Anne-Véronique Auzet

Hydrological structure and erosion damage caused by concentrated flow in cultivated catchments

This study analyses the between-catchment variability of rill volumes produced by concentrated flow erosion during winter in the northern part of the Paris Basin. The working hypotheses were that (i) runoff concentrates along channels determined by topography or by agricultural practices; (ii) rill length is a major component of rill volume variability on a catchment scale; (iii) rill cross-sectional areas are controlled by the size of upslope runoff-contributing areas connected to the corresponding channels. Two samples, one of 20 zero order catchments and the other of 15 catchments, were surveyed. For each catchment, the runoff collector network was modelled from topographical and agricultural information, and split into homogeneous segments. Each segment was characterized by its slope gradient (SL), the soil susceptibility to rill erosion (SSE) and the size of the upslope runoff-contributing areas (RCA) connected to it. These areas were identified by the structural state of their soil surface. The frequency of rill occurrence was highly correlated with RCA and SL. The rill cross-sectional areas of eroded channels were correlated with RCA, SL and SSE. Catchment erosion rates were estimated by adding together the predicted rill volumes for each segment within the catchment. These estimations were closely correlated with observed rill erosion rates. The relative spatial position of runoff collectors must be taken into account when examining the damage caused by concentrated flow erosion.

SOIL CREEP DYNAMICS, SOIL MOISTURE AND TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS ON A FORESTED SLOPE IN THE GRANITIC VOSGES MOUNTAINS, FRANCE

Soil creep, soil water tension and soil temperature were monitored at the Schildmatt experimental site over a 7 month period, in order to study the dynamics of creep movements measured with a specially designed strain gauge probe. The limited displacements and the very low signals which had to be measured were taken into account in estimating the uncertainty in measurements. The results obtained emphasize the very discontinuous and highly reversible character of the creep movements and their seasonal nature. Displacements occurred mainly during two events: their size were 10 mm and 2 mm, but the overall displacements for the whole intensive study period (January–July 1985) was only 3 mm. The relationships with soil moisture and temperature conditions indicated that ice segregation and saturated conditions are major influences, but more needs to be known about the way they act on soil creep.

Effects of Agricultural Land Use on Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Soil Erosion in Small Catchments: Implications for Modelling

Agricultural land use has important effects on states of the soil surface and on spatial organisation of the catchment, which determines runoff generation and routing. It interacts with geomorphic and climatic conditions to influence the main physical processes involved in soil erosion. Further, it induces great spatial and temporal changes in soil conditions. This paper proposes, in the light of the results of studies that have been carried out in the northern Paris Basin, an approach to take into account these effects and to improve the way to collect input variables for distributed runoff erosion models.