Hillslope Erosion Mitigation: An Experimental Proof of a Nature-Based Solution

Apollonio, Ciro; Petroselli, Andrea; Tauro, Flavia; Cecconi, Manuela; Biscarini, Chiara; Zarotti, Claudio; Grimaldi, Salvatore

doi:10.3390/su13116058

Cited by 29 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…However, the application and implementation of some regulations related to LULC practices as in Scenario 2 show little increase in runoff response. From this, we conclude that an increase of green-areas as can influence positively runoff generation (Apollonio et al, 2021). These results are in line with previous studies.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

Drainage systems design in urbanized areas under land use changes scenarios: case study of Narok Town (Kenya)

Umukiza¹,

Raude²,

Petroselli³

et al. 2022

ahs

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Land use/land cover (LULC) changes due to urbanization have a strong influence on runoff process. In the case of Narok town, in Kenya, several flash floods have caused human losses and economic damages. Design hydrograph and its peak flow are the key elements to determine hydraulic geometrical properties in designing an adequate drainage system. In consideration of LULC changes and consequent hydrograph variability, in this study existing channel geometric properties were verified, using field measurements through a ground survey employing Real-Time Kinematic equipment at Kakia and Esamburmbur channels of Narok town. To improve the drainage system, the evaluated peak flows under assumed future LULC scenarios were used to design hydraulic properties for a sustainable urban drainage system. Three hydrological/hydraulic models (EBA4SUB, Manning's equation, and Civil 3D) were used under different LULC scenarios for computing channel geometry and correspondent water level. The change in channel geometry was found to obstruct free flow for different scenarios of peak discharge and flow volume. The presented results could be used to support the design of storm water drainage systems by local authorities, in order to mitigate flood hazards and consequently to reduce the hydraulic risk.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

Drainage systems design in urbanized areas under land use changes scenarios: case study of Narok Town (Kenya)

Umukiza¹,

Raude²,

Petroselli³

et al. 2022

ahs

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“…Ultimately, careful tradeoff analysis is required to weigh the potential environmental costs of trenching against, in the current case, a 1.2% increase in total infiltration. The results from such analyses should then be weighed against the benefits of nature-based or vegetative approaches to runoff mitigation and management [11][12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

Section: Environmental Concernsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such nature-based solutions have proven highly effective at mitigating the impacts of runoff in forests [11] and on agricultural lands [12]. The use of 'natural' vegetation, whether as hedgerows [13], grass strips [14], other herbaceous cover [15], and trees generally provide more sustainable and cost-effective strategies for surface water management [16,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Hillslope Trenching on Surface Water Infiltration in Subalpine Forested Catchments

LaFevor

Ramos‐Scharrón

2021

Hydrology

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Concerns over freshwater scarcity for agriculture, ecosystems, and human consumption are driving the construction of infiltration trenches in many mountain protected areas. This study examines the effectiveness of infiltration trenches in a subalpine forested catchment in central Mexico, where public and private organizations have been constructing trenches for ~60 years. We rely on empirical data to develop rainfall-runoff models for two scenarios: a baseline (no trenches) and a trenched scenario. Field measurements of infiltration capacities in forested and trenched soils (n = 56) and two years of meteorological data are integrated into a semi-distributed runoff model of 28 trenched sub-catchments. Sensitivity analysis and hydrographs are used to evaluate differences in total runoff and infiltration between the two scenarios. Multiple logistic regression is used to evaluate the effects of environmental and management variables on the likelihood of runoff response and trench overtopping. The findings show that soil infiltration capacity and rainfall intensity are primary drivers of runoff and trench overtopping. However, trenches provided only a 1.2% increase in total infiltration over the two-year period. This marginal benefit is discussed in relation to the potential adverse environmental impacts of trench construction. Overall, our study finds that as a means of runoff harvesting in these forested catchments, trenches provide negligible infiltration benefits. As a result, this study cautions against further construction of infiltration trenches in forested catchments without careful ex ante assessment of rainfall-runoff relationships. The results of this study have important implications for forest water management in Mexico and elsewhere, where similar earthworks are employed to enhance runoff harvesting and surface water infiltration.

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“…Heavy rainfall can indeed provoke phenomena such as shallow landslides, soil loss, pollution of water bodies and can decrease crop productivity [2]. Studies on soil erosion, aiming to select solutions for limiting the soil loss, are hence crucial for conserving and protecting the environment [3]. Since the first decades of the last century, they have increased in number and variety and, in recent years, the soil loss due to rainfall erosivity has been systematically analyzed [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Evaluation of the Rainfall Erosivity in the Rieti Province, Central Italy, Using Empirical Formulas and a Stochastic Rainfall Generator

et al. 2021

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Soil erosion caused by intense rainfall events is one of the major problems affecting agricultural and forest ecosystems. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is probably the most adopted approach for rainfall erosivity estimation, but in order to be properly employed it needs high resolution rainfall data which are often unavailable. In this case, empirical formulas, employing aggregated rainfall data, are commonly used. In this work, we select 12 empirical formulas for the estimation of the USLE rainfall erosivity in order to assess their reliability. Moreover, we used a Stochastic Rainfall Generator (SRG) to simulate a long and high-resolution rainfall time series with the aim of assessing its application to rainfall erosivity estimations. From the analysis, performed in the Rieti province of Central Italy, we identified three equations which seem to provide better results. Moreover, the use of the selected SRG seems promising and it could help in solving the problem of hydrological data scarcity and consequently guarantee major accuracy in soil erosion estimation.

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Hillslope Erosion Mitigation: An Experimental Proof of a Nature-Based Solution

Cited by 29 publications

References 59 publications

Drainage systems design in urbanized areas under land use changes scenarios: case study of Narok Town (Kenya)

Drainage systems design in urbanized areas under land use changes scenarios: case study of Narok Town (Kenya)

Effects of Hillslope Trenching on Surface Water Infiltration in Subalpine Forested Catchments

Comparative Evaluation of the Rainfall Erosivity in the Rieti Province, Central Italy, Using Empirical Formulas and a Stochastic Rainfall Generator

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