Key factors controlling the post-fire hydrological and erosive response at micro-plot scale in a recently burned Mediterranean forest

Vieira, Diana; Malvar, Maruxa; Martins, Martinho A. S.; Serpa, Dalila; Keizer, Jan Jacob

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2018.07.014

Cited by 40 publications

(61 citation statements)

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“…The predicted annual runoff for postfire conditions resulted in a 2.7‐fold increase (Table ), corresponding to a runoff coefficient of 16%, in line with other research studies that emphasize an enhancement of the hydrological response during the postfire period (Prosser & Williams, ; Shakesby & Doerr, ). At plot scale, measurements of annual runoff coefficients above 50% during the postfire period have been reported for North Central Portugal (Prats et al, ; Vieira et al, ; Vieira et al, ). At the catchment scale, these effects are expected to be particularly noticeable during extreme events (Shakesby & Doerr, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Ferreira et al () also observed higher phosphorous exports, with concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 2.02 mg L −1 during the 6 months following a wildfire. It should be highlighted that these comparisons are somewhat limited since the previously cited studies only reflect interrill erosion processes, and according to those nutrient exports can differ due to historical disturbances, prefire land use, postfire climate conditions, and soil types (Vieira et al, , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The recurrence of such events may result in the disappearance of native flora, and establishment of invasive species, which can promote changes on fire regime in the area (Keeley, Baer-Keeley, & Fotheringham, 2005). Finally, the combination of high wildfire recurrence with inappropriate land management can lead to an accelerated soil degradation and to desertification (Vieira et al, 2016;Vieira, Malvar, Martins, Serpa, & Keizer, 2018). From a forest ecosystems point of view, fire-induced changes on forest hydrology and geomorphology can further lead to deterioration of services such as the production of raw material and water delivery, erosion and flood control, and biodiversity maintenance (Carvalho-Santos, Nunes, Monteiro, Hein, & Honrado, 2016;Nunes, Doerr, Keesstra, & Pulquério, 2018;Smith, Sheridan, Lane, Nyman, & Haydon, 2011;Verkaik et al, 2013).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…The hydrological response of burned areas is highly complex, and the base processes vary with the spatial scale (Ferreira, Coelho, Ritsema, Boulet, & Keizer, 2008). This response depends on the interplay of several factors such as ground cover, burn severity, climate, geology, soil type, topography, land management (Certini, 2005;Shakesby & Doerr, 2006), and even with the historical background disturbances (Vieira et al, 2016;Vieira et al, 2018). In this sense, hydrological models are valuable tools for guiding postfire emergency and management decisions in mitigating soil erosion increase, and for planning the postfire soil rehabilitation (Fernández et al, 2010;Fernández & Vega, 2016).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…More complex models, such as the water erosion prediction project process-based model (Nearing, Foster, Lane, & Finkner, 1989), the Pan-European Soil Erosion Risk Assessment (Kirkby et al, 2004) and the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT; Arnold, Srinivasan, Muttiah, & Williams, 1998), have also been applied, although less frequently. In the Mediterranean region, most postfire erosion predictions have been performed at the plot to field scale (Esteves et al, 2012;Fernández et al, 2010;Fernández & Vega, 2016;Karamesouti, Petropoulos, Papanikolaou, Kairis, & Kosmas, 2016;Rulli et al, 2013;Soto & Díaz-Fierros, 1998;Terranova, Antronico, Coscarelli, & Iaquinta, 2009;Vieira et al, 2014;Vieira et al, 2018), and only a few applications were performed at the catchment scale (Nunes et al, 2017). However, this scale is fundamental for characterizing the water and contaminant patches that determine the hydrological and erosional response at the hillslope level, with erosion rates often varying significantly in magnitude (Fernández et al, 2010;Fernández & Vega, 2016;Karamesouti et al, 2016).…”

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Assessing the adequacy of SWAT model to simulate postfire effects on the watershed hydrological regime and water quality

et al. 2019

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Forest fires have intensified in the Mediterranean area over the last decades, becoming increasingly destructive. Catastrophic wildfires, such as the ones that occurred on the Portuguese territory during 2017, have emphasized the need for developing management tools capable of rapidly assessing their impact on downstream water bodies. This study focuses on the effects of the 2017 forest fires on the water quality of the Zêzere River (Portugal), one of the major sources of freshwater to Lisbon and the surrounding areas. During 2017, more than 100,000 ha (30% of the Zêzere watershed) were affected by wildfires, making it one of the largest burned areas in Portugal. Using the soil water assessment tool, the land use (curve number, crop vegetation management factor) and soil (soil erodibility factor) parameters were modified considering different magnitudes of the fire event (low, medium, and high severity). The impact of the different wildfires was then assessed at the subbasin level and at the entrance of Castelo de Bode reservoir. Simulations showed a significant increase in runoff and sediment concentration at the subbasin level in the years following the fire events, with high concentrations of nutrients occurring at the reservoir inlet. Nitrate concentration slightly overcame the threshold limits foreseen in legislation for drinking water, meaning that fires could have additional impact on human health. Phosphate concentration recurrently exceeded the legislation threshold, representing a severe risk to the ecosystem by potentially promoting the eutrophication of downstream water bodies, oxygen deficiency in the bottom substrate, and reduced biodiversity.

