Gully erosion processes: monitoring and modelling

2009 ◽  
Vol 34 (14) ◽  
pp. 1839-1840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Casalí ◽  
Rafael Giménez ◽  
Sean Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Gully Erosion ◽  
Erosion Processes

A field investigation on ephemeral gully erosion processes under different upslope inflow and sediment conditions

2019 ◽  
Vol 572 ◽  
pp. 517-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tongjia Wu ◽  
Chengzhong Pan ◽  
Changjia Li ◽  
Mingjie Luo ◽  
Xiaoyu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Field Investigation ◽  
Gully Erosion ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Ephemeral Gully

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.

scholarly journals Degradation Characteristics of Soil-Quality-Related Physical and Chemical Properties Affected by Collapsing Gully: The Case of Subtropical Hilly Region, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuyue Feng ◽  
Hui Wen ◽  
Shimin Ni ◽  
Junguang Wang ◽  
Chongfa Cai
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Soil Degradation ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Gully Erosion ◽  
Physical And Chemical Properties ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Hilly Region ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
Collapsing Gully ◽  
And Chemical Properties

In the subtropical hilly areas of China, a collapsing gully, a particular type of permanent gully, poses a great threat to the productivity and sustainability of the local ecological and agricultural systems. However, few studies have been performed regarding the effects of collapsing gully erosion on soil degradation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of collapsing gully erosion on soil-quality-related physical and chemical properties. The collapsing gullies that were severely affected by erosion processes were considered at three stages (initial, active and stable stages) and corresponding soil samples were collected to analyze the spatial variation of the soil physical and chemical quality at each stage. The changes in the properties were assumed to be considerable in the regions affected by the erosion process compared with those unaffected by this process. Soil physical properties were more susceptible than soil nutrients to collapsing gully erosion in different spatial locations. The soil quality index (SQI) system consists of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), pH, capillary porosity (CP), sand content (SA), soil cohesion (SC) and root density (RD). Collapsing gully erosion was found to affect the soil physical and chemical properties by progressively reducing the SQI. The mean SQI value was the lowest in the active stage of the collapsing gully, with a higher soil degradation. For the different spatial positions in the collapsing gullies, the scour channel showed the lowest SQI value. The limiting indicators varied in the different stages or spatial sites in the collapsing gullies.

scholarly journals Aplicação da Micromorfologia de Solos ao Estudo de Sedimentos Alúvio-Coluviais em Cabeceiras de Vale

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
GLAUCIA MARIA DOS SANTOS SILVA FERREIRA ◽  
MARCELO ACCIOLY TEIXEIRA DE OLIVEIRA
Keyword(s):  
Overland Flow ◽  
Gully Erosion ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Sedimentary Structures ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Hillslope Evolution ◽  
Common Process ◽  
Geomorphological Units ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Micromorphological Analysis

 Previous work on the role played by valley head areas in humid regions brought to light geomorphological units of the drainage net in which erosion and sedimentation would tend to be recurrent in time and space. Valley heads studied in Brazil had already proved to be very sensible to gully erosion processes, which, besides its importance to land degradation, also is a common process of hillslope evolution on humid regions. Gully erosion carries out from slopes important amounts of sediments, which may either, accumulate as proximal colluvium and alluvium or be conveyed through the drainage net. When colluvium and alluvium accumulate in proximal areas sedimentary structures may be preserved allowing the study of evolutionary processes. This paper is an attempt to apply micromorphological analysis to the study of the sedimentary structures preserved in gullied hillslopes of some southern Brazilian areas. The deposits are dated either in accordance to the supposed age of the gully incision, as estimated by aerial photographs, or by the record, in the field, of the depositional event. As a result, the age of the study deposits ranges from about 200 to 30 years, including fresh sediments just deposited one day before sampling. The paper stresses the relationship between macroscopic structures and micromorphological parametrical description, emphasizing interpretation of sedimentary structures as the result of variable overland flow rates on the gullied hillslopes.

