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Start Over Author "Lea Wittenberg" Topic 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
17 results on '"Lea Wittenberg"'

1. Brief communication: Post-wildfire rockfall risk in the eastern Alps

Author

Nurit Shtober-Zisu, Sandra Melzner, Lea Wittenberg, and Oded Katz

Subjects
lcsh:GE1-350, geography.geographical_feature_category, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, business.industry, Environmental resource management, lcsh:QE1-996.5, lcsh:Geography. Anthropology. Recreation, 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences, 01 natural sciences, lcsh:TD1-1066, lcsh:Geology, Geography, Rockfall, Work (electrical), lcsh:G, World heritage, 040103 agronomy & agriculture, 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Population growth, lcsh:Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering, business, Tourism, lcsh:Environmental sciences, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

In the Eastern Alps no previous research focused on the impact of wildfires on the occurrence of rockfalls. The investigation of wildfires and post-wildfire rockfalls gains new importance with respect to changes in weather extremes and rapid social developments such as population growths and tourism. The present work describes a wildfire that occurred in August 2018 in a famous world-heritage site in Austria. Indicators of fire severity and rockfall occurrence during and after the fire are described.

Published
2019

2. Reconstructing pre-fire vegetation condition in the wildland urban interface (WUI) using artificial neural network

Author

Haim Kutiel, Lea Wittenberg, Anna Brook, and Maria Polinova

Subjects
Environmental Engineering, 0208 environmental biotechnology, Population, Multispectral image, 02 engineering and technology, 010501 environmental sciences, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, 01 natural sciences, Fires, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Wildfires, medicine, Satellite imagery, Wildland–urban interface, Cities, Israel, education, Waste Management and Disposal, Image resolution, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Remote sensing, education.field_of_study, General Medicine, 020801 environmental engineering, Dryness, Environmental science, Neural Networks, Computer, medicine.symptom, Vegetation (pathology)
Abstract

Wildfires occurring near and within cities are a potential threat to the population's life and health and can cause significant economic damage by destroying infrastructure and private property. Due to the relatively small area of these wildlands, the accuracy of fire risk-assessment plays a significant role in fire management. Introducing the experience of real events can improve accuracy. But this approach is limited by a lack of knowledge of pre-fire conditions, mainly vegetation characteristics as related to their definition as a fuel parameter because of their high temporal variation. To solve this problem, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was designed to reconstruct the spectral characteristics of the vegetation just before the fire with spatial resolution 0.5–2 m from the Landsat image. To test the effectiveness of the proposed methods, the approach has been examined on urban vegetation sites and applied to restore spectral information of the actual vegetation patch before it was burned in 2016 in Haifa, Israel. The results show that the reconstructed RGB image allows for mapping the location of green vegetation with high spatial accuracy. However, spectral data in the visible range have some limitations when it comes to identifying differences between soil and dry plants. The reconstructed image was used to sharp the original data from Landsat. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index maps were produced from the resulting high-resolution multispectral image. The output maps allow to determine the location of vegetation and estimate the level of its dryness on the urban wildland landscape. The proposed method aims to estimate vegetation dryness and, as a result, identify the fuel characteristics at the time of the fire. It has the potential of using for evaluation and improve the weights of the input parameters for the fire-risk assessment and fire-behavior modeling on a specific area.

Published
2019

3. Post-fire management treatment effects on soil properties and burned area restoration in a wildland-urban interface, Haifa Fire case study

Author

Saskia Keesstra, Naama Tessler, Lea Wittenberg, and Hilde van der Wal

Subjects
Wildland-urban interface, Environmental Engineering, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Water en Landgebruik, Ash, 010501 environmental sciences, 01 natural sciences, complex mixtures, Soil, Soil, Water and Land Use, Bodem, Hydraulic conductivity, Environmental Chemistry, Afforestation, Organic matter, Waste Management and Disposal, Water content, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, chemistry.chemical_classification, Hydrology, Soil organic matter, Water and Land Use, Reforestation, PE&RC, Pollution, Bodem, Water en Landgebruik, Water repellency, chemistry, Soil water, Erosion, Environmental science, Post-fire management
Abstract

