An analysis of rainfall, runoff and erosion in the low rainfall zone of northern Iraq

Hussein, Mohammad H.

doi:10.1016/0022-1694(95)02911-7

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…No statistically significant differences (at p < 0Ð01, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test) were observed in the rainfall depth and intensity distribution between areas. High coefficients of variation (Martinez-Mena et al, 1998a) pointed to the high temporal variability of the characteristics of all storm events, as was to be expected for Mediterranean semi-arid areas (Sala, 1988;López-Bermúdez, 1990;Hussein, 1996).…”

Section: Rainfall and Runoff Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 91%

Hydrological and erosional response to natural rainfall in a semi‐arid area of south‐east Spain

Martínez-Mena

Castillo

Albaladejo

2001

Hydrological Processes

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Abstract:A better knowledge of soil erosion by water is essential for planning effective soil and water conservation practices in semi-arid Mediterranean environments. The special climatic and hydrological characteristics of these areas, however, make accurate soil loss predictions difficult, particularly in the absence of minimal data. Two zero-order experimental microcatchments (328-759 m 2 ), representative of an extensive semi-arid watershed with a high potential erosion risk in the south-east of Spain, were selected and monitored for 3 years in order to provide information on the hydrological and erosional response. A pluviogram and hydrograph recorded data at 1-min intervals during each storm, after which the soil loss was collected and the particle size of the sediment was analysed. Runoff coefficients of about 9% and soil losses of between 84Ð83 and 298Ð9 g m 2 year 1 were observed in the area. Rapid response times (geometric mean values lower than 2 h) and low runoff thresholds (mean values between 3Ð5 to 5Ð9 mm) were the norm in the experimental areas. A rain intensity of over 15 mm h 1 was considered as 'erosive rainfall' in these areas because of the total soil loss and the transport capacity of the overland flow. Differences in pore-size distribution explained the different hydrological responses observed between areas. The erosional response was more complex and basically seemed to be determined by soil aggregate stability and topographical properties. A greater proportion of finer particles in the eroded material than in the soil matrix indicated selective erosion and the transport of finer material.

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Section: Rainfall and Runoff Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 91%

Hydrological and erosional response to natural rainfall in a semi‐arid area of south‐east Spain

Martínez-Mena

Castillo

Albaladejo

2001

Hydrological Processes

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“…Soil moisture storage at the experimental site during the rainfall season approximates a normal probability distribution; the slight to moderate left skew observed is caused mainly by low soil moisture storage values occurred at the beginning and/or at the end of the rainfall season (Hussein et al, 2005).…”

Section: Soil Moisture Distribution During the Rainfall Seasonmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…Rainfall season in the region normally extends from October to May. Mean seasonal rainfall at the site is about 330 mm with moderate season to season variability (Hussein et al, 2005). Rainfall shows wide fluctuation, in the rainfall distribution during the season, duration of the rainy season and rainfall intensity.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Probability analysis showed that seasonal rainfall at the experimental site approximates a normal probability distribution (Hussein et al, 2005) with a mean of 332.4 mm, standard deviation of 102.5 mm, and skewness coefficient of 0.6. The probability of rainfed farming success in dry years will likely increase if a proper land and water management scheme is adopted.…”

Section: Rainfed Farming Guide For the Low Rainfall Zonementioning

confidence: 94%

“…Vegetation water stress is related to soil moisture and the length of time soil moisture is below a given threshold (Manfreda et al, 2010). Time series of soil moisture level during the rainfall season for the low rainfall zone was studied by Hussein et al (2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rainfed farming prospects in the low rainfall zone of northern Iraq based on meteorological and soil moisture measurements

Hussein

2017

J. Aridland Agric.

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More than 50% of the rainfed region in Northern Iraq falls within the low rainfall zone receiving between 300 and 400 mm of mean seasonal rainfall. Several natural runoff plots with access tubes were used to measure soil moisture distribution in depth and time. Measurements during two consecutive rainfall seasons were used to forecast the rainfed farming prospects in the low rainfall zone. The first season is considered wet because it received 568 mm of mean seasonal rainfall; the second rainfall season is considered dry because it received 256 of mean seasonal rainfall. The prospects of tillage systems, fertilization, and soil moisture conservation for a successful rainfed farming (wheat and barley crops) venture in the low rainfall zone were explored, and a rainfed farming guide for this zone was suggested.

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Infiltration and soil water dynamics in a tropical dry forest: it may be dry but definitely not arid

Farrick

Branfireun

2014

Hydrological Processes

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Abstract:Studies of hydrological processes in tropical dry forests are less than 1% of published forest hydrology literature. The strong drywet seasonality typical of the tropical dry forest ecoregion is similar to those that characterize semi-arid regions. In semi-arid systems, infiltration is often limited by low hydraulic conductivities (K) and extreme levels of soil water repellency, which when combined with high rainfall intensities, result in infiltration excess (Hortonian) overland flow (HOF) as a dominant runoff mechanism. Given that little is known about the surface runoff hydrology of tropical dry forests, we tested the hypothesis that our knowledge about controls on runoff in semi-arid systems is transferrable to tropical dry forest hillslopes. Our results show that tropical dry forest soils do develop a strong water repellency during the dry season; however, this does not persist through the wet season. In our period of study, surface K ranged from 9 to 164 mm/h and was greater than the rainfall intensity for more than 75% of the rain events. In our period of study, rainfall intensities were generally low with more than half of the storm events falling between 0.2 and 4.2 mm/h. The low rainfall intensities, high K and lack of repellent surfaces during the wet season result in the percolation of >70% of the annual rainfall through the upper 30 cm of soil, indicating that subsurface flow, not HOF, is the primary runoff mechanism. These findings show that in spite of similar climate and vegetation regimes, hydrological knowledge from semi-arid catchments is not transferrable to tropical dry forests.

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An analysis of rainfall, runoff and erosion in the low rainfall zone of northern Iraq

Cited by 15 publications

References 13 publications

Hydrological and erosional response to natural rainfall in a semi‐arid area of south‐east Spain

Hydrological and erosional response to natural rainfall in a semi‐arid area of south‐east Spain

Rainfed farming prospects in the low rainfall zone of northern Iraq based on meteorological and soil moisture measurements

Infiltration and soil water dynamics in a tropical dry forest: it may be dry but definitely not arid

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