Estimation of soil redistribution rates due to snow cover related processes in a mountainous area (Valle d'Aosta, NW Italy)

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences

Volumn 16, Issue 2, 2012, Pages 517-528

  Ceaglio, E ^a,b,c   Meusburger, K ^d   Freppaz, M ^a   Zanini, E ^a   Alewell, C ^d  

^a UNIVERSITY OF TURIN   (Italy)

^b Direzione Assetto Idrogeologico Dei Bacini Montani   (Italy)

^c Fondazione Montagna Sicura Montagne ure   (Italy)

^d UNIVERSITY OF BASEL   (Switzerland)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CAESIUM-137; EROSION AND DEPOSITION; EROSION RATES; FIELD MEASUREMENT; GROWING SEASON; MOUNTAINOUS AREA; RELATIVE IMPORTANCE; SEDIMENT YIELDS; SNOW AVALANCHE; SNOW COVERS; SNOW GLIDING; SNOW MOVEMENT; SNOW-FREE SEASON; SNOWMELT; SOIL EROSION; SOIL EROSION RATE; SOIL LOSS; SOIL PARTICLES; SOIL REDISTRIBUTION; STUDY AREAS; TEMPORAL SCALE; WINTER SEASONS;

ANOXIC SEDIMENTS; AVALANCHES (SNOWSLIDES); CATCHMENTS; CESIUM; DEPOSITS; EROSION; RUNOFF; SEDIMENTOLOGY;

SOILS;

CATCHMENT; CESIUM ISOTOPE; DEPOSITION; GROWING SEASON; MOUNTAIN REGION; RUNOFF; SEDIMENT YIELD; SNOW AVALANCHE; SNOW COVER; SNOWMELT; SOIL EROSION; VULNERABILITY;

ITALY; VALLE D'AOSTA;

EID: 84857461959     PISSN: 10275606     EISSN: 16077938     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.5194/hess-16-517-2012     Document Type: Article

References (47)

