Progress in gully erosion research: IV International Symposium on Gully Erosion

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Open Access
Activity of gullies during the Holocene in the Ebro valley
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Peña, Julio; Constante, A.; Chueca, J.; Echeverría Arnedo, María Teresa; Julián, A.; Longares, L.A.
The use of detailed geomorphology for the study of the Upper Holocene and the application of geoarchaeology and radiometric datings make it possible to get important results on the recent stages of valley bottom shaping. The timing of the aggradation and degradation phases shows the activity of the processes over the last 8000 years and the decisive influence of the Holocene evolution on present landscapes. The reasons for this phase alternation are anthropoclimatic, as Jordá and Vaudour (1980), Bintliff (1981, 1982), Gutiérrez and Peña (1998) and Peña (1996), Peña et al. (2000, 2004) recognize in different sectors of the Mediterranean basin. The gullies formation and activity from the late Roman Period has progressed by means of a regressive activity of the headwaters, although the excavation process has been temporarily interrupted by new fillings.
Open Access
Agricultural land use, piping and gullies activity in the Huelva lower valley (Saragossa, Spain)
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Echeverría Arnedo, María Teresa; Ibarra, P.; Pérez Cabello, F.
The variations in the total amount of surface used for arable crops both for dry farming and fallow land, with regard to the different “agricultural policies”, have modified the natural dynamics of some processes such as piping and gullies activity in the Huerva lower valley (Saragossa) over the last 50 years.
Open Access
Alluvial gully erosion: a landscape denudation process in Northern Australia
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Brooks, A.P.; Shellberg, J.G.; Spencer, J.; Knight, J.
Recent aerial reconnaissance surveys and subsequent remote sensing mapping of Australia’s tropical rivers identified alluvial gully erosion as a key sediment source (Brooks et al. 2007; Knight et al. 2007). Gully erosion is found to varying degrees within alluvial river types in northern Australia, but it is most extensive on alluvial plains of the larger rivers like the Mitchell, Leichhardt and Nicholson Rivers, draining into the Gulf of Carpentaria. However, very little is currently known about gully erosion processes in these landscapes.
Open Access
Analysis of water erosion using GIS and remote sensing for the management of protected natural environments in the south of the province of Salamanca (Spain)
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Martínez Graña, A.M.; Goy, J.L.; Zazo, C.
The soil is a natural resource that must be conserved in protected natural areas since it is one of the determinant physical supports in territorial planning because it governs its different uses. Accordingly, specific studies must be carried out aimed at estimating soil losses at individual project level and at the general level of Natural Environments in order to establish methodologies for the control and ordering of activities, above all in protected environments whose focus is on sustainable activities. The basic objective should delimit different erosive forms where best it reflects the risk of water erosion (gullies, rills) and the degree (weak, light, important, and burden) and the processes induced (slides, scarp, remontant erosion...) in addition the evolution with time.
Open Access
AnnAGNPS ephemeral gully erosion simulation technology
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Bingner, R.L.; Theurer, F.D.; Gordon, L.M.; Bennett, S.J.; Parker, C.; Thorne, C.; Alonso, C.V.
Tillage-induced ephemeral gully erosion has been shown to be a significant and sometimes dominant source of sediment within a watershed. An approach has been developed within AnnAGNPS to assess the impact of conservation practices on ephemeral gully erosion as well as sheet and rill erosion. Conservation management treatments should include targeting practices specific for ephemeral gullies differently than for sheet and rill erosion. Within watersheds, gullies are becoming the dominate source of cropland erosion unless preventative conservation practices are installed.
Open Access
Assessment of gully erosion using photogrammetric techniques. A case study of upper Mbuluzi river, Swaziland
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Pelacani, S.; Märker, M.; Rodolfi, G.
