Norbert Silvera

Microrelief induced by tillage: measurement and modelling of Surface Storage Capacity

Abstract The micro-topography of a groundnut plot in Senegal has been recorded over a full cultivation cycle, using an automated device able to measure 16.2 m2 at every 5 cm with an accuracy of 1 mm. Tillage is horse drawn, perpendicular to the general slope, and generates oriented microreliefs. Surface Storage Capacity (SSC) was calculated on both raw and slope-detrended surfaces. Additionally, various boundary conditions (BC) were used: no-wall; three-wall (up, left and right); or mirror (the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) surrounded by eight alternately reversed images of itself). SSC is more affected by these variants than by the variations of microrelief itself. Whatever the calculation method, SSC (as well as random roughness), follows a decreasing exponential with cumulated rainfall, but the coefficients of the exponential differ widely to each other. This suggests that SSC values could be of little use when they are obtained on various slopes, arbitrarily detrended or not, and calculated with arbitrary BC. We suggest a simple geometric model to characterise the way microrelief empties as the slope increases. The model has two calibrated depth-ratio parameters, one in each direction. It gives a more coherent framework for calculation and use of SSC. The model was applied to one of the DEMs of the data set, sampled after the first rain following hoeing. With the mirror-BC and detrended slope, SSC was 3.6 mm. Microrelief was found to behave in the same proportions, when tilted, than a tetrahedral container 94 times wider than deeper in the tillage direction and 11 times perpendicularly. This model represents the volume of surface water that cannot flow in any direction. With three-wall-BC, SSC was 6.7 mm, 1.4 mm remaining on the plot whatever the slope angle, and 5.3 mm behaving the same as a container 69 times wider than deeper. A possible use of this model is illustrated with an attempt to upscale the sampled plot to the watershed to which it belongs.

Raindrop erosion of tillage induced microrelief: possible use of the diffusion equation

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the possibility of using the diffusion equation for raindrop erosion modelling. We wanted in particular to know if such a model could provide accurate interpolations of microrelief between two known dates. In a theoretical section, we show that the assumption that soil particles follow parabolic trajectories when splashed by raindrop impacts leads to a diffusion equation. This equation suggests a linear relation between Dz, the variation of height between two dates, and the Laplacianr 2 z (r 2 za@ 2 z/@x 2 a@ 2 z/@y 2 ). This relation is confirmed by data from a simulated rainfall experiment carried out in the sandy soils of the Senegalese groundnut belt. Four square plots of side 4 m each were used. They were hoed with a traditional horse-drawn three-tined hoe. Three rains of 70 mm h ˇ1 lasting 30 min each were applied. An automated relief meter designed and constructed by the authors was used to measure the distribution of heights for every 5 cm before the first rain, and after the first and the third rains. The mean correlation coefficient of the model was 62% for the first rain and 46% for the next two rains. Besides raindrop erosion, compaction occurred during the first rain. Adding a crude description of compaction enhanced the mean of the correlation coefficients of the model up to 70% for the first rain. Furthermore, the coefficient of variation of the four adjusted total diffusion lessens from 10 to 6%. The simulated surfaces were smoother than the real ones, which was an expected result, but the surface storage capacity was overestimated. The latter result illustrates the role of runoff in shaping the flow paths it follows and, consequently, in lessening the surface storage capacity. The main conclusion is that the diffusion equation provides a promising frame for further development of models simulating microrelief evolution during rainfall. Another conclusion is that these models should integrate existing routines for runoff erosion at small scale in order to simulate surfaces with realistic hydraulic properties. # 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

Relationship between raindrop erosion and runoff erosion under simulated rainfall in the Sudano-Sahel: consequences for the spread of nematodes by runoff

