210Pb dating of scottish lake sediments,afforestation and accelerated soil erosion

Changes in the rate of soil erosion in lake catchments can be identified from changes in the rate of sediment accumulation in lakes. Here we compare recently afforested sites with non-afforested sites in the Galloway area of Southwest Scotland. We show that lakes with non-afforested catchments have slow, constant sediment accumulation rates, whereas lakes with recently afforested catchments have changes in accumulation that parallel the known history of afforestation. For Loch Grannoch the sediment accumulation rate increases from 0.1 cm yr^?1 to over 2 cm yr^?2 during the disturbance period. Data from L. Skerrow, however, suggest that the rate might decline to predisturbance levels after approximately 10 years as the forest canopy closes and drainage channels stabilize.     

SEDIMENT MOBILIZATION BY SURFACE EROSION IN MIDDLE MOUNTAIN CATCHMENTS OF NEPAL

1 INTRODUCTION Soil erosion in the foothills of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas (HKH) is considered to be a hot topic in land degradation research in the region (Scherr and Yadav, 1996). The land degradation research has mainly addressed the issue of topsoil los…     

Surface runoff and sediment yield in the Ardèche rangelands

This paper presents a case study of runoff and sediment generation under Submediterranean rangeland conditions (Ardèche drainage basin, France). Measurements indicate that on a rough hillslope interrill runoff and sediment are not produced uniformly over the slope surface. It is observed that runoff concentrates immediately in non-permanent interrill flow paths, which under average storm conditions vary in length from 1.0 to 12.5 m. Long interrill flow paths may eventually become permanent. These permanent flow paths, called pre-rills, are introduced as a new source area, and are considered to be the initial stage in the development of rills. Along pre-rills considerable quantities of runoff and sediment are carried away. This study also shows that calculations based on interrill, pre-rill, and rill runoff will only have significance if storm and soil conditions are specified in detail. It is concluded from a correlation analysis between the runoff volume and the amount of soil loss on a storm-by-storm basis that the runoff volume alone cannot explain the amount of sediment that is generated in each source area; soil availability is an additional factor that must be taken into account.     

EFFECTS OF RIVER NETWORK WORKS AND SOIL CONSERVATION MEASURES ON RESERVOIR SILTATION

Knowledge of the morphological dynamics of a water course is essential for management of reservoir siltation. With an example of sedimentation in a reservoir in Basilicata, Italy, this paper demonstrates the effect on reservoir siltation of the hydraulic works, which are aimed to reduce sediment transport along the fluvial network and to prevent part of the sediment discharge from reaching the lake. The effect depends on the river type and on the the geological features of river basin slopes. The paper also shows how mass erosion can significantly contribute to development of reservoir siltation. Finally, preliminary results are provided about the time needed for river training works to be effective.     

A note on the measurement of travel times using bender and extender elements

By using the bender and extender elements tests, the travel times of the shear (S) and the primary (P) waves were measured for dry sand samples at different relative densities and effective confining pressures. Three methods of interpretations, namely, (i) the first time of arrival, (ii) the first peak to peak, and (iii) the cross-correlation method, were employed. All the methods provide almost a unique answer associated with the P-wave measurements. On contrary, a difference was noted in the arrival times obtained from the different methods for the S-wave due to the near field effect. The resonant column tests in the torsional mode were also performed to check indirectly the travel time of the shear wave. The study reveals that as compared to the S-wave, it is more reliable to depend on the arrival times’ measurement for the P-wave.     

Potential of in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides for quantifying strength reduction of bedrock in soil-mantled hillslopes

This study presents a semi-empirical model for quantifying the reduction in the mechanical strength of bedrock beneath actively eroding soil-mantled hillslopes. The strength reduction of bedrock controls the rate of physical disintegration of saprolite, which supplies fresh minerals that are then exposed to intense chemical weathering in soil sections. To determine the values of parameters employed in the model requires knowledge of the denudation rate of the hillslope, the thickness of the soil and saprolite layers, the strength of fresh bedrock, and the threshold strength for physical erosion at the uppermost face of the saprolite. These parameters can be obtained from cosmogenic nuclide analyses for quartz samples from the soil–saprolite boundary and basic field- and laboratory-based investigations. Further testing of the model within a diverse range of climatic, tectonic, and lithologic environments is likely to provide clues to the mechanisms responsible for local and regional variations in the rates of soil production and chemical weathering upon hillslopes.