Swaziland is severely affected by gully erosion contributing to a sediment budget up to 250,000 m3 y-1 (WMS Associates, 1988). This type is more important than inter-rill and rill erosion. Severe gully erosion is mainly in the Middleveld especially on communal land highly populated (43.65 inhabitants km-2) and with high livestock concentrations. Here, the calculated carrying capacities are 0.27 LSU ha-1 (Livestock Units) vs. stocking rates 0.87 LSU ha-1. In general, to assess gully erosion, numerous investigators have made use of aerial photos and GIS to predict the morphometric conditions that favoured gulling (Nachtergaele and Poesen, 1999). In Swaziland, from 1947 to 1987, the WMS Associates (1988) established gully erosion rates from aerial stereo photos. Subsequently, Mushala et al., 1994 analyzed the gullies distribution and their relationship to lithology and land tenure. In the present research long terms rates of gully erosion have been measured by aerial photos taken from 1947 to 1996. Particular attention was focused on two dendritic gully systems. One of them is dynamically evolving, whereas the other one is in a static phase (Sidorchuk, 1999). The objectives of this research were to calculate the historical development of the morphology of gully as input data to the gully erosion model (Sidorchuk et al., 2001) and to predict hillslope area susceptible to gulling. A High Digital Terrain Models (HDTMs) with 1-m resolution were devised for this purpose.
Open Access
Causes of gully erosion in arid ecosystem: case study southern part of I.R. Iran
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Soufi, M.
This research demonstrated that the I.R. region is prone to gully erosion. The study area had limited gully erosion four decades ago. With accelerating urban development during the past, two to three decades, areas of gully erosion increased. Comparison of gully advancement showed that the area of gully erosion increased 4 times in four decades before. Gullies are located around urban areas with more deteriorated cropland and roads. Statistical analysis revealed that area of gully erosion could be attributed to the area of bareland and road length. The overall the impact of bareland area is more significant than road length in study watersheds, although their contribution in individual site is completely different.
Open Access
A comparison of anthropogenic and long-term soil erosion on banks peninsula using 137Cs and kawakawa tephra
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Lutter, F.S.; Almond, P.C.; Florineth, F.
The task of this study is to assess the severity of anthropogenically induced soil erosion on a loess-mantled hillslope on the foothills of Banks Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand. The analysis is restricted to a slope segment representative for the soil creep-type processes that dominate on convex soil-mantled hillslopes which satisfy the assumptions of the soil erosion measurement techniques employed.
Open Access
Comparison of historical evolution of gully networks on both Slovak and Moravian forelands of the white Carpathians
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Stankoviansky, M.; Létal, A.; Damankosová, Z.
The main objective of the contribution is to present the preliminary results of comparison of historical evolution of gully networks in both Slovak and Moravian forelands of the White Carpathians. This geomorphic unit represents the flysch mountain range situated in the boundary zone of Slovakia and the Czech Republic, reaching the elevation 970 m. The Slovak foreland of the White Carpathians, i.e. the Myjava Hill Land, belongs among those areas in Slovakia that were the most affected by disastrous gullying in the past. This fact was one of the main reasons to choose precisely this area for detailed investigation of historical gullies, lasting at the moment approximately one decade. The study of the Moravian foreland of the White Carpathians, i.e. Hluk Hill Land, started in 2006. Its first goal was to find out if the density of gully network on the Moravian side is comparable with that at the Slovak side. Beside the density of gully networks also the age of gullies and causes of their formation on both sides of the frontier were subjects of this comparison. Comparison of gullies on both forelands of the White Carpathians is introduced in the context of the review of the research dealing with the historical evolution of gullies in Slovakia and Czech Republic.
Open Access
Concentrated flow erodibility of loess-derived topsoils: the impact of rainfall-induced consolidation and sealing
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Knapen, A.; Poesen, J.; Baets, S. de
This study investigates the impact of rainfall-induced soil consolidation and soil surface sealing processes over time after tillage on soil erosion during concentrated flow. The soil erodibility (Kc) and critical flow shear stress (τcr) were examined for identical, artificially created soil samples under simulated rainfall. As these rainfall-induced soil structural changes are inseparably related to soil moisture variations, the effects are evaluated for different soil moisture conditions.
Open Access
Discharge and gully erosion in a small rangeland catchment
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Schnabel, Susanne; Gómez Gutiérrez, Á.; Sanjosé Blasco, J.J.
