Taming the torrents: The hydrological impacts of ancient terracing practices in Jordan

Qudah, Khaldoon Al; Abdelal, Qasem; Hamarneh, Catreena; Abu-Jaber, Nizar

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.09.061

Cited by 17 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The excavating archaeologists interpret this layer as a large fire that might have destroyed the settlement and led to an enrichment of ash [60], but it seems strange how such amounts could accumulate and why it was largely free of charcoal. A small Dicotyledon charcoal fragment could be separated by flotation and was submitted to 14 C dating (sample Shakarat Msaid 4). The upper 70 cm of the sediments covering the ruins, however, seemed rather disturbed by terrace farming during antiquity and recent bulldozing during construction of a road and were, thus, not further studied.…”

Section: Appendix A24 Shkarat Msaied Hilltop Ruinmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Loess sediments also played a role for human activities during antiquity in the arid and semi-arid southern Levant. Specific adapted land use strategies, such as terraced runoff farming, harvested rainwater and sediments, enabling flourishing ancient cities like Avdat and Petra [13,14]. Loess in southern Jordan has been postulated [15,16], but has hardly been investigated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Character, Rates, and Environmental Significance of Holocene Dust Accumulation in Archaeological Hilltop Ruins in the Southern Levant

et al. 2019

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Loess accumulated in the Negev desert during the Pleistocene and primary and secondary loess remains cover large parts of the landscape. Holocene loess deposits are however absent. This could be due low accumulation rates, lack of preservation, and higher erosion rates in comparison to the Pleistocene. This study hypothesized that archaeological ruins preserve Holocene dust. We studied soils developed on archaeological hilltop ruins in the Negev and the Petra region and compared them with local soils, paleosols, geological outcrops, and current dust. Seven statistically modeled grain size end-members were identified and demonstrate that the ruin soils in both regions consist of mixtures of local and remote sediment sources that differ from dust compositions deposited during current storms. This discrepancy is attributed to fixation processes connected with sediment-fixing agents such as vegetation, biocrusts, and/or clast pavements associated with vesicular layers. Average dust accretion rates in the ruins are estimated to be~0.14 mm/a, suggesting that 30% of the current dust that can be trapped with dry marble dust collectors has been stored in the ruin soils. Deposition amounts and grain sizes do not significantly correlate with wind intensity. However, precipitation may have contributed to dust accretion. A snowstorm in the Petra region delivered a significantly higher amount of sediment than rain or dry deposition. Snowfall dust had a unique particle size distribution relatively similar to the ruin soils. Wet deposition and snow might catalyze dust deposition and enhance fixation by fostering vegetation and crust formation. More frequent snowfall during the Pleistocene may have been an important mechanism of primary loess deposition in the southern Levant.

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Section: Appendix A24 Shkarat Msaied Hilltop Ruinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Character, Rates, and Environmental Significance of Holocene Dust Accumulation in Archaeological Hilltop Ruins in the Southern Levant

et al. 2019

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“…Average sedimentation rates in the hilltop ruins were recently calculated [19] (pp. [12][13][14][15]. Sedimentation rates in other structures were calculated in the current study (Table 5).…”

Section: Sediment Ages and Sedimentation Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Composition of Modern Dust and Holocene Aeolian Sediments in Archaeological Structures of the Southern Levant

et al. 2019

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Archaeological structures are often filled with sediments and may serve as effective dust traps. The physical parameters and chemical composition of archaeological soils in hilltop ruins, ancient runoff-collecting terraces, and cleanout spoils of cisterns were determined in the Petra region in southern Jordan and the Northern Negev in Israel. Different types of ruins are characterized by certain soil structures, but could not be distinguished with regard to substrate composition. This reflects a predominance of aeolian processes for primary sedimentation, while fluvial processes seem to only re-distribute aeolian material. In the Petra region, the physical and chemical properties of all archaeological soils show a significant local contribution from associated weathered rocks. Compared to modern settled dust, archaeological soils in Southern Jordan are enriched with various major and trace elements associated with clays and oxide coatings of fine silt particles. This seems connected with preferential fixation of silt and clay by surface crusts, and a role of moisture in sedimentation processes as calcareous silt was found to be deposited in greater amounts when associated with precipitation. In contrast, the contribution of rocks is negligible in the Negev due to greater rock hardness and abundant biological crusts that seal surfaces. Archaeological soils in the Negev are chemically similar to current settled dust, which consists of complex mixtures of local and remote sources, including significant portions of recycled material from paleosols. Archaeological soils are archives of Holocene dust sources and aeolian sedimentation processes, with accretion rates exceeding those of Pleistocene hilltop loess in the Negev. Comparison with Pleistocene paleosols suggests that dust sources did not change significantly, but disappearance of snow could have reduced dust accumulation during the Holocene.

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“…Indeed, several terraced landscapes around the world are affected by land degradation phenomena, such as the sudden collapse of dry‐stone walls, small mass movements, sheet erosion and piping (Tarolli et al , ; Arnáez et al , ). Recent studies have reported the close link among terraced land management, soil erosion and instability problems (Brandolini et al , ; Al Qudah et al , ; Tarolli et al , ; Arnáez et al , ; see Tarolli et al , for a comprehensive review), and it is now clear that the maintenance of terraces represents a primary geo‐hydrological hazard mitigation and soil conservation measure (Brandolini et al , ; Preti et al , ). However, a clear description of terrace subsoil structure and its influence on water circulation is missing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conceptualization of Water Flow Pathways in Agricultural Terraced Landscapes

et al. 2017

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Agricultural terraces are often subject to degradation issues related to water movement. A better understanding of the main hydrological processes that govern surface and subsurface water flow pathways and that are responsible for terrace failure and dry-stone wall collapse is essential for appropriate water resource management and rural landscape maintenance in terraced areas. However, a clear conceptualization of different hydrological functioning related to wall instability issues is still missing. In this study, we monitored a terrace system in a hilly site of central Italy cultivated with vineyards. We adopted a multidisciplinary approach based on soil analysis, different geophysical techniques, hydrological monitoring, high-resolution grid terrain analysis and field experiments (infiltration and flooding tests) aiming to: (i) obtain new information of terrace soil and subsoil structure; (ii) test the hypothesis on wall instability based on the formation of preferential flow and water accumulation behind the wall; and (iii) develop a conceptual model of water circulation in agricultural terraces. Our results indicate that terrace soil was highly heterogeneous, including discontinuities and piping systems that facilitated a rapid infiltration and the development of fast subsurface flow. Groundwater rise did not occur, as observed in other terraced sites, but infiltrated water accumulated behind dry-stone walls, increasing pore water pressure and inducing wall bulging and instability. Our findings provided new field evidences of water circulation and led to the definition of a novel paradigm of hydrological functioning of farming terraced systems for addressing more efficient management and maintenance issues in these vulnerable landscapes. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

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Taming the torrents: The hydrological impacts of ancient terracing practices in Jordan

Cited by 17 publications

References 15 publications

Character, Rates, and Environmental Significance of Holocene Dust Accumulation in Archaeological Hilltop Ruins in the Southern Levant

Character, Rates, and Environmental Significance of Holocene Dust Accumulation in Archaeological Hilltop Ruins in the Southern Levant

Composition of Modern Dust and Holocene Aeolian Sediments in Archaeological Structures of the Southern Levant

Conceptualization of Water Flow Pathways in Agricultural Terraced Landscapes

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