[en] Gully erosion poses a significant threat to Mediterranean basins. However, precise spatial data on gullies location at regional scale is scarce. Current models often use the topographic threshold index, TT, which works locally and predicts gully location based on slope and drainage area but does not distinguish between actively retreating and stabilized gullies. We aim to close this gap by (i) constructing a dataset of gully head location and activity in olive groves in southern Spain across different landscape regions and (ii) evaluate a process-oriented model to distinguish gully head presence and activity based on the Gully Head Initiation (GHI) index. This GHI integrates slope, drainage area, precipitation, curve number (CN), soil type, and clay content to predict gully head formation. Photointerpretation of four 25 km2 study areas between 2008 and 2019, 3 gully head activity classes were identified, with 261 existing active, 76 new active and 138 stable gully heads identified. The GHI clearly differentiates gully head from non-gully head pixels (AUC = 0.93). Furthermore, it distinguished between existing active and stable gully heads, as well as new active and existing active ones. However, there are no significant differences between stable and new active gully heads. Besides, applying the model separately by landscape type is not as effective as applying it across all landscapes. These results highlight the potential applicability of GHI at the regional scale and confirm that the factors considered in the GHI index affect both gully head initiation processes and erosion dynamics.
Disciplines :
Earth sciences & physical geography
Author, co-author :
González, Paula; University of Cordoba, Department of Rural Engineering, Civil Engineering and Engineering Projects. ETSIAM. Edif. Leonardo Da Vinci, Córdoba, Spain
Peña, Adolfo ; University of Cordoba, Department of Rural Engineering, Civil Engineering and Engineering Projects. ETSIAM. Edif. Leonardo Da Vinci, Córdoba, Spain
Vanmaercke, Matthias ; KU Leuven, Division of Geography and Tourism, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Heverlee, Belgium
Poesen, Jean; KU Leuven, Division of Geography and Tourism, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Heverlee, Belgium ; Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, UMCS, Lublin, Poland
Vanwalleghem, Tom ; University of Cordoba, Dept. of Agronomy, Córdoba, Spain
Language :
English
Title :
What drives gullies in Spain’s olive landscapes? A regional analysis of gully activity
This research has been carried out with funding from the \u201CConsejer\u00EDa de Universidad Investigaci\u00F3n e Innovaci\u00F3n de la Junta de Andaluc\u00EDa\u201D, within the scope of the Andalusian Plan for Research, Development and Innovation (PAIDI 2020), which covered the Article Processing Charge (APC).This research is part of the research project \u201CCARCAVA. Climatic and Agronomic Influence on the Formation and Evolution of the Gully Network in the Andalusian Countryside,\u201D funded by the Ministry of University, Research, and Innovation of Government of Andalucia. Also, this research was supported by ENIA International Chair in Agriculture, University of Cordoba, who covered the Article Processing Charge (APC). Finally, we would also like to thank the University of KU Leuven for its collaboration in the predoctoral stay of the first author of this publication.Also, this research was supported by ENIA International Chair in Agriculture, University of Cordoba, who covered the Article Processing Charge (APC).
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