Suspended sediment dynamics in a large regulated river over a 10-year period (the lower Ebro, NE Iberian Peninsula)

Tena, Álvaro; Batalla, Ramón J.; Vericat, Damià; López‐Tarazón, José A.

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.07.029

Cited by 65 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Bed degradation and the development of bed armouring and channel narrowing have been detected in several tributaries in the Rhône basin Piégay, 2001, 2002), and in Pyrenean rivers (Beguería et al, 2006), whereas some Italian rivers underwent a change from braiding toward single-thread channels (Surian et al, 2010;Comiti et al, 2011), with extensive streambed degradation threatening the stability of infrastructure, as has occurred in the Arno River (Billi and Rinaldi, 1997) Mediterranean deltas have also been destabilized by the construction of large reservoirs, which behave as sediment traps, reducing sediment transfer towards the sea (Tena et al, 2011).…”

Section: Land-use Intensification and Extensificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: Changes and future challenges

et al. 2013

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Intense erosion processes are widespread in the Mediterranean region, and include sheet wash erosion, rilling, gullying, shallow landsliding, and the development of large and active badlands in both subhumid and semi-arid areas. This review analyses the main environmental and human features related to soil erosion processes, and the main factors that explain the extreme variability of factors influencing soil erosion, particularly recent land use changes. The importance of erosion in the Mediterranean is related to the long history of human activity in a region characterized by low levels of annual precipitation, the occurrence of intense rainstorms and long-lasting droughts, high evapotranspiration, the presence of steep slopes and the occurrence of recent tectonic activity, together with the recurrent use of fire, overgrazing and farming. These factors have resulted in a complex landscape in which intensification and abandonment, wealth and poverty can co-exist. The changing conditions of national and international markets and the evolution of population pressure are now the main drivers explaining land use changes, including farmland abandonment in mountain areas, the expansion of some subsidized crops to marginal lands, and the development of new terraces affected by landslides and intense soil erosion during extreme rainstorm events. The occurrence of human-related forest fires affecting thousands of hectares each year is an increasing problem in both the northern and southern areas of the Mediterranean basin. Here, we highlight the rise of new scientific challenges in controlling the negative consequences of soil erosion in the Mediterranean region: (i) to reduce the effects and extent of forest fires, and restructure the spatial organization of abandoned landscapes; (ii) to provide guidance for making EU agricultural policy more adapted to the complexity and fragility of Mediterranean environments; (iii) to develop field methods and models to improve the identification of runoff and sediment contributing areas; (iv) to contribute to the conservation of landscapes (i.e. bench-terraced fields) having high cultural and productivity values; (v) to improve knowledge of the hydrological and geomorphological functioning of badlands, with the aim of reducing sediment yield and accessibility; (vi) to better understand the effect of climate change on soil erosion in the Mediterranean region; and (vii) to improve quantitative information on long-term soil erosion. COVER LETTER

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Section: Land-use Intensification and Extensificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: Changes and future challenges

et al. 2013

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“…Previous studies have shown that precipitation-driven storm flows often display dramatically different suspended sediment behavior in comparison to flows attributed to interflow, ground water discharge, or recharge-oriented dam releases (winter recessional or summer base flow), due primarily to the increased contribution of hillslope and channel margin sediment from precipitation events (Lana-Renault et al, 2007;López-Tarazón et al, 2010;Oeurng et al, 2010;Tena et al, 2011;Gao and Josefson, 2012). Lack of sensitivity in the lower Salinas further supports the idea that the channel plays a significant role in moderating In-channel storage has been found to play a significant role in fine sediment dynamics in other rivers, with fine sediment content of 0.04-8.0 g/cm 2 reported for a wide range of rivers using a method that involved the agitation of the top 5-10 cm of bed material (Lambert and Walling, 1988;Walling and Quine, 1993;Droppo and Stone, 1994;Walling et al, 1998.…”

