condition being accurate in low submergence, the maximum tailwater depth allowing the free flow condition and head loss factor were identified as missing parameters in the functional dimen…

New stage-discharge relationship for cylindrical and semi-cylindrical edged sluice gates

2019

Abstract Gates are simple hydraulic structures which have been widely used for flow control and measurement in irrigation networks. In this paper new sluice gates with cylindrical and semi-cylindrical edges were introduced and the flow movement below these types of gates was experimentally investigated for both free- and submerged-flow conditions. The Buckingham theorem of dimensional analysis and the self-similarity theory were applied for developing the stage-discharge relationships for the two investigated flow conditions. For these cylindrical and semi-cylindrical edged gates and a free-flow condition, the proposed stage-discharge relationship was characterized by an estimate error less…

Soil Bioengineering in peri-urban Mediterranean areas, an international educational project developed by AIPIN Sicily, APENA, University of Palermo a…

2014

Soil Bioengineering applied to landscape architecture in urban and periurban areas characterized by mediterranean climate is a project funded by Italian MIUR within the program Messaggeri della Conoscenza. It aims to promote experimental initiatives in teaching and research in academic centers of excellence. The project is divided into 3 phases: didactic activity at the University of Palermo, internship at the Institute Superior de Agronomia of the University of Lisbon; dissemination activities of take home messages learned during the exchange period. During the first phase, more than 20 participants made three project proposals to achieve a practice construction exercises. The best five pa…

Saturation excess runoff numerical simulation

2005

Saturation excess runoff is a relevant process which needs additional experimental and modeling efforts. This work is focused on its numerical modeling. The final objective is the successive interpretation of ongoing experimental monitoring results in two watersheds in different areas of Italy where the saturation excess runoff formation mechanism seems to be important. The numerical solution of the two-dimensional Richards’ equation allows the evaluation of the sensitivity to the various influent parameters : rainfall intensity, soil properties, depth and initial water content, slope and hillslope length. Also the subsurface flow is simulated at the same time, allowing the evaluation of th…

Manual packing and soil reuse effects on determination of saturated hydraulic conductivity of a loam soil

2022

Abstract Performing laboratory measurement of saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks, of sieved soil is important for many scientific purposes such as testing theories and methods to determine Ks. A given soil mass can be used only once or it can be reused after a previous use. Little is known on the dependence of the Ks measurements on both the applied packing method and the reuse of the same soil mass. This lack of knowledge makes comparisons among different investigations more or less uncertain. Four packing methods were tested on an initially dry loam soil by measuring Ks with the simplified falling head (SFH) technique. The four methods differed by the used compacting procedure (dropping…

Surface soil water content estimation based on thermal inertia and Bayesian smoothing

2014

Soil water content plays a critical role in agro-hydrology since it regulates the rainfall partition between surface runoff and infiltration and, the energy partition between sensible and latent heat fluxes. Current thermal inertia models characterize the spatial and temporal variability of water content by assuming a sinusoidal behavior of the land surface temperature between subsequent acquisitions. Such behavior implicitly supposes clear sky during the whole interval between the thermal acquisitions; but, since this assumption is not necessarily verified even if sky is clear at the exact epoch of acquisition, , the accuracy of the model may be questioned due to spatial and temporal varia…

Water erosion assessment and modeling in two calanchi areas in Sicily, Italy

I badlands sono forme di erosione localizzate principalmente nelle regioni aride e semi-aride e sono formati da una complessa combinazione di processi morfogenetici. La loro origine coinvolge processi di erosione idrica ma anche tunnel erosion e movimenti di massa. Inoltre, tali forme possono anche essere correlate a fenomeni di erosione accelerata che hanno luogo laddove le azioni antropiche disturbano l'equilibrio naturale tra processi morfogenetici e suolo. I badlands, con i loro versanti ripidi, sono spesso inseriti all’interno di paesaggi più dolci, in mezzo a colture o bosco, localizzati in aree dove i processi responsabili del loro modellamento sono di solito piuttosto attivi determi…