Search results for "erosion"
showing 10 items of 637 documents
Testing GIS-morphometric analysis of some Sicilian badlands
2014
Abstract Calanchi badlands are erosion landforms characterized by areas with scarce or absent vegetation, steep slopes, knife-edge divides and high erosion rates. They are originated by a combination of morphogenetic processes, partly similar to those shaping bigger fluvial landforms, and therefore can be considered as field “laboratories.” This paper presents the results of an investigation carried out in two badland sites located in Sicily, where the geometry of 25 calanchi has been characterized using Digital Elevation Models having a mesh size equal to 2 m. For each landform, a power length–volume relationship is established. This relationship demonstrates that length of calanchi channe…
A new empirical model for estimating calanchi Erosion in Sicily, Italy
2015
Abstract Calanchi (plural of calanco) are typical badland landforms of the Italian landscape. They consist of dense networks of V-shaped valleys, with a sparse or absent vegetation cover, which frequently develop on unconsolidated or poorly consolidated clayey deposits. In this paper, the dimensional analysis and the incomplete self-similarity theory were used to deduce a model relating the volume of sediments eroded from the calanchi area to a set of geometric attributes of their tributary areas. The morphometric characteristics of 209 calanchi basins were used to calibrate and validate the model. The predictive skill of the model was assessed by calculating the mean square error and the N…
Laminar Micrite Crusts and Associated Foreslope Processes, Red Sea
1991
ABSTRACT Forereef slopes in the Red Sea of Sudan exhibit a uniform biozonation that is independent from the topography of the slopes. Below - 120 m, ledges protrude horizontally from sleep cliffs of barrier reefs and atolls as well as from patches of in situ lithified slope sediment on inclined fringing reef slopes. Free surfaces and cavities within these ledges are partly covered by laminar micrite crusts of 7-20 mm thickness. The ledges are formed by an organic framework of living azooxanthellate corals, bryozoans, serpulids and fossil red algae. They are affected by repeated episodes of boring, infilling, and cementation which obliterate much of the original fabric. Concomitant cementati…
Variable scale effects on hillslope soil erosion during rainfall-runoff processes
2021
Abstract The variation of soil erosion across scales remains a controversial issue. A theoretical framework, coupling the normalized Green-Ampt equation for infiltration, 1D kinematic wave model for overland flow, and WEPP erosion modeling approaches for soil erosion, was used to explain and quantify the direct effect of scale on the soil erosion process. The results show that the relation between interrill erosion and slope length accords with a power-law decreasing trend, while the relation of rill erosion versus slope length shows a power-law increasing trend. Moreover, the power-law scaling of interrill erosion becomes more prominent with an increase of rainfall duration and intensity b…
A pedotransfer function for estimating the soil erodibility factor in Sicily
2009
The soil erodibility factor, K, of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is a simple descriptor of the soil susceptibility to rill and interrill erosion. The original procedure for determining K needs a knowledge of soil particle size distribution (PSD), soil organic matter, OM, content, and soil structure and permeability characteristics. However, OM data are often missing and soil structure and permeability are not easily evaluated in regional analyses. The objective of this investigation was to develop a pedotransfer function (PTF) for estimating the K factor of the USLE in Sicily (south Italy) using only soil textural data. The nomograph soil erodibility factor and its associated firs…
Experiments for testing soil texture effects on flow resistance in mobile bed rills
2018
Abstract In this paper a recently theoretically deduced rill flow resistance equation, based on a power-velocity profile, was tested experimentally on plots of varying slopes and soil texture in which mobile bed rills are incised. Measurements of flow velocity, water depth, cross section area, wetted perimeter and bed slope conducted in rill reaches incised on experimental plots, having different slope values (9, 14, 22, 24 and 26%) and soil texture (clay fraction ranging from 42 to 73%), and literature data were used to calibrate the flow resistance equation. In particular, the relationship between the velocity profile parameter Γ, the channel slope, the flow Froude number and texture frac…
Sediment transport mechanisms and selective removal of soil particles under unsteady-state conditions in a sheet erosion system
2022
Abstract Selective removal of particles and nutrients by water erosion is a key factor in soil erosion studies. Most agricultural soils are located on gentle slopes where fertility is high; however, until now, the main attention on sediment transport mechanisms was paid to high-slope gradients, where soil erosion is intense, but soils are less productive. Despite the importance of sediment size distribution (SSD) and transport mechanisms under unsteady-state conditions, few studies have been done on this issue. Higher sediment concentrations in the early stages of the runoff indicate the need to deal with unsteady-state conditions. To address this issue, sheet erosion experiments were done …
Des particules charbonneuses, t�moins des variations de l'�rosion chimique d'un bassin versant calcaire durant l'holoc�ne (bassin de chaillexon, doub…
1999
Matter fluxes result from chemical and mechanical weathering that vary as a function of climate, relief, lithology and human activities. The aim of this paper is to characterize chemical weathering variations in the past using coaly particles found in both the geological substratum and the Holocene lacustrine sediments of a calcareous basin (Chaillexon lake, Doubs, France). Results point out that chemical weathering was the predominant erosional process in the watershed, which may be due to the calcareous nature of the bedrock. The significant variability of this process relative to mechanical weathering during the Holocene period can be interpreted as a consequence of the development of th…
Soil Erosion on Mountain Trails in Eastern Iberian Peninsula
2020
A review on trial erosion shows that soil erosion rates are one to three orders of magnitude higher than the ones recommended as sustainable. This is threatening the sustainable managements of mountain terrains, mainly in the popular hiking paths. The warm temperatures characterize Eastern Spain in winter, which results in visitors from northern Europe to walk in the coastal land mountainous terrain. This increases the pressure to the currently highly visited most popular paths. We selected representative transects of the trails of Serra de Bérnia, Puigcampana, Penyagolosa, Montcabré, Serra del Sit, Aitana, Les Tres Creus, Caroig, Cupurutxo and Circ de la Safor. All the selected study sites…
An automatic approach for rill network extraction to measure rill erosion by terrestrial and low‐cost unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry
2019
For an erosion event (October 2016) occurred at the Sparacia experimental area (Southern Italy), both terrestrial and low-altitude aerial surveys were carried out by consumer grade camera and quadcopter (low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle [UAV]) to measure rill erosion on two plots with steepness of 22% and 26%. Applying the structure from motion (SfM) technique, the three-dimensional digital terrain models (3D-DTMs) and the quasi three-dimensional models (2.5D-digital elevation model [DEM]) were obtained by the two surveys. Furthermore, 3D-DTM and DEM were built using the available aerial photographs (166) and adding 40 terrestrial photographs. For the first time, the convergence index was a…