In November 2016, the urban dry streams (wadis) of the city of Haifa in Northern Israel were on fire. However, it was not just the fire that was threatening urban areas. Post-fire precipitation could turn into urban floods, further aggravating the fire damages. Several months after the fire a considerable restoration effort was initiated to restore the burned areas and mitigate future events. For urban forests the rehabilitation strategy was planned and implemented according to the topographic structure of the burned site and anticipated soil erosion. Accordingly, various post-fire management techniques were used: salvage-logging, afforestation, log erosion barriers and coconut fibre-webs. This study aimed to look at the effects of these methods on soil properties, namely, gravimetrical soil moisture, soil organic matter content, pH, electrical conductivity, hydraulic conductivity and soil water repellency. Results indicate that the control (burned, non-managed) site was the highest in soil moisture, organic matter and electrical conductivity compared to all other sites, however, the existence of ash cover made the response to precipitation unpredictable. The hydraulic conductivity (K) of the black ash (24.1 ± 8.6 mm/h), the white ash (19.0 ± 10.7 mm/h) and the disturbed (mixed) ash (11.7 ± 3.7 mm/h) were significantly higher than the underlying soil (3.3 ± 0.7 mm/h). As a result of these differences in K value, precipitation only infiltrates through the ash layers and then flows along the interface of the ash and the soil, triggering soil erosion. Most of the sites that were salvage logged showed signs of erosion. The log barriers were only effective for downstream areas. The afforestation could help to homogenise the soil, but the vegetation cover would be less dense and stable than after natural reforestation. Furthermore, the coconut fibre webs helped to improve the soil water retention and decreased the direct impact of rainfall.

Published
2020

4. Differences in soil moisture in two Middle Eastern oak forests: Comparing the effects of trees and soil composition

Author

Dan Malkinson, Lea Wittenberg, David Burg, and Idan Kopler

Subjects
Canopy, Hydrology, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, 0207 environmental engineering, 02 engineering and technology, Groundwater recharge, Herbaceous plant, 01 natural sciences, Arid, Infiltration (hydrology), Soil water, Environmental science, 020701 environmental engineering, Saturation (chemistry), Water content, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Water Science and Technology
Abstract

The incidence of large rain events in Mediterranean ecosystems vary among years. Summer aridity is interpreted as a resetting event, eliminating previous soil‐moisture dynamics. The dynamics of soil moisture and retention are critical to tree survival, particularly in dry regions. This study examines the long‐term soil water content (θV) dynamics in two distinct locations within the forest, under the canopy and forest clearing, within two diverse oak forests: subhumid mixed oak forests (MG) and semiarid monospecific oak woodlands (YE). Plots were established at small‐scale catchments and soil water contents were measured during 2010–2013, at three depths in the two different locations. Cumulative rainfall was used as an independent proxy for θV analysis. A novel bell‐bilogistic mathematical model of wetting, saturation, and drying arms was developed. We aimed to study the θV distribution differences between soil profiles giving the large climatic gradient between the two forested sub basins, the differences in vegetation traits along with soil attributes. We further aimed at determining the role of an individual tree in regulating soil‐moisture dynamics. We hypothesized the occurrence of distinct responses between sites in all soil‐moisture indices with higher θV at the wetter site. We tested the hypothesis that seasonal cumulative rainfall dictates the variations in soil‐moisture regimes throughout contiguous years. Annual rainfall was higher than long‐term average throughout the study. Soil profiles under the canopies at both sites were consistently wetter. Infiltration and depletion constants were higher at MG whereas maximum soil moisture was higher at YE. Homogenous recharge patterns were seen at MG although YE evinced more variation. Oaks had no effect on recharge at MG compared with the forest clearing. Soil properties primarily affected the wetting arm whereas vegetation composition regulated the drying arm. Mixed‐stands characterized by ever‐green and deciduous species may maintain favourable soil‐moisture conditions, in comparison with other mixed stand morphologies. The increasing role of slacking forces in infiltration process may alter the interaction between trees and herbaceous vegetation.

Published
2018

5. Structural heterogeneity of vegetation fire ash

Author

Maria Polinova, Daniella Kopel, Lea Wittenberg, Charles Ichoku, Anna Brook, Nurit Shtober-Zisu, and Dar A. Roberts

Subjects
Hydrology, Soil Science, 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences, Development, 010502 geochemistry & geophysics, 01 natural sciences, Structural heterogeneity, Random forest, 040103 agronomy & agriculture, medicine, 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, Environmental Chemistry, Environmental science, medicine.symptom, Vegetation (pathology), 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, General Environmental Science
Published
2018

6. Fire induced rock spalls as long-term traps for ash

Author

Dar A. Roberts, Nurit Shtober-Zisu, Charles Ichoku, Daniella Kopel, Anna Brook, and Lea Wittenberg

