References

NHESS

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences

NHESS

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

1684-9981

Copernicus Publications

Göttingen, Germany

10.5194/nhess-9-1693-2009

CliFEM – Climate Forcing and Erosion Modelling in the Sele River Basin (Southern Italy)

Diodato

¹ Fagnano

² Alberico

TEDASS – Technologies Interdepartmental Center for the Environmental Diagnostic and Sustainable Development, University of Sannio, Via Bartolomeo Camerario 35, Benevento, Italy

DIAAT – Dipartimento Ingegneria Agraria e Agronomia del Territorio, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, Portici, Italy

CIRAM – Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Ambiente, University of Naples Federico II, Via Mezzocannone 16, Napoli, Italy

14 10 2009

9 5 1693 1702

2009

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This study presents a revised and scale-adapted Foster-Meyer-Onstad model (Foster et al., 1977) for the transport of soil erosion sediments under scarce input data, with the acronym CliFEM (Climate Forcing and Erosion Modelling). This new idea was addressed to develop a monthly time scale invariant Net Erosion model (NER), with the aim to consider the different erosion processes operating at different time scales in the Sele River Basin (South Italy), during 1973–2007 period. The sediment delivery ratio approach was applied to obtain an indirect estimate of the gross erosion too. The examined period was affected by a changeable weather regime, where extreme events may have contributed to exacerbate soil losses, although only the 19% of eroded sediment was delivered at outlet of the basin. The long-term average soil erosion was very high (73 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup> per year ± 58 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup>). The estimate of monthly erosion showed catastrophic soil losses during the soil tillage season (August–October), with consequent land degradation of the hilly areas of the Sele River Basin.

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