This study analyzes the flash flood event of two ungauged ephemeral streams in Olympiada region (Chalkidiki, North Greece), which occurred at the 21-22 of November 2019. Aim of the study is to reconstruct the specific flash flood event, investigate the causes of flood generation mechanisms, evaluate the performance of SCS-CN hydrological and HEC-RAS hydraulic models, investigate the relation between extreme flash floods and human intervention, using the combination of ground and aerial observations obtained from the field survey and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), respectively. The results of the specific discharge ranged between 9 and 11 m 3 s −1 km 2 , values that are typical for flash flood events in Mediterranean region. The comparison between the observed and simulated values of flood extent showed sufficiently good performance of the hydraulic model (CSI = 82%). However, the statistical analysis of the observed and simulated flood depths displayed a flood depth overestimation by the applied model, despite that the values of the used statistic indexes are acceptable (RMSE = 0.35 m, SD = 0.53, NSE = 0.56, PBIAS = 11.26%). The model overestimation of flood depth was attributed to the DEM low resolution and quality. Ground and aerial observations depicted the alluvial fan activation, the alternation of flow paths and the huge sediment transport. Human intervention in main streams, urban sprawl, wet AMC and sediment transport were among the main factors that contributed to the flash flood generation. This integrated approach revealed the necessity of the constant evaluation and validation of hydrological and hydraulic models in small ungauged Mediterranean watersheds and ephemeral streams. The use of UAVs in combination with ground observations and hydraulic simulation could significantly contribute to the enhanced understanding of flash flood mechanisms, in the direction of flood risk mitigation, improvement of the planning efficiency of flood prevent measures, flood hazard estimation, evolution of flood warning systems and floodplain geomorphology analysis.

In this paper, three different flash floods episodes were analyzed, which occurred in October 2006, February 2010, and June 2018 in the Chalkidiki peninsula (North Greece). The Soil Conservation Service (SCS) model and a revised assessment of the CN parameter were applied to estimate the flood hydrographs, and Hydrologic Engineering Center's-River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) software was used for the flood simulations. Initially, hydrological and hydraulic models were calibrated at Vatonias watershed (240.90 km 2 , North Greece), where three rain gauges and one water level station are located. Vatonias is located very close to the Stavros ungauged watersheds and presents similar geomorphology and land use conditions. The effectiveness and accuracy of the methodology were validated using post-flash-flood measurements. The root mean square error goodness of fit was used to compare the observed and simulated flood depths. Critical success index was calculated for the assessment of the accuracy of observed and modeled flooded areas. The results showed that the dense forest vegetation was not capable of preventing the flash flood generation or reducing the peak discharge, especially in small watersheds characterized by short concentration times. The main cause of flash flood generation was the human interference that influenced the hydraulic characteristics of streams and floodplains. The revised assessment of the CN parameter enhanced the estimation and spatial distribution of CN over the entire watershed. The results revealed that the proposed methodology could be a very useful tool to researchers and policy makers for flood risk assessment of higher accuracy and effectiveness in ungauged Mediterranean watersheds.Hydrology 2020, 7, 12 2 of 24 settlements with the tolerance of the state have led to the gradual trespass of torrents, the reduction of streambed width, and in some cases to their complete disappearance. Under these circumstances, the hydraulic characteristics of streams and floodplains have been altered dramatically and have resulted in the intensification of the flood phenomena [10][11][12][13]. The protective role of forests from flash flood generation is questionable, and according to previous research studies is very limited, indicating that forests have negligible effects on the reduction of peak discharge during extreme rainfall events [10,12,14,15].Over the past years, considerable efforts have been made to estimate flood risk and simulate flood events, using hydrological and hydraulic models [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. However, these models require the existence of large time series and reliable stream flow and rainfall data, which in most Mediterranean areas are unfortunately not available, especially for medium and small watersheds. To overcome these practical difficulties, post-flash-flood measurements could be considered very useful for the evaluation of the hydrological and hydraulic models by reproducing the flood events and comparing the observed flooded area and flood depth with the si...

