Topographical surveying for improved assessment of sediment retention in check dams applied to a Mediterranean badlands restoration site (Central Spain)

Díaz, Virginia; Mongil, J.; Navarro, Juan Ignacio Santisteban

doi:10.1007/s11368-014-0958-5

Cited by 43 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The results of our study are very meaningful because they show that the results of the sediment volume obtained by other authors who have used some of the less approximated methods over the years in different badland areas (Romero‐Díaz et al ., ; Castillo et al ., ; Boix‐Fayos et al ., ; Nyssen et al ., ; Sougnez et al ., ; Bellin et al ., ; Vanacker et al ., ; Díaz et al ., , ; Zema et al ., ; Quiñonero et al ., ; Ramos‐Diez et al ., , , ) should be reviewed, in most cases, in order to improve the sediment yield rates or, in other cases, to obtain improved values of the sediment trapped by the check dams in the evaluated areas. The results of the volumes obtained in other areas worldwide could also be adjusted to their possible reality so that they could then be compared with one another.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More detailed information about the methods can be found in Díaz et al . () and Ramos‐Diez et al . ().…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Subsequently, the volume of sediment trapped by each check dam was determined once again using the most widely used methods to estimate it. The six methods evaluated here to calculate the volume of trapped sediment were the prism (Castillo et al ., ), pyramid (Romero‐Díaz et al ., ), Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) (Sougnez et al ., ), trapezoids (Bellin et al ., ), sections (Díaz et al ., ) and geometric (Ramos‐Diez et al ., ) methods.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, Díaz et al . (, ) measured the variability of the stream beds and the shape of the sediment wedges topographically, with the aim of achieving the highest possible levels of precision and accuracy for the subsequent calculations. They thus achieved a closer approximation to the real shape of the volume of the sediment wedges under study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Final Analysis of the Accuracy and Precision of Methods to Calculate the Sediment Retained by Check Dams

et al. 2017

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Knowing how much sediment check dams have trapped during their lifespan is essential to estimate their effectiveness or the sediment yields of their basins. Methods to calculate the volume of sediment trapped by check dams play an important role in the understanding of these issues. Several authors have proposed different methods to measure the volume of retained sediment, but their accuracy has, as yet, not been precisely determined and is currently a subject of debate. We compare the most frequently used methods (geometric: prism, pyramid and geometric; topographic: Digital Terrain Models (DTMs), trapezoids and sections methods) to evaluate their accuracy and precision in determining the volume of sediment retained by check dams. Our calculations are based on ten virtual check dams simulated in several gullies of Saldaña (Spain), where we determine their volumetric capacity for trapping sediment (real volume). This was made by means of an intensive topographic survey of these gullies, employing a terrestrial laser scanning system to obtain a high‐resolution digital elevation model (5 × 5 cm, ±2 mm). The results showed that topographic methods provided a very good fit to real volume with a difference of around 8%, being the sections method the most accurate. Geometric methods were less accurate, showing differences of up to 28%. Thus, the results obtained until now by geometric methods should be considered with caution. Although topographic methods were more accurate, they require many field data and much time than the others. So geometric methods can still be useful by correcting their results using our obtained percentage of variation. Knowing the accuracy of the methods before measuring is essential to obtain the most reliable results to analyse the role of check dams in controlling sediment, erosion processes and land degradation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More detailed information about the methods can be found in Díaz et al . () and Ramos‐Diez et al . ().…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Final Analysis of the Accuracy and Precision of Methods to Calculate the Sediment Retained by Check Dams