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confidence: 97%

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confidence: 99%

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Assessing the adequacy of SWAT model to simulate postfire effects on the watershed hydrological regime and water quality

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What is wrong with post‐fire soil erosion modelling? A meta‐analysis on current approaches, research gaps, and future directions

Lopes

Girona-García

Corticeiro

et al. 2020

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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In the near future, a higher occurrence of wildfires is expected due to climate change, carrying social, environmental, and economic implications. Such impacts are often associated with an increase of post‐fire hydrological and erosive responses, which are difficult to predict. Soil erosion models have been proven to be a valuable tool in the decision‐making process, from emergency response to long‐term planning, however, they were not designed for post‐fire conditions, so need to be adapted to include fire‐induced changes. In recent years, there have been an increasing number of studies testing different models and adaptations for the prediction of post‐fire soil erosion. However, many of these adaptations are being applied without field validation or model performance assessment. Therefore, this study aims to describe the scientific advances in the last 20 years in post‐fire soil erosion modelling research and evaluate model adaptations to burned areas that aim to include: (i) fire‐induced changes in soil and ground cover; (ii) fire‐induced changes in infiltration; (iii) burn severity; and (iv) mitigation measures in their predictions. This study also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches, suggests potential improvements, and identifies directions for future research. Results show that studies are not homogeneously distributed worldwide, according to the model type used or by region most affected by wildfire. During calibration, 73% of cases involved model adaptation to burned conditions, and only 21% attempted to accommodate new processes. Burn severity was addressed in 75% of cases, whilst mitigation measures were simulated in 27%. Additionally, only a minor percentage of model predictions were validated with independent field data (17%) or assessed for uncertainties (13%). Therefore, further efforts are required in the adaptation of erosion models to burned conditions, to be widely used for post‐fire management decisions. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Post‐fire management effects on sediment (dis)connectivity in Mediterranean forest ecosystems: Channel and catchment response

González-Romero

López‐Vicente

Gómez-Sánchez

et al. 2021

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Forest fires and post-fire practices influence sediment connectivity (SC). In this study, we use the 'aggregated index of connectivity' (AIC) to assess SC in five Mediterranean catchments (198-1090 ha) affected by a wildfire in 2012 in south-eastern Spain. Two temporal scenarios were considered, immediately after the fire and before post-fire management, and 2 years after the fire including all practices (hillslope barriers, check-dams, afforestation, salvage logging and skid trails). One LiDAR (light detection and ranging)-derived digital elevation model (DEM, 2 m Â 2 m resolution) was generated, per scenario. The five catchment outlets were established as the computation target (AIC OUT ), and structural and functional SC were calculated. Index outputs were normalized to make the results of the non-nested catchments comparable (AIC N-OUT ). The output analysis includes the SC distribution along the catchments and at local scale (929 sub-catchments, 677 in the burned area), the hillslope and channel measures' effect on SC, and a sedimentological analysis using observed area-specific sediment yield (SSY) at 10 new (built after post-fire practices) concrete check-dams located in the catchments (SSY = 1.94 Mg ha À1 yr À1 ; σ = 1.22). The catchments with more circular shapes and steeper slopes were those with higher AIC N-OUT . The structural SC mapsremoving the rainfall erosivity influenceallowed evaluating the actual role played by the post-fire practices that reduced SC (x= À 1.19%; σ = 0.41); while functional SC was linked to the actual change of SC (x= + 5.32%; σ = 0.62). Hillslope treatments resulted in significant changes on AIC N-OUT at sub-catchment scale with certain disconnectivity. A good and positive correlation was found between the SSY and the changes of AIC N-OUT .However, the coarse DEM resolution explained the lack of effect of the rock check-damslocated on the secondary channelson AIC N-OUT . AIC N-OUT proved to be a useful tool for decision making in post-fire restoration, but an optimal input data is still necessary to refine calculations.

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Key factors controlling the post-fire hydrological and erosive response at micro-plot scale in a recently burned Mediterranean forest

Cited by 40 publications

References 58 publications

Assessing the adequacy of SWAT model to simulate postfire effects on the watershed hydrological regime and water quality

Assessing the adequacy of SWAT model to simulate postfire effects on the watershed hydrological regime and water quality

What is wrong with post‐fire soil erosion modelling? A meta‐analysis on current approaches, research gaps, and future directions

Post‐fire management effects on sediment (dis)connectivity in Mediterranean forest ecosystems: Channel and catchment response

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