Changes in Soil Quality and Hydrological Connectivity Caused by the Abandonment of Terraces in a Mediterranean Burned Catchment

Calsamiglia, Aleix; Lucas‐Borja, Manuel Esteban; Fortesa, Josep; García-Comendador, Julián; Estrany, Joan

doi:10.3390/f8090333

Cited by 33 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…To date, changes in hydrological and sediment connectivity have not often been studied in relation to wildfire. Some studies linked connectivity to exploring post‐wildfire hydrological and erosion responses or soil degradation (Calsamiglia et al, 2018; Calsamiglia, Lucas‐Borja, Fortesa, García‐Comendador, & Estrany, 2017; Estrany et al, 2019; Fernández et al, 2020; Martínez‐Murillo & López‐Vicente, 2018). These studies were conducted at a smaller scale (< 5km 2 ), which makes the results difficult to compare to our study at larger‐scale catchment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing the impacts of wildfire and meteorological variability on hydrological and erosion responses in a Mediterranean catchment

Nunes

2020

Land Degrad Dev

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Land degradation and water resources pollution caused by catastrophic wildfires is of growing concern in fire‐prone regions. Studies on the effects of wildfire on hydrology and erosion have mostly been conducted at plot or hillslope scale, while relatively few studies investigated post‐wildfire hydrological responses and erosion at the meso‐catchment scale (~ > 10 km2) in the Mediterranean. This study used measured discharge and suspended sediment at the outlet of a burnt catchment in southern Portugal, before and after a wildfire, to investigate post‐wildfire changes in hydrological and erosion responses to rainfall. Hydrological and sediment connectivity patterns were derived to investigate changing dynamics induced by the fire within the catchment. The main findings were: (a) although a large part of the catchment experienced moderate to high severity burning, post‐wildfire hydro‐sedimentary response was considerably limited; (b) meteorological variability determined hydrological responses and erosion more strongly than wildfire effects; and (c) during the post‐wildfire vegetation recovery period, only rainfall events with a high return period (~ 2 years) enhanced the hydrological and erosion responses. This can be explained by the spatial scale dependency of these processes and limited fine sediment supply, or relatively low connectivity in the study catchment. While connectivity is only an indicator, this implies that, at the meso‐catchment scale, pollution of downstream water bodies by contaminated soil and ash may not occur immediately. Rather, because sediments and associated ashes and contaminants are first being transported to the areas around the stream networks, they only reach the outlet during heavy events which do connect the entire catchment. Thus, dynamic indices of connectivity that take rainfall event characteristics into consideration need to be further tested to assess and manage post‐wildfire soil and water contamination risk.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing the impacts of wildfire and meteorological variability on hydrological and erosion responses in a Mediterranean catchment

Nunes

2020

Land Degrad Dev

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“…Terracing also generally leads to slope lengths below 20 m in agricultural fields of the Macieira catchment, limiting sediment connectivity when compared with burnt forest slopes (Nunes, Bernard‐Jannin, et al, 2018). However, this is only true of active agriculture areas such as Macieira; in abandoned and revegetated areas common elsewhere in the Mediterranean, terrace abandonment might actually increase the connectivity after fires (Calsamiglia, Lucas‐Borja, Fortesa, García‐Comendador, & Estrany, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…F I G U R E 6 Detailed 2 min streamflow and sediment concentration data for the seven events with the highest sediment yields, including events from the pre-fire year (2010/11; a), the second post-fire disturbed year (2012/13; b to e) and the third post-fire recovered year (2013/14; f and g); for each event, the left panel shows the hydrograph and sedigraph while the right panel shows a plot of streamflow versus sediment concentration, separating between the rising and descending limb of the sedigraph, with numbers indicating temporal order of occurrence within the storm Terracing also generally leads to slope lengths below 20 m in agricultural fields of the Macieira catchment, limiting sediment connectivity when compared with burnt forest slopes (Nunes, Bernard-Jannin, et al, 2018). However, this is only true of active agriculture areas such as Macieira; in abandoned and revegetated areas common elsewhere in the Mediterranean, terrace abandonment might actually increase the connectivity after fires (Calsamiglia, Lucas-Borja, Fortesa, García-Comendador, & Estrany, 2017).…”