1. Ackroyd, P.: Erosion by snow avalanche and implications for geo-morphic stability, Torlesse Range, New Zealand, Arctic Alpine Res., 19, 65-70, 1987.
2. Agnesod, G., Operti, C., Zappa C., and Capodaglio, P.: Dis-tribuzione comparata di Cs137 in diverse matrici ambientali sul territorio della Valle d'Aosta. ARPA (Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente), "Atti del III Convegno nazionale Controllo ambientale degli agenti fisici: dal monitoraggio alle azioni di risanamento e bonifica", Biella, 7-8-9 giugno, 2006.
3. Bell, L., Gardner, J., and DeScally, F.: An estimate of snow avalanche debris transport, Kaghan Valley, Himalaya, Pakistan, Arctic Alpine Res., 22, 317-321, 1990.
4. Bonnett, P. J. P.: A review of the erosional behavior of radionuclides in selected drainage basins, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 11, 251-266, 1990. (Pubitemid 20176507)
5. Boubakari, M. and Morgan, R. P. C.: Contour grass strips for soil erosion control on steep lands: a laboratory evaluation, Soil Use Manage, 15, 21-26, 1999. (Pubitemid 29172920)
6. Bozhinskiy, A. N. and Losev, K. S.: The fundamentals of avalanche science, Mitteilungen des Eidgenössisches Institute für Schnee-und Lawinenforschung, 55, 280 pp., p. 227 (Translation of "Os-novy Lavinovedeniya", Leningrad, Gidrometeoizdat, 1987 by C. Bartelt), 1998.
7. Caine, N.: A model for alpine talus slope evolution by slush avalanching, J. Geol., 77, 92-100, 1969a.
8. Confortola, G., Maggioni, M., Freppaz, M., and Bocchiola, D.: Modelling soil removal from snow avalanches: a case study in the Italian Alps, Cold Regions Sci. Technol., 70, 43-52, 2011.
9. Descroix, L. and Mathys, N.: Processes, spatio-temporal factors and measurements of current erosion in the French Southern Alps: A review, Earth. Surf. Proc. Land., 28, 993-1011, 2003. (Pubitemid 37190053)
10. European Avalanche Warning Services: http://avalanches.org/, last access: 11 February 2012.
11. 137Cs contamination from Chernobyl of soils in Piemonte (North-West Italy): spatial distribution and deposition model, Water Air Soil Pollut., 134, 341-352, 2002. (Pubitemid 34189332)
12. Felix, R. and Johannes, B.: Bodenerosionsuntersuchungen auf Test-parzellen im Kalkhochgebirge, Mittlgn. Ö sterreich, Geogr. Ges., 137, 76-92, 1995. (Pubitemid 26472191)
13. Freppaz, M., Lunardi, S., Maggioni, M., Valfrè, F., Bizzocchi, T., and Zanini, E.: Soil erosion caused by snow avalanches: preliminary results of two case studies in the Aosta Valley (NW-Italy), Poster Session, ISSW 2006, Telluride, Colorado, October 2006, 880-886, 2006.
14. Freppaz, M., Godone, D., Filippa, G., Maggioni, M., Lunardi, S., Williams, M. W., and Zanini, E.: Soil erosion caused by snow avalanches: a case study in the Aosta Valley (NW Italy), Arctic, AntArctic Alpine Res., 42, 412-421, 2010.
15. Gabriels, D., Ghekiere, G., Schiettecatte, W., and Rottiers, I.: Assessment of USLE cover-management C-factors for 40 crop rotation systems on arable farms in the Kemmelbeek watershed, Belgium. Soil Till. Res., 74, 47-53, 2003. (Pubitemid 37387938)
16. Gardner, J. S.: Observations on erosion by wet snow avalanches, Mount Rae area, Alberta, Canada, Arctic, AntArctic Alpine Res., 15, 271-274, 1983.
17. Heckmann, T., Wichmann, V., and Becht, M.: Quantifying sediment transport by avalanches in the Bavarian Alps-First results, Zeitschriftfür Geomorphologie N.F., Suppl. 127, 137-152, 2002.
18. Higgitt, D. L., Froehlich, W., and Walling, D. E.: Applications and limitations of Chernobyl radiocaesium measurements in a Carpathian erosion investigation, Poland, Land Degradation & Rehabilitation, 3, 15-26, 1992.
19. Isselin-Nondedeu, F. and Bedecarrats, A.: Influence of alpine plants growing on steep slopes on sediment trapping and transport by runoff, Catena, 71, 330-339, 2007. (Pubitemid 47376776)
20. Jomelli, V. and Bertran, P.: Wet snow avalanche deposits in the French Alps: structure and sedimentology, Geografiska Annaler, 83A(1/2), 15-28, 2001. (Pubitemid 32620974)
21. Kohl, B., Brauner, H., and Markart, G.: Soil erosion due to avalanches: measurements on an avalanche cone, International Symposium on Snowmelt and Related Problems, 28-30 March 2001, Oslo, Norway, 38, 2001.
22. Konz, N., Schaub, M., Prasuhn, V., Baenninger, D., and Alewell, C.: Caesium-137 based erosion-rate determination of a steep mountainous region, J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci., 172, 615-622, 2009.