Valley bottom gullies are a common feature in rangelands. Although these gullies are found in the bottom of drainage lines, information about the relationship between discharge and gullying is scarce (Crouch, 1990; Thomas et al., 2004). This may in part be due to the large temporal variation of this phenomenon making necessary monitoring of runoff and erosion for a large number of years. Since 1990 research is carried out on the development of valley bottom gullies in small wooded rangeland catchments in southwest Spain. Erosion varies strongly along the gully section with high losses related to headcut retreat (Schnabel et al., 1999). The importance of extreme events producing exceptional sediment losses has also been demonstrated (Schnabel, 1997). In the year 2000 investigation started in the Parapuños experimental basin. The present paper aims at understanding the relationship between gully erosion and catchment hydrology.
Open Access
Does vegetation cover suppose gully erosion stabilization?
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Martínez Casasnovas, J.A.; García Hernández, D.; Ramos, M.C.
The present research is addressed to study the evolution of vegetation cover on gully sidewalls and its influence on sediment production due to gully erosion and on gully walls’ stabilization. A sample gully system of the Penedès – Anoia (NE Spain) was selected as study area (Fig. 1). In this region, gully erosion is a problem which affects 23 - 32% of the land. It is part of the Penedès Tertiary Depression, where calcilutites (marls) and, occasionally, sandstones and conglomerates outcrop.
Open Access
Effect of topography on retreat rate of different gully headcuts in Bardenas Reales area (Navarre, Spain)
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Campo-Bescós, Miguel; Álvarez-Mozos, Jesús; Casalí Sarasíbar, Javier; Giménez Díaz, Rafael; Proyectos e Ingeniería Rural; Landa Ingeniaritza eta Proiektuak
In Northeast Spain, gullying is a widespread phenomenon. This type of erosion is especially intense in Bardenas Reales (Navarre) where at least two major typical kinds of gully headcut are present. A first group developed in soil material (named, conventional gully headcut), and second group of gully headcut with a sandstone layer as a top horizon (named, sandstone gully headcut). In addition, within the former group, we can distinguish a subgroup of gully headcuts developed in soils particularly prone to piping and tunnelling due to the dispersive condition of the materials (named piping associated gully headcut). In this situation, a question arises: to what extent simple topographic parameters account for the retreat rate of the different kind of gully headcuts observed in the region of Bardenas Reales? The aim of this study was to investigate and gain insight in this issue.
Open Access
Effectiveness of palm and bamboo geotextiles in reducing concentrated flow erosion
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Smets, T.; Langhans, C.; Poesen, J.; Knapen, A.
Rills and gullies, caused by concentrated flow erosion, represent an important sediment source in many environments (Poesen et al., 2003). Studies indicate that vegetation can be very effective in controlling gully development. However, the establishment of a vegetation cover can be delayed or obstructed by the development of rills and gullies due to concentrated flow erosion. Before the vegetation has reached a critical cover and root density to significantly reduce concentrated flow erosion, a period of high erosion risk occurs. Hann and Morgan (2006) indicate that applying geotextiles on the soil surface is the most efficient method to control erosion until a critical vegetation cover has been established. Preliminary investigations suggest palm-mat geotextiles could be an effective and cheap soil conservation method, with enormous global potential. However, very little is known about the effectiveness of (palm) geotextiles in reducing concentrated flow erosion. Almost no data are available on the impacts of palm geotextiles on the hydraulic, hydrologic and erosion characteristics of concentrated flow for a range of environmental conditions. Therefore, the objectives of this study are (i) to assess the effectiveness of two palm-mat and one bamboo geotextile in increasing the hydraulic roughness of the soil surface under concentrated overland flow and in reducing soil erosion rates by concentrated flow on an erodible soil type and for a range of flow shear stresses; and (ii) to investigate which is the most appropriate hydraulic variable (e.g. shear stress, unit length shear force or stream power) to predict the net soil detachment by concentrated flow.
Open Access
Effects of slope processes and management in gullying
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Desir, G.; Marín, C.