This paper presents a rainfall simulation experiment carried out on three 50 m2 plots in the Senegalese groundnut belt. One plot was not cultivated. Groundnut and millet had previously been grown in the other two. The experiment consisted of three rain events applied over 5 days at the end of the dry season. Erosion was monitored inside the plots by the use of a relief meter and, at their outlets, by sampling the discharge. The number of indigenous nematodes, and an exotic species introduced before the first rain event, was monitored in the soil and in the discharge. This experiment allows, for the first time, a set of simple hypotheses to be proposed to explain the spread of nematodes by the runoff: raindrop impacts on the soil surface set them in suspension; then, their low bulk density and their relatively large size do not allow them to settle when the raindrops shake the water surface. Thus, nematodes follow the flow path where they are as far as its velocity remains significant. The biological aspects are decisive in the mobility of nematodes, which can vary by a factor of 100 depending on the trophic groups. A very high raindrop erosion occurred during the experiment, up to 60 tons per hectare for the first rain event after hoeing. This represents more than 40 per cent of the volume of soil previously moved by soil work. The geometric properties of the plough, and their hydraulic consequences, appear very ephemeral. And yet these large movements of soil inside the plots are little related to the sediment load at the outlet, which follows its own rules. Analysis of the results indicates that the carrying capacity of the runoff at the scale of 10 m2, on gentle slopes ploughed perpendicular to the slope, could not be directly calculable from the discharge. It could depend on the history of past discharges because the shape of the flow paths, which condition their carrying capacity, permanently interacts with the discharge. These interactions could explain the great difficulties encountered by the erosion models in the case of low discharges on non-cohesive soils. Copyright

Use of fallout radionuclides ((7)Be, (210)Pb) to estimate resuspension of Escherichia coli from streambed sediments during floods in a tropical montane catchment.

Consumption of water polluted by faecal contaminants is responsible for 2 million deaths annually, most of which occur in developing countries without adequate sanitation. In tropical aquatic systems, streambeds can be reservoirs of persistent pathogenic bacteria and high rainfall can lead to contaminated soils entering streams and to the resuspension of sediment-bound microbes in the streambed. Here, we present a novel method using fallout radionuclides (7Be and 210Pbxs) to estimate the proportions of Escherichia coli, an indicator of faecal contamination, associated with recently eroded soil particles and with the resuspension of streambed sediments. We show that using these radionuclides and hydrograph separations we are able to characterize the proportion of particles originating from highly contaminated soils and that from the resuspension of particle-attached bacteria within the streambed. We also found that although overland flow represented just over one tenth of the total flood volume, it was responsible for more than two thirds of the downstream transfer of E. coli. We propose that data obtained using this method can be used to understand the dynamics of faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in streams thereby providing information for adapted management plans that reduce the health risks to local populations.Graphical AbstractGraphical abstract showing (1) the main water flow processes (i.e. overland flow, groundwater return flow, blue arrows) and sediment flow components (i.e. resuspension and soil erosion, black arrows) during floods in the Houay Pano catchment; (2) the general principle of the method using fallout radionuclide markers (i.e. 7Be and 210Pbxs) to estimate E. coli load from the two main sources (i.e. streambed resuspension vs soil surface washoff); and 3) the main results obtained during the 15 May 2012 storm event (i.e. relative percentage contribution of each process to the total streamflow, values in parentheses)

Effect of land use and hydrological processes on Escherichia coli concentrations in streams of tropical, humid headwater catchments

Lack of access to clean water and adequate sanitation continues to be a major brake on development. Here we present the results of a 12-month investigation into the dynamics of Escherichia coli, a commonly used indicator of faecal contamination in water supplies, in three small, rural catchments in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. We show that land use and hydrology are major controlling factors of E. coli concentrations in streamwater and that the relative importance of these two factors varies between the dry and wet seasons. In all three catchments, the highest concentrations were observed during the wet season when storm events and overland flow were highest. However, smaller peaks of E. coli concentration were also observed during the dry season. These latter correspond to periods of intense farming activities and small, episodic rain events. Furthermore, vegetation type, through land use and soil surface crusting, combined with mammalian presence play an important role in determining E. coli loads in the streams. Finally, sampling during stormflow revealed the importance of having appropriate sampling protocols if information on maximum contamination levels is required as grab sampling at a fixed time step may miss important peaks in E. coli numbers.