Section: Erosion Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of wildfire and post‐fire land management on hydrological and sediment processes in a humid Mediterranean headwater catchment

Nunes

Bernard-Jannin

Rodríguez‐Blanco

et al. 2020

Hydrological Processes

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The extensive afforestation of the Mediterranean rim of Europe in recent decades has increased the number of wildfire disturbances on hydrological and sediment processes, but the impacts on headwater catchments is still poorly understood, especially when compared with the previous agricultural landscape. This work monitored an agroforestry catchment in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula, with plantation forests mixed with traditional agriculture using soil conservation practices, for one year before the fire and for three years afterwards, during which period the burnt area was ploughed and reforested. During this period, continuous data was collected for meteorology, streamflow and sediment concentration at the outlet, erosion features were mapped and measured after major rainfall events, and channel sediment dynamics were monitored downstream from the agricultural and the burnt forest area. Data from 202 rainfall events with over 10 mm was analysed in detail. Results show that the fire led to a notable impact on sediment processes during the first two post-fire years, but not on streamflow processes; this despite the small size of the burnt area (10% of the catchment) and the occurrence of a severe drought in the first year after the fire. During this period, soil loss at the burnt forest slopes was much larger than that at most traditionally managed fields, and, ultimately, led to sediment exhaustion. At the catchment scale, storm characteristics were the dominant factor behind streamflow and sediment yield both before and after the fire. However, the data indicated a shift from detachment-limited sediment yield before the fire, to transport-limited sediment yield afterwards, with important increases in streamflow sediment concentration. This indicates that even small fires can temporarily change sediment processes in agroforestry catchments, with potential negative consequences for downstream water quality.

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“…Forests replacing cultivated land have altered floristic composition compared to the original vegetation, which brings about modification of the structure, stand density, and regeneration capacity. This process has altered ecosystem functionality and resilience, sometimes promoting wildfires and in turn leading to changes in soil quality that have enhanced erosion and land degradation [173]. In the Czech Republic, abandonment has occurred mainly in less suitable areas for agriculture, i.e., in mountain and sub-mountain landscapes.…”

Section: Loss Of Natural Habitats and Biodiversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Envisioning Present and Future Land-Use Change under Varying Ecological Regimes and Their Influence on Landscape Stability

et al. 2019

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Climate change plays an important role in shaping ecological stability of landscape systems. Increasing weather fluctuations such as droughts threaten the ecological stability of natural and anthropogenic landscapes. Uncertainty exists regarding the validity of traditional landscape assessment schemes under climate change. This commentary debates the main factors that threaten ecological stability, discussing basic approaches to interpret landscape functioning. To address this pivotal issue, the intimate linkage between ecological stability and landscape diversity is explored, considering different approaches to landscape stability assessment. The impact of land-use changes on landscape stability is finally discussed. Assessment methodologies and indicators are reviewed and grouped into homogeneous classes based on a specific nomenclature of stability aspects which include landscape composition, fragmentation and connectivity, thermodynamic and functional issues, biodiversity, soil degradation, and ecological disturbance. By considering land-use change as one of the most important factors underlying climate change, individual components of landscape stability are finally delineated and commented upon. In this regard, specific trajectories of land-use change (including agricultural intensification, land abandonment, and urbanization) are investigated for their effects on ecological stability. A better understanding of land-use impacts on landscape stability is crucial for a better knowledge of processes leading to land degradation.

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Changes in Soil Quality and Hydrological Connectivity Caused by the Abandonment of Terraces in a Mediterranean Burned Catchment

Cited by 33 publications

References 52 publications

Comparing the impacts of wildfire and meteorological variability on hydrological and erosion responses in a Mediterranean catchment

Comparing the impacts of wildfire and meteorological variability on hydrological and erosion responses in a Mediterranean catchment

Impacts of wildfire and post‐fire land management on hydrological and sediment processes in a humid Mediterranean headwater catchment

Envisioning Present and Future Land-Use Change under Varying Ecological Regimes and Their Influence on Landscape Stability

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