Most erosion studies have been typically done in rill and interrill areas because the complexity of gullies and their large size have made their study very difficult. Morgan (1979) and Hudson (1985) define gullies as water courses with very steep walls that are submitted to spasmodic flows during storms. More recently, permanent gullies are defined as channels too deep to be ameliorated with ordinary farming tools (Soil Science Society of America, 2001; Poesen et al., 2003). Gullies range from 0.5 m to up 25-30 m depth. FAO (1978) indicates that gully evolution takes place by means of several processes, which can act together or separately. Schnabel (1997) points out that the main processes on gully erosion are headcut retreat, channel deepening, undermining and scouring. Bull and Kirkby (2002) and Poesen et al., (2002) show that most gullies expand by headcut retreat and sidewall retreat. In our study area there is piping as another important process on gully erosion (Desir et al., 2005; Desir and Marín, 2006). Piping has been described as one of te most important process acting on dispersive clays (Martínez-Casanovas et al., 2004). In our study 7area where dispersive clays are common gullies reach a great extension. To know and understand the way in which each processes interact can help us to explain the landform and which factors influence on the origin and evolution of gullies. Having two different behaviours related to slope exposure as it is the case, it is possible to highlight the differences in morphology, development and processes involved. To reach this objective piping, slope and thickness have been measured on both slopes between more than 90 gully heads although only the most representative piping areas have been represented.
Open Access
Ephemeral gullies: to till or not to till?
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Gordon, L.M.; Bennett, S.J.; Alonso, C.V.; Bingner, R.L.
While the perceived magnitude of ephemeral gully erosion may be masked after gullies are repaired, the action of plowing in these channels reduces topsoil thickness and crop productivity over a much wider area than the channel itself. This study demonstrates that filling ephemeral gullies on an annual basis during tillage operations may be more destructive than realized. These results should provide land managers an additional incentive for adopting soil conservation practices such as no-till.
Open Access
Ephemeral gully erosion research: processes and modeling
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Alonso, C.V.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) defines ephemeral gullies as small channels that can be filled in by normal tillage operations only to reform in the same location by subsequent runoff events. Ephemeral gullies contribute significantly to soil erosion in agricultural fields, and NRCS has consistently identified gully erosion as their number one problem to solve. Moreover, headcut development and migration is closely coupled to the initiation of ephemeral gullies and their extension on hillslopes. Research is needed to further understand the physics of these processes, to derive robust predictive algorithms and methodologies, and to develop reliable control methods.
Open Access
Ephemeral gully headcut development and migration in stratified soils
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Gordon, L.M.; Bennett, S.J.; Wells, R.; Alonso, C.V.
The objectives of the current study were: (1) to quantify the effect of an erosion resistant (ER) soil layer placed at various depths within a soil profile on headcut development and migration; and (2) to assess the effects of this ER layer on analytic formulations for headcut erosion based on jet impingement theory.
Open Access
Erosion processes at the gully scale: observations, quantification and interpretation of field data from the Draix laboratory
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Mathys, N.; Klotz, S.; Esteves, M.; Grésillon J.M.
In the Southern French Alps, the black marls formation covers a large area and is highly susceptible to weathering and erosion. It has a badlands topography and is subject to high solid transport, bringing high sediment yield downstream and silting up reservoirs. Many studies have been carried out in southern Europe and North Africa evaluating sediment yield from this type of basin. However, most of these studies provide information on the average annual rate and only a few studies focus on the sediment response to a specific rainfall event (Canton et al., 2001). Scale is important in the study of erosion processes and quantification of sediment production (de Vente and Poesen, 2005). This paper focuses on erosion at the slope and gully spatial scale and at the event temporal scale.
Open Access
Estimating sediment yield from gully erosion using easily measurable morphometric characteristics in Darehshahr region, south of I.R. Iran
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2007) Sadeghi, S.H.R.; Noormohammadi, F.; Soufi, M.
A case study was conducted in a part of Ilam Province, I.R. Iran, to establish a reliable model for estimating sediment yield from gully erosion. The attempt was satisfactory and led to an applicable model whose input could be obtained through a simple field measurement or applying remote sensing. The finalized factors can be found out through interpreting high resolution aerial photos or images and with the help of necessary soft wares or techniques. Although the model was statistically sound especially for the study area but the more numbers of gullies in different types distributed in miscellaneous climates and land uses may help to draw final conclusions.