Subjects
Mediterranean climate, chemistry.chemical_classification, Total organic carbon, Mineral, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Outcrop, Mineralogy, 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences, 01 natural sciences, chemistry.chemical_compound, chemistry, visual_art, 040103 agronomy & agriculture, visual_art.visual_art_medium, 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, Environmental science, Kaolinite, Carbonate, Organic matter, Charcoal, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Earth-Surface Processes
Abstract

Severe fires accelerate rock weathering by spalling and exfoliation, creating abundant peels, flakes or spalls. In the following years, these spalls serve as physical traps which accommodate fine particles of dust, ash, organic matter, etc. We searched for traces of ash trapped under the spalls, after four major fires: 1989, 2005, 2010 and 2015 in Israel. Samples were collected beneath the spalls that formed on the rock outcrops, and in the immediate vicinity above and below them. Three laboratory analyses were performed: pH, EC and color. Five mineral/organic compounds were measured across the Mid-Infrared (MIR) spectral region at diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform mode: Hydroxylapatite (HAp), charcoal, organic carbon, montmorillonite and kaolinite. Several statistical analyses were performed: MANOVA, PCA and silhouette analysis on K-means clustering. The results show evidence of ash trapped under the spalls formed during the 2005 and 2010 fires, 6 to 11 years after the fires. Charcoal presence is evident, as well as increased amounts of HAp and organic carbon. In the exposed soil above or below the burned rock outcrop, these values are lower. Negligible amounts of ash were measured 27 years after the fire. In the 2015 burned outcrop, large amounts of charcoal were found above and below the outcrop, but not under the spalls. It seems that on the carbonate slopes of Israel and under Mediterranean climate, the time required for spalls to begin functioning as traps is longer than one rainy season, while ash traces are preserved in these traps for a period of two-three decades.

Published
2018

7. From rural-urban gradients to patch – matrix frameworks: Plant diversity patterns in urban landscapes

Author

Lea Wittenberg, Daniella Kopel, and Dan Malkinson

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Ecology, Insular biogeography, Introduced species, Context (language use), Vegetation, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Spatial heterogeneity, Urban Studies, Geography, Patch matrix, Urbanization, Species richness, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Nature and Landscape Conservation
Abstract

Studies have attempted to disentangle the relationships between urban properties and species richness patterns by studying them within the urban-rural gradient context, the Island Biogeography framework, or the patch-matrix approach. We compared and contrasted these frameworks, to highlight their attributes. We assessed the role of patch properties and matrix characteristics, in light of these approaches, to identify the relative roles of different drivers in dictating urban plant species richness patterns. Vegetation surveys were conducted in 41 open space patches within the city boundaries of Haifa, Israel. Plants were classified into three categories: rare, native and non-native. Patch properties, distance to nearest neighboring patch, distance to city boundary, within patch heterogeneity and percentage of sealed surface buffering the patch were evaluated in relation to species richness. Non-linear regressions indicated that total, rare and native species richness were best explained by a combination of patch area, sealed surface and patch habitat heterogeneity. Non-native species richness was best explained indirectly by the proportion of sealed surface. No clear cut distinctions between the three frameworks were observed. The results point to the existence of non-linear interactive relationships between the drivers and species richness, which depend on patch and urban matrix properties, particularly on degree of urbanization. We conclude that patch-matrix mechanisms interact with the urban-rural gradient approach to determine plant richness patterns in urban landscapes. Additionally, the degree of urbanization is differentially associated with richness patterns, where rare and native species are negatively associated with it, and non-native species are positively associated with urbanization.

Published
2018

8. The influence of fire history, plant species and post-fire management on soil water repellency in a Mediterranean catchment : The Mount Carmel range, Israel

Author

Jerry Maroulis, Dan Malkinson, Artemio Cerdà, Lea Wittenberg, Francesco Sambalino, Saskia Keesstra, and Paulo Pereira

Subjects
Mediterranean climate, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Soil water repellency, Mediterranean, 01 natural sciences, Wildfires, Water content, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Earth-Surface Processes, Hydrology, WDPT, Moisture, 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences, Bodemfysica en Landbeheer, PE&RC, Catchment hydrology, Soil Physics and Land Management, Soil water, 040103 agronomy & agriculture, Land degradation, 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, Environmental science, Soil fertility, Vegetation recovery, Post-fire management, Woody plant
Abstract