et al. 2017

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“…As the Chinese Loess Plateau has experienced serious soil erosion in recent decades, the central government has carried out a variety of erosion control measures in the region (Feng et al, ), including converting croplands on steep slopes to forests, grasslands, and terraces and building check‐dams in gullies (Gao, Kang, Xu, Jiang, & Yang, ). Afforestation and check‐dam construction are two basic techniques for controlling erosion and sediment emission for soil conservation (Díaz, Mongil, & Navarro, ; Mongil‐Manso, Navarro‐Hevia, Díaz‐Gutiérrez, Cruz‐Alonso, & Ramos‐Díez, ; Navarro, De Araújo, & Mongil, ). The effectiveness of sediment trapping depends on the synergistic management of these measures, which have been in operation for several decades, and the effectiveness of afforestation on the hillslopes has been extensively evaluated (Mount et al, ; Verstraeten & Prosser, ; Li, Yao, Ding, Yang, & Chen, ; Feng et al, ; Quiñonero‐Rubio, Nadeu, Boix‐Fayos, & Vente, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The synergistic effects of afforestation and the construction of check‐dams on sediment trapping: Four decades of evolution on the Loess Plateau, China

Liu

Feng

et al. 2019

Land Degrad Dev

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Soil erosion represents a major environmental threat to ecosystems. Effective sediment trapping relies on the cooperation of multiple soil erosion control measures. However, findings on the synergistic effects of multiple soil erosion control measures are still lacking, in particular on a large spatial scale. This study provides a first attempt to analyze four decades of data from the 1980s to the 2010s on the Loess Plateau. The analysis combines the spatial investigation of check‐dam construction in gullies, afforestation on hillslopes, and station‐observed sediment yield within the evaluation framework of the Water and Tillage Erosion Model/Sediment Delivery Model. The results indicate two periods of effective sediment trapping on the Loess Plateau in the last four decades: 1980s–1990s and 2000s–2010s. Check‐dam construction was the main driver of reduced sediment yields before the 1990s. Massive afforestation played an increasingly important role beginning in 1999. The synergistic effects of afforestation and the construction of check‐dams in the period from the 2000s to the 2015 include not only the effective trapping of sediment but also the improvements in the resistance of ecosystems to climate change. These results improve our understanding of the synergistic effects of multiple soil erosion control measures on sediment trapping. The findings support a rational collocation of different soil erosion control measures to support comprehensive management in erosion‐prone regions.

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Why do we build check dams in Alpine streams? An historical perspective from the French experience

Piton

Carladous

Recking

et al. 2016

Earth Surf Processes Landf

126

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For more than 150 years, humans have tried to limit the geomorphic activity of mountain streams, and the related damage, using torrent control works. Check dams are likely the most emblematic civil engineering structures used in soil conservation programs. Modern mountain societies have inherited thousands of these structures built in upland gullies and streams. To help define their effectiveness and decisions concerning their maintenance or new project designs, a clear understanding of potential effects of check dams on river systems, i.e. their functions, is first needed. The next steps concern quantitative assessments of each function on the flood features and combination of all effects. The present understanding of these sometimes old structures' functions can be complicated because the societal and environmental contexts in which the original structures were built may have changed. To bridge this gap, this paper traces the purposes for which check dams were built, through a detailed analysis of French archives. We first analyze chronologically how each function was theorized and applied in the field. In the nineteenth century, engineers developed a thorough empirical and conceptual knowledge of mountain soil erosion, torrential geomorphology, and sediment transport processes as well as check dam interactions with these natural processes. The second part of this paper synthesizes conceptual descriptions of the check dams' functions, in the light of more than 150 years of experience, with their implication on the features of the structures. The French experience is compared to other countries' pioneering works. Finally, the next steps and remaining research challenges toward a comprehensive analysis of check dams' efficiency in torrent hazard mitigation are presented. This analysis is proposed to remind how, conceptually, check dams may influence geomorphic systems, bearing in mind the knowledge represented in pioneer guidelines and recent works on the subject.

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Topographical surveying for improved assessment of sediment retention in check dams applied to a Mediterranean badlands restoration site (Central Spain)

Cited by 43 publications

References 22 publications

Final Analysis of the Accuracy and Precision of Methods to Calculate the Sediment Retained by Check Dams

Final Analysis of the Accuracy and Precision of Methods to Calculate the Sediment Retained by Check Dams

The synergistic effects of afforestation and the construction of check‐dams on sediment trapping: Four decades of evolution on the Loess Plateau, China

Why do we build check dams in Alpine streams? An historical perspective from the French experience

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