scholarly journals Identification and Mapping of Soil Erosion Processes Using the Visual Interpretation of LiDAR Imagery

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Đomlija ◽  
Bernat Gazibara ◽  
Arbanas ◽  
Mihalić Arbanas
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Gully Erosion ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Visual Interpretation ◽  
Direct Identification ◽  
Preliminary Step ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Sheet Erosion

Soil erosion processes are a type of geological hazard. They cause soil loss and sediment production, landscape dissection, and economic damage, which can, in the long term, result in land abandonment. Thus, identification of soil erosion processes is necessary for sustainable land management in an area. This study presents the potential of visual interpretation of high resolution LiDAR (light detection and ranging) imagery for direct and unambiguous identification and mapping of soil erosion processes, which was tested in the study area of the Vinodol Valley (64.57 km2), in Croatia. Eight LiDAR images were derived from the 1 m airborne LiDAR DTM (Digital Terrain Model) and were used to identify and map gully erosion, sheet erosion, and the combined effect of rill and sheet erosion, with the ultimate purpose to create a historical erosion inventory. The two-step procedure in a visual interpretation of LiDAR imagery was performed: preliminary and detailed. In the preliminary step, possibilities and limitations for unambiguous identification of the soil erosion processes were determined for representative portions of the study area, and the exclusive criteria for the accurate and precise manual delineation of different types of erosion phenomena were established. In the detailed step, the findings from the preliminary step were used to map the soil erosion phenomena in the entire studied area. Results determined the highest potential for direct identification and mapping of the gully erosion phenomena. A total of 236 gullies were identified and precisely delineated, although most of them were previously unknown, due to the lack of previous investigations on soil erosion processes in the study area. On the other hand, the used method was proven to be inapplicable for direct identification and accurate mapping of the sheet erosion. Sheet erosion, however, could have been indirectly identified on certain LiDAR imagery, based on recognition of colluvial deposits accumulated at the foot of the eroded slopes. Furthermore, the findings of this study present which of the used LiDAR imagery, and what features of the imagery used, are most effective for identification and mapping of different types of erosion processes.

A knowledge gap analysis on multi-scale predictive ability for agriculturally derived sediments under South African conditions

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 107-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. van Zyl
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Gap Analysis ◽  
Predictive Ability ◽  
Gully Erosion ◽  
Knowledge Gap ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Erosion Modelling

Agriculture has been implicated as a major source of sediments in South Africa. The aim of the knowledge gap analysis was to understand the production and delivery components of agriculturally derived sediments under South African conditions and to assess the predictive ability to address the fate of these sediments from field to catchment scales. An overview is given of important erosion processes and erosion modelling applied in South Africa at the field and catchment scale. A limitation of the sediment models is that gully erosion is not simulated; therefore, the models should be complemented with gully erosion predictions if gullies are an important sediment source. Field-scale models inadequately predict sediment production localised at hydrologically sensitive areas as a result of saturation excess flow and/or throughflow. The discussion on erosion modelling reveals that more complex models have had limited application in South Africa because they require large and detailed data sets, and may have parameters that are difficult to measure or to estimate. A modelling framework is discussed which allows linking of sediment models requiring readily available data, gully erosion models/maps and the use of other techniques to assess the fate of agriculturally derived sediments from field to catchment scale.

scholarly journals Applying a Hand-Held Laser Scanner to Monitoring Gully Erosion: Workflow and Evaluation

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 4004
Author(s):  
Anne Kinsey-Henderson ◽  
Aaron Hawdon ◽  
Rebecca Bartley ◽  
Scott N. Wilkinson ◽  
Thomas Lowe
Keyword(s):  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Laser Scanner ◽  
Fine Sediment ◽  
Gully Erosion ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Volumetric Change ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Rtk Gps ◽  
Scanning Systems ◽  
Area And Volume

