Unpaved road conservation planning at the catchment scale

Combining sediment source tracing techniques with traditional monitoring: The “Arvorezinha catchment” experience

“…Data collection has been used to describe surface runoff formation and propagation and the associated processes. Among them, we can highlight: (a) the existing hysteresis between Q and SSC during events that help describe sediment transport behaviour in catchments Minella et al, 2011) practices on the behaviour of hydrological variables with a view to conservation planning (Menezes et al, 2020;Ramon et al, 2017) and evaluating the mathematical models' efficiency (Barros, Govers, et al, 2021;Silva et al, 2021;Uzeika et al, 2012).…”

“…Furthermore, studies demonstrate that unpaved roads supply a potentially significant source of sediment, despite occupying a minor fraction of catchment surface areas, and that their construction must be better planned in the landscape (Amorim et al, 2021;Ebling, 2022;Poleto et al, 2009;Rodrigues et al, 2018;Silva et al, 2021;Valente et al, 2020).…”

“…The strategies used to improve the modelling ability were based on different methods, including (a) exploring the set of monitored events to represent hydrological processes under different conditions of climate and land use and soil management (Barros, Minella, Tassi, et al, 2014; Menezes et al, 2020); (b) detailed spatial characterization of the soil parameters used by the model (Barros, Minella, et al, 2021; Barros, et al, 2014); (c) representation of the effects of unpaved roads on runoff propagation and erosion occurrence (Silva et al, 2021); (d) improving the separation procedures of the different runoff types (superficial and subsurface) (Barros, Govers, et al, 2021; Bernardi, 2018); (e) testing different equations that represent the soil detachment by runoff (Schlesner, 2017); (f) identifying the main sediments sources in the catchment in order to support the model results in spatial terms (Minella et al, 2014). The locations where soil characterization was carried out to parameterize the LISEM equations are illustrated in Figure 4, and a sample of the results in the outlet and catchment hillslope achieved using the model is provided in Figure 5.…”

“…Nonetheless, research has consistently shown that despite the increase in the area cultivated under no‐till, croplands remain the primary source of sediment in rural catchments in Brazil, demonstrating that the soil conservation measures and practices implemented so far remain insufficient to reduce the transfer of sediments to water bodies, together with the pollutants adsorbed therein (Barros et al, 2020; Bender et al, 2018; Tiecher, Caner, Minella, Pellegrini, et al, 2017). Furthermore, studies demonstrate that unpaved roads supply a potentially significant source of sediment, despite occupying a minor fraction of catchment surface areas, and that their construction must be better planned in the landscape (Amorim et al, 2021; Ebling, 2022; Minella, et al, 2008; Poleto et al, 2009; Rodrigues et al, 2018; Silva et al, 2021; Tiecher, Caner, Minella, Evrard, et al, 2017; Valente et al, 2020).…”

“…Lastly, the model simulates specific rainfall-runoff events at sub-hourly intervals, enabling a detailed representation of the hydrograph and sedigraph. The strategies used to improve the modelling ability were based on different methods, including (a) exploring the set of monitored events to represent hydrological processes under different conditions of climate and land use and soil management (Barros, Minella, Tassi, F I G U R E 3 Estimated annual sediment yield from 2002 to 2021 in the Arvorezinha catchment (adapted from Minella, Walling and Merten, 2018) et al, 2014; Menezes et al, 2020); (b) detailed spatial characterization of the soil parameters used by the model; (c) representation of the effects of unpaved roads on runoff propagation and erosion occurrence(Silva et al, 2021);…”