Hydrological Regime and Water Shortage as Drivers of the Seasonal Incidence of Diarrheal Diseases in a Tropical Montane Environment

Background The global burden of diarrhea is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In montane areas of South-East Asia such as northern Laos, recent changes in land use have induced increased runoff, soil erosion and in-stream suspended sediment loads, and potential pathogen dissemination. To our knowledge, few studies have related diarrhea incidences to catchment scale hydrological factors such as river discharge, and loads of suspended sediment and of Fecal Indicator Bacteria (FIB) such as Escherichia coli, together with sociological factors such as hygiene practices. We hypothesized that climate factors combined with human behavior control diarrhea incidence, either because higher rainfall, leading to higher stream discharges, suspended sediment loads and FIB counts, are associated with higher numbers of reported diarrhea cases during the rainy season, or because water shortage leads to the use of less safe water sources during the dry season. Using E. coli as a FIB, the objectives of this study were thus (1) to characterize the epidemiological dynamics of diarrhea in Northern Laos, and (2) to identify which hydro-meteorological and sociological risk factors were associated with diarrhea epidemics. Methods Considering two unconnected river catchments of 22 and 7,448 km2, respectively, we conducted a retrospective time series analysis of meteorological variables (rainfall, air temperature), hydrological variables (discharge, suspended sediments, FIB counts, water temperature), and the number of diarrheal disease cases reported at 6 health centers located in the 5 southern districts of the Luang Prabang Province, Lao PDR. We also examined the socio-demographic factors potentially affecting vulnerability to the effect of the climate factors, such as drinking water sources, hygiene habits, and recreational water exposure. Results Using thus a mixed methods approach, we found E. coli to be present all year long (100–1,000 Most Probable Number or MPN 100 mL-1) indicating that fecal contamination is ubiquitous and constant. We found that populations switch their water supply from wells to surface water during drought periods, the latter of which appear to be at higher risk of bacterial contamination than municipal water fountains. We thus found that water shortage in the Luang Prabang area triggers diarrhea peaks during the dry and hot season and that rainfall and aquifer refill ends the epidemic during the wet season. The temporal trends of reported daily diarrhea cases were generally bimodal with hospital admissions peaking in February-March and later in May-July. Annual incidence rates were higher in more densely populated areas and mostly concerned the 0–4 age group and male patients. Conclusions We found that anthropogenic drivers, such as hygiene practices, were at least as important as environmental drivers in determining the seasonal pattern of a diarrhea epidemic. For diarrheal disease risk monitoring, discharge or groundwater level can be considered as relevant proxies. These variables should be monitored in the framework of an early warning system provided that a tradeoff is found between the size of the monitored catchment and the frequency of the measurement.

From shifting cultivation to teak plantation: effect on overland flow and sediment yield in a montane tropical catchment

Soil erosion supplies large quantities of sediments to rivers of Southeastern Asia. It reduces soil fertility of agro-ecosystems located on hillslopes, and it degrades, downstream, water resource quality and leads to the siltation of reservoirs. An increase in the surface area covered with commercial perennial monocultures such as teak plantations is currently observed at the expanse of traditional slash-and-burn cultivation systems in steep montane environments of these regions. The impacts of land-use change on the hydrological response and sediment yields have been investigated in a representative catchment of Laos monitored for 13 years. After the gradual conversion of rice-based shifting cultivation to teak plantation-based systems, overland flow contribution to stream flow increased from 16 to 31% and sediment yield raised from 98 to 609 Mg km−2. This result is explained by the higher kinetic energy of raindrops falling from the canopy, the virtual absence of understorey vegetation cover to dissipate drop energy and the formation of an impermeable surface crust accelerating the formation and concentration of overland flow. The 25-to-50% lower 137Cs activities measured in soils collected under mature teak plantations compared to soils under other land uses illustrate the severity of soil erosion processes occurring in teak plantations.