Recent developments in gully erosion research and their implications for controlling soil loss and sediment yield

Abstract

Soil erosion by water causes significant soil degradation worldwide. Most erosion process research and erosion control has focussed on sheet and rill erosion. Relatively little research has dealt with (ephemeral) gully erosion which is illustrated, for instance, by a recent review of soil erosion studies in Europe (Boardman and Poesen 2006). Gullies typically occupy less than 5 % of the upland area, but gully erosion may be held responsible for relatively large soil losses (up to 80 %) by water erosion and related sediment production with significant on and off site consequences. Hence, controlling soil erosion in concentrated flow zones pays of. However, innovation in research on gully erosion control is rather limited compared to progress in research on gully (or more generally concentrated flow) erosion processes (Poesen et al. 2003). The objectives of this study are therefore to review recent developments in gully erosion research that have implications for improving the effectiveness of (ephemeral) gully erosion control measures and to formulate some important challenges.