Fire is a key factor impacting soil hydrology in many Mediterranean catchments. Soil water repellency (SWR) can stimulate land degradation processes by reducing the affinity of soil and water thereby triggering a reduction in soil fertility and increasing soil and water losses. The effects of two consequent fires (1989 and 2005) on SWR were assessed in the Carmel Mountains, Israel. Fire history, plant recovery and post-fire management (14 treatments) were investigated as determining factors in a time dependent system. In total 210 locations were investigated 9 times from October 2011 to February 2012, which totals 1890 water drop penetration tests that were performed. During each visit to the field (9 times) a soil moisture content was measured for each treatment. SWR was highest in the >. 50. years unburnt plots, where soil under . Pinus halepensis is most hydrophobic. In the most disturbed soils (twice burnt), many sites have a low to absent SWR even if the soil is very dry. The dynamics and fluctuations in SWR differ in magnitude under different plant species. The areas treated with CC (chipping of charred trees) showed a much higher SWR than areas left untreated. From these insights, a conceptual model of the reaction of SWR on multiple fires was developed.

Published
2017

9. Ash-soil interface: Mineralogical composition and physical structure

Author

Anna Brook and Lea Wittenberg

Subjects
Environmental Engineering, biology, Chemistry, Soil organic matter, Mineralogy, 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences, Vegetation, 010501 environmental sciences, biology.organism_classification, 01 natural sciences, Pollution, Pistacia lentiscus, Soil water, 040103 agronomy & agriculture, Erosion, Cistus salviifolius, 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, Environmental Chemistry, Muffle furnace, Layering, Waste Management and Disposal, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

Fires exert many changes on the physical, chemical, morphological, mineralogical, and biological properties of soil that, in turn, affect the soil's hydrology and nutrient flux, modifying its ability to support vegetation and resist erosion. The ash produced by forest fires is a complex mixture composed of organic and inorganic particles with varied properties. This research was conducted to study and characterized ash properties produced at different temperatures and with different soil organic matter combinations. The samples, which included two treatments of soils with underlying mixed leaves and branches composed mainly by Pinus halepensis, Pistacia lentiscus, Cistus salviifolius and typical herbaceous vegetation, versus samples of mixed leaves and branches alone. Both were exposed to 400°C and 600°C heat in a muffle furnace for 2h. The residue ash was generally grayish, consisting of mixed-sized particles that preserved almost none of the original characteristics of the fuel, and was deposited in ash layers with diverse physicochemical and textural properties. The results of this study highlight the differences between all examined samples and strongly support the assumption that ash produced from a complex vegetation-soil system is a new substance with unique structural, textural, and mineralogical properties. Moreover, the ash produced at different temperatures appeared in distinct layering patterns.

Published
2016

10. Spatial variability of the relationships of runoff and sediment yield with weather types throughout the Mediterranean basin

