How long should we measure? An exploration of factors controlling the inter-annual variation of catchment sediment yield

Vanmaercke, Matthias; Poesen, Jean; Rãdoane, Mariá; Govers, Gérard; Ocakoğlu, Faruk; Arabkhedri, Mahmood

doi:10.1007/s11368-012-0475-3

Cited by 40 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Notably, in the Grassland B and Arable B catchments, the inter-annual SSY ranges of 42 and 26 t km −2 yr −1 , respectively, were greater than the average annual intercatchment SSY of approximately 24 t km −2 yr −1 for both sites. The variability found within each of the five monitor- ing catchments was comparable to the results of Vanmaercke et al (2012), who reported CV % ranging from 6 to 313 % (median 75 %) in 726 catchments worldwide. The catchment with the lowest inter-annual SSY (11 t km −2 yr −1 ), Grassland A, received the least variable rainfall input and total discharge.…”

Section: Suspended Sediment Metrics In Five Agricultural Catchmentssupporting

confidence: 82%

Investigating suspended sediment dynamics in contrasting agricultural catchments using ex situ turbidity-based suspended sediment monitoring

Sherriff

Rowan

Melland

et al. 2015

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Soil erosion and suspended sediment (SS) pose risks to chemical and ecological water quality. Agricultural activities may accelerate erosional fluxes from bare, poached or compacted soils, and enhance connectivity through modified channels and artificial drainage networks. Storm-event fluxes dominate SS transport in agricultural catchments; therefore, high temporal-resolution monitoring approaches are required, but can be expensive and technically challenging. Here, the performance of in situ turbidity sensors, conventionally installed submerged at the river bankside, is compared with installations where river water is delivered to sensors ex situ, i.e. within instrument kiosks on the riverbank, at two experimental catchments (Grassland B and Arable B). The in situ and ex situ installations gave comparable results when calibrated against storm-period, depth-integrated SS data, with total loads at Grassland B estimated at 12 800 and 15 400 t, and 22 600 and 24 900 t at Arable B, respectively. The absence of spurious turbidity readings relating to bankside debris around the in situ sensor and its greater security make the ex situ sensor more robust. The ex situ approach was then used to characterise SS dynamics and fluxes in five intensively managed agricultural catchments in Ireland which feature a range of landscape characteristics and land use pressures. Average annual suspended sediment concentration (SSC) was below the Freshwater Fish Directive (78/659/EEC) guideline of 25 mg L −1 , and the continuous hourly record demonstrated that exceedance occurred less than 12 % of the observation year. Soil drainage class and proportion of arable land were key controls determining flux rates, but all catchments reported a high degree of inter-annual variability associated with variable precipitation patterns compared to the long-term average. Poorly drained soils had greater sensitivity to runoff and soil erosion, particularly in catchments with periods of bare soils. Well drained soils were less sensitive to erosion even on arable land; however, under extreme rainfall conditions, all bare soils remain a high sediment loss risk. Analysis of storm-period and seasonal dynamics (over the long term) using high-resolution monitoring would be beneficial to further explore the impact of landscape, climate and land use characteristics on SS export.

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Section: Suspended Sediment Metrics In Five Agricultural Catchmentssupporting

confidence: 82%

Investigating suspended sediment dynamics in contrasting agricultural catchments using ex situ turbidity-based suspended sediment monitoring

Sherriff

Rowan

Melland

et al. 2015

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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“…(4) accounts for the fact that average SY-values are also subjected to uncertainties related to year-to-year variations in sediment export. Based on long term (N30 years) SY time series for 202 catchments worldwide, Vanmaercke et al (2012b) found that year-to-year variations in SY can be well described by Weibull distributions (with as median parameters: λ = 172.7 and k = 1.22) and that this variability does not clearly depend on specific catchment characteristics (e.g. land use, catchment scale, topography, etc.).…”

Section: Assessing the Uncertainty On The Human Impact Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying human impacts on catchment sediment yield: A continental approach

Vanmaercke

Poesen

Govers

et al. 2015

Global and Planetary Change

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“…García‐Ruiz et al . () identified the need for new management guidelines based on comparable data sets from long‐term monitoring in a variety of environments (Vanmaercke et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal variability and time compression of sediment yield in small Mediterranean catchments: impacts for land and water management

Smetanová

Bissonnais

Raclot

et al. 2018

Soil Use and Management

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Increased soil erosion, pressure on agricultural land, and climate change highlight the need for new management methods to mitigate soil loss. Management strategies should utilize comparable data sets of long‐term soil erosion monitoring across multiple environments. Adaptive soil erosion management in regions with intense precipitation requires an understanding of inter‐annual variability in sediment yield (SY) at regional scales. Here, a novel approach is proposed for analysing regional SY. We aimed to (i) investigate factors controlling inter‐ and intra‐annual SY, (ii) combine seasonality and time compression analyses to explore SY variability and (iii) discuss management implications for different Mediterranean environments. Continuous SY measurements totalling 104 years for eight small catchments were used to describe SY variability, which ranged from 0 to 271 t/ha/year and 0 to 116 t/ha/month. Maximum SY occurs in spring to summer for catchments with oceanic climates, while semi‐arid or dry summer climates experience SY minimums. We identified three time compression patterns at each time scale. Time compression was most intense for catchments with minimum SY in spring to summer. Low time compression was linked to very high soil loss, low run‐off and sediment production thresholds, and high connectivity. Reforestation, grassland and terracing changed SY magnitudes and time compression, but failed to reduce SY for large storm events. Periods with a high probability of high SY were identified using a combination of intra‐annual SY variability, seasonality analysis, and time compression analysis. Focusing management practices on monthly flow events, which account for the majority of SY, will optimise returns in Mediterranean catchments.

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How long should we measure? An exploration of factors controlling the inter-annual variation of catchment sediment yield

Cited by 40 publications

References 52 publications

Investigating suspended sediment dynamics in contrasting agricultural catchments using ex situ turbidity-based suspended sediment monitoring

Investigating suspended sediment dynamics in contrasting agricultural catchments using ex situ turbidity-based suspended sediment monitoring

Quantifying human impacts on catchment sediment yield: A continental approach

Temporal variability and time compression of sediment yield in small Mediterranean catchments: impacts for land and water management

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