Section: Channel Mediationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suspended sediment behavior in a coastal dry-summer subtropical catchment: Effects of hydrologic preconditions

Gray¹,

Warrick²,

Pasternack³

et al. 2014

Geomorphology

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“…These dam constructions have had a major impact on the overall sediment transport to the Mediterranean Sea. The most striking example is the Ebro River where the recent sediment flux (0.092 × 10 6 t yr −1 ) represents less than 1 % of what was transported before the period of dam constructions (Tena et al, 2011). In comparison, two other French rivers (Garonne River and Dordogne River) flowing into the Gironde estuary exhibited TSM (2.4 × 10 6 t yr −1 and 0.8 × 10 6 t yr −1 , respectively) and POC (7.2 × 10 4 t yr −1 and 4.7 × 10 4 t yr −1 , respectively) fluxes, varying within the same ranges as our Rhône River fluxes (Schäfer et al, 2002).…”

Section: Biogeosciencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeochemical characterization of the riverine particulate organic matter transferred to the NW Mediterranean Sea

et al. 2014

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Abstract.A large amount of terrestrial organic matter is annually delivered by rivers to the continental shelf, where this material is either degraded, buried or transferred to the deep sea by hydrodynamic processes such as storms. The relative amount of terrestrial organic matter in the marine sediments is often determined by analysing the stable isotopes (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) and the C / N ratio of organic matter because the various particulate organic matter (POM) sources have distinct isotopic compositions. With the objective to refine and better interpret POM sources in the marine environment, we have characterized monthly terrestrial POM delivered by eight rivers discharging to the NW Mediterranean Sea: the Rhône, Hérault, Orb, Aude, Têt, Fluvià, Ter and Tordera rivers. These rivers were simultaneously sampled from November 2008 to December 2009 and the concentrations of total suspended matter (TSM), particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PN), as well as their stable isotopic ratios (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) were determined.During the survey, three rainstorm events with winds coming from the E-NE and the S-SE impacted the NW Mediterranean. Depending on the direction of incoming winds, the fluvial response (amount of water discharge and TSM) was different. Rivers draining the Alps (Rhône River) and Central Massif (Hérault, Orb, and Aude rivers) were mostly impacted by rainstorms associated with winds coming from the S-SE, while rivers draining the Pyrenees (Têt, Fluvià, and Ter rivers) and the Montseny Massif (Tordera River) were impacted by rainstorms associated with winds coming from the E-NE. In addition, the spatial evolution of water discharges shows a different hydrological regime of the Rhône River, with relatively constant and high water stages and TSM concentrations when compared to coastal rivers, characterized by long periods of low water stages. TSM concentrations are positively correlated to water discharges (high water flows resuspended riverbed sediments) but show an inverse relationship with POC and PN relative contents (mostly due to dilution and by low availability of light in river waters during flood events). TSM in most of the coastal rivers have on average 2.5-3 times higher POC and PN mean contents than the Rhône River (8.5 and 1.5 %, respectively, for coastal rivers compared to 3.6 and 0.5 %, respectively, for the Rhône River). This discrepancy may be caused by the long drought periods in small coastal Mediterranean watersheds that enhance the eutrophication in studied coastal rivers. The δ 13 C ratios of organic matter also reflect this discrepancy between high and low water stages with values ranging from −33.2 to −24.5 ‰. The enriched 13 C values (−26.3 ± 0.4 ‰ for the Rhône River and −26.9 ± 1.2 ‰ for coastal rivers), measured during high water stages, express mostly a mixture of terrestrial source (plant remains and soils) whereas

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Suspended sediment dynamics in a large regulated river over a 10-year period (the lower Ebro, NE Iberian Peninsula)

Cited by 65 publications

References 27 publications

Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: Changes and future challenges

Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: Changes and future challenges

Suspended sediment behavior in a coastal dry-summer subtropical catchment: Effects of hydrologic preconditions

Biogeochemical characterization of the riverine particulate organic matter transferred to the NW Mediterranean Sea

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