Analyzing the contribution of gully erosion to land degradation in the upper Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia.

Autor: Yibeltal M; Department of Environmental & Energy Engineering, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea; Faculty of Civil and Water Resource Engineering, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia., Tsunekawa A; Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan., Haregeweyn N; Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan., Adgo E; College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia., Meshesha DT; College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia., Zegeye AD; Adet Agricultural Research Centre, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia., Andualem TG; Department of Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia; UniSA-STEM, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia., Oh SJ; Department of Environmental & Energy Engineering, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea., Lee JC; Department of Environmental & Energy Engineering, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea., Kang MW; Department of Environmental & Energy Engineering, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea., Lee SS; Department of Environmental & Energy Engineering, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: cons@yonsei.ac.kr.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of environmental management [J Environ Manage] 2023 Oct 15; Vol. 344, pp. 118378. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Jun 23.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118378
Abstrakt: Soil erosion has become a worldwide problem that threatens the environment and the future of economic and social development. The purpose of this study is to investigate the contribution of steep slopes and gullies to erosion in high precipitation tropical areas of the Ethiopian highlands. A trapezoidal weir was installed at the head and tail of the gully to monitor the discharge and sediment concentration from 2017 to 2020. Sediment yield and runoff are heavily influenced by the amount and timing of precipitation. The coefficients of variation for total sediment loads ranged from 65.1 to 96.1% at the head and 17.1-78.1% at the tail; the lowest coefficients were found in 2018 and the highest in 2020. Furthermore, 85% of the sediment at the tail comes from the gully, according to the four-year sediment budget. Further, a hysteretic analysis of suspended sediment concentration and runoff revealed that hilly sediment sources are limited (clockwise), then sediment can be transported through the gully via bank failures (counterclockwise). Study findings contributed to a classification of runoff patterns and an investigation of suspended sediment dynamics. In the gully tail, sediment yield was higher than in the head, suggesting gully sediment contributed more to sediment yield than large upland catchments. As a result of the study, we have been able to develop practical recommendations for managing gully erosion in the future.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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