Detailed understanding of gully erosion processes is essential for monitoring gully remediation and requires fine-scale monitoring. Hand-held laser scanning systems (HLS) enable rapid ground-based data acquisition at centimeter precision and ranges of 10–100 m. This study quantified errors in measuring gully morphology and erosion over a four year period using two models of HLS. Reference datasets were provided by Real-Time-Kinematic (RTK) GPS and a RIEGL Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS). The study site was representative of linear gullies that occur extensively on hillslopes throughout Great Barrier Reef catchments, where gully erosion is the dominant source of fine sediment. The RMSE error against RTK survey points varied 0.058–0.097 m over five annual scans. HLS was found to measure annual gully headcut extension within 0.035 m of RTK. HLS was, on average, within 6% of TLS for morphological metrics of depth, area and volume. Volumetric change over a 60 m length of the gully and four years was estimated to within 23% of TLS. Errors could potentially be improved by scanning at times of year with lower ground vegetation cover. HLS provided similar levels of error and was relatively more rapid than TLS and RTK for monitoring gully morphology and change.

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.

Quantitative assessment of gully erosion dynamics using a GIS implementation of Sidorchuks' DYNGUL model in Southern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
adel omran ◽  
Dietrich Schroeder ◽  
Christian Sommer ◽  
Volker Hochschild ◽  
Aleksey Sidorchuk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Side Wall ◽  
Mass Conservation ◽  
Gully Erosion ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Erosion Model ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Kwazulu Natal

<p>Soil erosion is considered as one of the main threats affecting both rural and urban areas in many different parts all over the world. Therefore, increasing attention has been attributed to soil erosion in the last decades. This can also be documented by an increasing number of studies targeting soil erosion assessment using qualitative and quantitative models. However, gully erosion phenomena have been widely neglected in erosion modelling due to the nature and complexity of the related processes and hence, it is also more difficult to simulate, predict and to visualize its effects. Sidorchuk (1999) established a Fortran based dynamic erosion model called DYNGUL to describe the first quick stage of gully development, coinciding with the main changes in gully morphology; like changes in volume, area and elevation of the longitudinal profile. The DYNGUL model is based on the solution of the equations of mass conservation and gully bed deformation. The model of straight slope stability was used to predict gully side wall inclination and of the finite morphology of the gully. The objective of this contribution is to establish a GIS tool for a quantitative gully erosion assessment and to predict gully evolution over time. The tool will help: i) to cope with or mitigate gully erosion processes and ii) to plan measures to stabilize the landscape affected by gully erosion. Therefore, we developed a Python-based tool that can be applied in a GIS environment. The model was tested its performance and the sensitivity of physical parameters with data from a gully in the Drakensberg Mountains, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The results of the gully erosion model showed that their sensitivity to lithological and hydrological factors is rather high.</p>

scholarly journals Hydrogeomorphic processes affecting dryland gully erosion: Implications for modelling

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy C. Sidle ◽  
Ben Jarihani ◽  
SanLinn Ismail Kaka ◽  
Jack Koci ◽  
Abdulaziz Al-Shaibani
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Gully Erosion ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Surface Erosion ◽  
Distributed Data ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Sediment Loads

Gullies contribute high sediment loads to receiving waters and significantly degrade landscapes. In drylands, low annual rainfall and resultant poor ground cover, coupled with high-intensity storms and dispersive soils, predispose these landscapes to gully erosion. Land management, such as grazing, exacerbates gully-forming processes by degrading ground cover and compacting soils, thereby increasing and concentrating overland flow. Current surface erosion models do not adequately represent sediment export from gullied terrain due to lack of distributed data and complex hydrogeomorphic processes, such as overland flow concentration, waterfall erosion, soil pipe collapse, and mass wasting. Here, we outline the strengths and weaknesses of past modelling approaches in erodible terrain and focus on how gully erosion processes can be better simulated at appropriate scales using newly available remote-sensing techniques and databases, coupled with improved understanding of relevant hydrogeomorphic processes. We also discuss and present examples of challenges related to assessing land management practices in drylands that affect gully erosion.

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