The current review summarizes the knowledge generated by the recently published studies of the last twenty years, in the field of forest road networks, concerning the impact of forest road construction on hydrological processes. The currently applied methodology techniques/practices are discussed, the findings are highlighted and effective mitigation measures to mitigate the impact of forest roads are proposed. Critical for the minimization of the impact of forest roads on overland flow is the significant decrease in road surface runoff and overland flow velocity. The decrease in runoff energy reduces the detachment of soil particles and transportation in streams. The disturbances of forest roads in logging areas should be limited to decrease soil erosion. Additionally, aiming to minimize sediment transportation into the streams, it is very important to reduce the connectivity between the forest roads (or skid trails) and streams. The positive role of vegetation and organic matter on the road prism, naturally/technically established riparian buffers along the streams, and the use of appropriate bioengineering designs for each area significantly decrease the runoff generation and sedimentation. From a construction point of view, the decrease in short and long-term forest road-related impact could be achieved by reducing the depth of excavations and the use of soil compaction limiting technology during forest works. The road network design should be more efficient, avoiding hydrologically active zero-order basins. Techniques that minimize the length and connectivity among skid trails, unpaved roads and streams are highly crucial. Broad-based dips, immediate revegetation and outsloping of the road base are considered good road construction practices. Research should be focused on the hydrologic behavior of forest road networks and on the impact at the watershed scale, the degree of connectivity, utilizing plenty of qualitative field data, especially during intense rainfall events, which has been proven to exacerbate the runoff and sediment generation and transportation into the stream networks.

Our study was conducted in the suburban forest of Thessaloniki (Seich Sou), which constitutes one of the most significant suburban forests of Greece and is located northeast of Thessaloniki. In 1997, more than the half of the forest area was destroyed by a wildfire, while recently (May 2019), a significant insect outbreak by the bark beetle Tomicus piniperda was detected. The insect action still goes on, while the infestation has destroyed so far more than 300 ha of forest area. Extensive selective logging and removal of infected trees from the forest were carried out in order to mitigate and restrict the outbreak spread. In the current study, silt-fenced erosion plots were installed on representative locations of disturbed (by fire and insect action) and undisturbed areas, in order to quantify the effect of the above-mentioned forest disturbances on soil erosion and correlate the height and intensity of precipitation with the soil erosion rate. The results show that there was no statistically significant increase in soil erosion in the areas of insect outbreak compared with the control plots. However, there was a statistically significant increase in soil erosion in areas where logging works had been applied as an infestation preventive measure. In addition, the study revealed that 25 years after the forest fire, the erosion rate is still at higher level compared with the undisturbed forest areas. This study could be considered as one of the first attempts to evaluate the impact of an insect outbreak infestation on soil erosion, while there is also a great lack of information concerning the assessment of long-term post-fire effects on the soil erosion of a forest ecosystem.

Kastridis A., Kamperidou V. (2015): Influence of land use changes on alleviation of Volvi Lake wetland (North Greece). Soil & Water Res., 10: 121-129.The study deals with Volvi Lake, the second largest natural lake in Greece, where gradual alleviation and a land use change have taken place in the last 60 years. The aim of the study was to estimate the influence of land use changes of the area on sedimentation and alluviation rate. Due to the lack of sediment measurements the Gavrilovic model was used to calculate the mean annual erosion of the two main drainage basins of the Lake for 1945 and 2007. Field research, orthophotographs, and topographic maps dating from 1945, 1971, and 2007 were used to determine the evolution of the vegetation cover and lake shoreline, in order to compare and evaluate the Gavrilovic model results. An increase of 6% of the forested area in combination with the improvement of scrublands quality were enough to cause a 15% decrease of the mean annual sedimentation, according to the Gavrilovic model, as well as a 50% decrease in alluviation rate, according to delta change measurement, comparing the periods 1945-1971 and 1971-2007. The importance of vegetation for soil protection was clearly demonstrated, indicating that reducing the land use and enhancing the vegetation quality could slow down the erosion process.