23. Konz, N., Baenninger, D., Konz, M., Nearing, M., and Alewell, C.: Process identification of soil erosion in steep mountain regions, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 14, 675-686, doi:10.5194/hess-14-675-2010, 2010a.
24. Konz, N., Prasuhn, V., and Alewell, C.: On the measurement of Alpine Soil Erosion, Catena, 91, 63-71, 2010b.
25. Lana-Renault, N., Alvera, B., and García-Ruiz, J. M.: Runoff and Sediment Transport during the Snowmelt Period in a Mediterranean High-Mountain Catchment, Arctic, Antarctic Alpine Res., 43, 213-222, 2011.
26. Leitinger, G., Höller, P., Tasser, E., Walde, J., and Tappeiner, U.: Development and validation of a spatial snow-glide model, Ecol. Modell., 211, 363-374, 2007.
27. Leser, H., Meier-Zielinski, S., Prasuhn, V., and Seiberth, C.: Soil erosion in catchment areas of Northwestern Switzerland. Methodological conclusions from a 25-year research programme, Z. Geomorphol., 46, 35-60, 2002. (Pubitemid 34811077)
28. Luckman, B. H.: The role of snow avalanches in the evolution of alpine talus slopes, Inst. Brit. Geogr., Spec. Pub., 3, 93-110, 1971.
29. Luckman, B. H.: The geomorphic activity of snow avalanches, Ge-ografiska Annaler, 59A, 31-48, 1977.
30. Luckman, B. H.: Geomorphic work of snow avalanches in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Arctic Alpine Res., 10, 261-276, 1978.
31. 137Cs to assess soil erosion and sedimentation processes: advantages and limitations, Book of the Extended Synopses of the International Conference on Environmental Radioactivity: From Measurements and Assessments to Regulation, IAEA Publication, 338-339, IAEA-cn-145, 2007.
32. 137Cs, 210Pb and 7Be) to assess soil erosion and sedimentation, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 99, 1799-1807, 2008.
33. Meusburger, K., Konz, N., Schaub, M., and Alewell, C.: Soil erosion modelled with USLE and PESERA using QuickBird derived vegetation parameters in an alpine catchment, International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 12, 208-215, 2010.
34. Nearing, M. A., Govers, G., and Norton, L. D.: Variability in soil erosion data from replicated plots, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 63, 1829-1835, 1999. (Pubitemid 30130423)
35. Owens, P. N. and Walling, D.: Spatial Variability of Caesium-137 Inventories at reference Sites: an Example from Two Contrasting sites in England and Zimbabwe, Appl. Radiat. Isot., 47, 699-707, 1996. (Pubitemid 26233196)
36. Prasuhn, V., Liniger, H., Hurni, H., and Friedli, S.: Map of soil erosion risk in Switzerland, Agrarforschung, 14, 120-127, 2007.
37. 137Cs deposition over eastern France 16 years after the Chernobyl accident, Sci Total Environ., 309, 257-264, 2007. (Pubitemid 36677585)
38. Ritchie, J. C. and McHenry, J. R.: Application of radioactive fallout caesium-137 for measuring soil-erosion and sediment accumulation rates and patterns-a review, J. Environ. Qual., 19, 215-233, 1990. (Pubitemid 20197765)
39. Simonato, T., Bischetti, G. B., and Crosta, G. B.: Evaluating soil erosion with RUSLE and WEPP in an alpine environment (Dorena Valley-Central Alps, Italy), Sustain. Land Manage.-Environ. Prot., 35, 481-494, 2002.
40. SMS: Atlante climatico della Valle d'Aosta. Società Meteorologica Subalpina, Torino, 239-241, 2003.
41. Sutherland, R. A.: Examination of Caesium-137 areal activities in control (uneroded) locations, Soil Technol., 4, 33-50, 1991.
42. Sutherland, R. A.: Caesium-137 soil sampling and inventory variability in reference locations: a literature survey, Hydrol. Process. J., 10, 43-53, 1996.
43. Walling, D. E. and He, Q.: Improved models for estimating soil erosion rates from caesium-137 measurements, J. Environ. Qual., 28, 611-622, 1999. (Pubitemid 29133284)
44. Walling, D. E. and Quine, T. A.: Calibration of caesium-137 measurements to provide quantitative erosion rate data, Land Degradation and Rehabilitation, 2, 161-175, 1990.
45. Wischmeier, W. H. and Smith, D. D.: Predicting Rainfall Erosion Losses: A Guide to Conservation Planning. Agriculture Handbook No. 537. USDA/Science and Education Administration, US. Govt. Printing Office, Washington, DC, 58, 1978.
46. Zapata, F. (Ed.): Handbook for the Assessment of Soil Erosion and Sedimentation using Environmental Radionuclides, Kluwer Ac. Publ., Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 219, 2002.
47. Zhang, X. B., Higgitt, D. L., and Walling, D. E.: A preliminary assessment of the potential for using caesium-137 to estimate rates of soil erosion in the Loess Plateau of China, Hydrol. Sci. J., 35, 267-276, 1990.