ABSTRACT Gully erosion is a severe way of land degradation. Gullies threaten the sustainability of agro-ecosystems, causing quantitative and qualitative reduction of groundwater, farmland productivity, and waterways sedimentation. Since the gully development on the surface begins with water flow and sheet erosion, accurate monitoring of the erosive processes in a gully system and its quantification is key for the development of effective strategies to control soil erosion in gullies. Here, we demonstrate the first use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) […]

The presence of compacted layers in soils can induce subprocesses (e.g., discontinuity of water flow) and induces soil erosion and rill development. This study assesses how rill erosion in Oxisols is affected by a plow pan. The study shows that changes in hydraulic properties occur when the topsoil is eroded because the compacted layer lies close below the surface. The hydraulic properties that induce sediment transport and rill formation (i.e., hydraulic thresholds at which these processes occur) are not the […]

With the objective of defining the typology and distribution of the predominant erosion processes in a “Água da Cachoeira” microwatershed, with 3.700 ha, located in the “Planalto Ocidental Paulista”, a survey, characterization and mapping of erosion was conducted. Areas with sheet erosion, sheet and rill erosion, deep rill and gully erosion, and badlands were delimited through photointerpretation and field work. Four large badlands connected to the drainage net, eight wide gullies with partial vegetation cover and several average gullies which […]