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A Protocol for Conducting Rainfall Simulation to Study Soil Runoff
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Fingerprinting changes in source contribution for evaluating soil response during an exceptional rainfall in Spanish
Leticia Gaspar1, Ivan Lizaga1, William H Blake2
1Estación Experimental de Aula Dei, EEAD-CSIC, Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain.
Journal of Environmental Management
|April 1, 2019
Summary
Extreme rainfall in the Mediterranean increases flood risk. This study used sediment fingerprinting to identify soil erosion sources in two Spanish catchments, revealing distinct contributions from rangeland, agriculture, and channel banks during a major flood event.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Hydrology
- Soil Science
Background:
- Climate change is increasing flood frequency and intensity in the Mediterranean.
- Understanding soil erosion hot spots is crucial for effective mitigation strategies.
- Exceptional rainfall events are major drivers of sediment mobilization and landscape change.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the primary sediment sources during an exceptional rainfall event in NE Spain.
- To assess sediment contribution variations between two distinct catchments using fingerprinting.
- To identify vulnerable erosion hot spots for targeted soil and water resource management.
Main Methods:
- Collected suspended and entrapped sediments during and after a 2012 flood event.
- Employed sediment fingerprinting methodology with the FingerPro unmixing model.
- Utilized selected tracers to differentiate between agricultural, rangeland, subsoil, and channel bank sources.
Main Results:
- In Vandunchil catchment, initial sediment contributions were from rangeland (30%), agriculture (40%), and subsoil (35%), shifting to 90% channel bank contribution during the flood.
- La Reina catchment showed primary contributions from agricultural soils (65%) and subsoils (32%), linked to higher connectivity and slope.
- Observed pulses of eroded surface soil and significant streambank erosion and landslide occurrences during the flood event.
Conclusions:
- Sediment fingerprinting effectively determines source variations and provenance during flood events in Mediterranean catchments.
- Catchment characteristics significantly influence sediment source contributions during extreme rainfall.
- Identifying erosion hot spots is vital for informing policy and implementing early-stage interventions for soil and water resource management.
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