Author

G. Desir, José María Senciales-González, Patricio Cid, Álvaro Gómez-Gutiérrez, Luis Merino-Martín, Carla Ferreira, Tíscar Espigares, Miguel A. Campo-Bescós, Albert Solé-Benet, Asunción Romero-Díaz, Julián Martínez-Fernández, Damien Raclot, Damià Vericat, Agata Novara, María Martínez-Mena, C. Le Bouteiller, Encarnación V. Taguas, Francesca Todisco, Antonio Canatário-Duarte, Luciano Mateos, Francesc Gallart, José Andrés López-Tarazón, Susana Bernal, Emmanouil A. Varouchakis, Y. Le Bissonnais, Mariano Moreno-de las Heras, Noemí Lana-Renault, A. Zabaleta, Dhais Peña-Angulo, M. Mercedes Taboada-Castro, Lea Wittenberg, Ramon J. Batalla, Vito Ferro, Susanne Schnabel, Xavier Úbeda, Victor Castillo, Matija Zorn, José Carlos González-Hidalgo, Ramón Bienes, Juan Albaladejo, M.T. Taboada-Castro, Feliciana Licciardello, C. Marín, V. Simonneaux, Óscar González-Pelayo, George P. Karatzas, H. Barhi, Roberto Lázaro, E. Roose, Jesús Rodrigo-Comino, Joan Estrany, Julián Campo, Elvira Díaz-Pereira, José Luis Rubio, Sébastien Klotz, Artemio Cerdà, Javier Casalí, Vicente Andreu, Helena Gómez-Macpherson, Nicolle Mathys, Yolanda Cantón, Estela Nadal-Romero, Teodoro Lasanta, Nicola Cortesi, Orestis Kairis, Rafael Giménez, Maria Jose Marques, María Fernández-Raga, A. Cheggour, José Damián Ruiz-Sinoga, Vincenzo Pampalone, José A. Gómez, Vincenzo Bagarello, Paloma Hueso-Gonzalez, José M. Nicolau, Ana Lucía, N. Moustakas, Costas Kosmas, M. L. Rodríguez-Blanco, Jérôme Latron, E. Gimeno, Juan F. Martínez-Murillo, Govern de les Illes Balears, Generalitat de Catalunya, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal), Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (España), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), European Commission, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España), Universidad de Lleida, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (España), Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Departamento de Geografía, University of Zaragoza, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE), Soil and Water Conservation Research Group, Centro de Edafologia y Biologia Aplicada del Segura, Desertification Research Centre, Department of Environmental Quality and Soils, CIDE-CSIC, Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Università degli studi di Palermo - University of Palermo, Institut National de Recherche en Génie Rural, Eaux et Forêts de Tunisie (INRGREF), Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Faculty of Forest Sciences and Natural Resources, Universidad Austral de Chile, RIUS, Fluvial Dynamics Research Group, University of Lleida (UL), Integrative Freshwater Ecology Group, Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes, Departamento Investigación Aplicada y Extensión Agraria, Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDRA), ISFOOD Institute, Department of Projects and Rural Engineering, Universidad Pública de Navarra, School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Center for GeoBioSciences, GeoTechnologies and GeoEngineering (GEOBIOTEC), Universidade da Beira Interior, Department of Agronomy (Soil Science Area), University of Almeria, Department of Geography, Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Université de Valence, Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad (LANGEBIO), Maize Genetics and Genomics Lab, CINVESTAV, Department of Earth Sciences, Centro Nacional de Supercomputación, Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Unidad de Ecología, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares (UAH), Department of Geography, Mediterranean Ecogeomorphological and Hydrological Connectivity Research Team (MEDhyCON), University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Department of Applied Chemistry and Physics, University of Leon, College of Agriculture, Research Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society (CERNAS), Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, Department of Earth and Marine Sciences [Palermo], Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Spain] (CSIC), Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (IAS), Instituto de Agricultura, INTERRA Research Institute, University of Extremadura, Department of Environment and Planning, Earth Surface Processes Team (ESP) Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Department of Natural Resources Management and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Erosion torrentielle neige et avalanches (UR ETGR (ETNA)), Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA), Université Grenoble Alpes (COMUE) (UGA), Area of Physical Geography, DCH, Universidad de la Rioja, Experimental Station of Arid Zones (EEZA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Laboratoire d'étude des Interactions Sol - Agrosystème - Hydrosystème (UMR LISAH), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [ Madagascar])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Department of Geography, Mediterranean Ecogeomorphological and Hydrological Connectivity Research Team (MEDhyCON) Hydrol Connect Res, Dept Geog, Palma De Mallorca 07122, Spain, Institute of Earth and Environmental Science [Potsdam], University of Potsdam, Faculty of Sciences, Center for Applied Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Instituto Hispano Luso de Investigaciones Agrarias, Universidad de Salamanca, Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations (UMR AMAP), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Institut d'Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paul Valéry (Montpellier 3), Université de Montpellier (UM), École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [Bolivie]), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3), Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Ambientales, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), University of A Coruña (UDC), Physical Geography, Trier University, Departamento de Geografía, Universidad de Cantabria [Santander], UMR Eco&Sols, Centre d'études spatiales de la biosphère (CESBIO), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, ETSIAM Campus Rabanales, Universidad de Cordoba, Department of Agriculture-Food and Environmental Sciences, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Research Unit, Università degli Studi di Perugia (UNIPG), Departamento de Geografía, Grup de Recerca Ambiental Mediterrània, University of Barcelona, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Nairobi (UoN), Science and Technology Faculty, Hydro-Environmental Processes Research Group, University of the Basque Country (University of the Basque Country), Geographical Institute, Scientific Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU), MINECO-FEDER [CGL2014-52135-C3-3-R, CGL2014-59946-R, CGL2015-65569-R, CGL2015-64284-C2-2-R, PCIN-2017-061/AEI], Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MEC [RYC-2013-14371, RYC-2010-06264], Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation [SFRH/BPD/120093/2016], Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral contract from the MEC [IJCI-2015-26463], Vicenc Mut postdoctoral fellowship from the Autonomous Balearic Government [CAIB PD/038/2016], Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Department of the Economy and Knowledge of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia [2014 SGR 645], CERCA Programme, COST action CONNECTEUR [ES1306], University of Zaragoza - Universidad de Zaragoza [Zaragoza], Instituto Pirenaico de Ecologìa = Pyrenean Institute of Ecology [Zaragoza] (IPE - CSIC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Institut National de Recherche en Génie Rural Eaux et Forêts (INRGREF), Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural, des Eaux et des Forêts (ENGREF)-Institution de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles [Tunis] (IRESA), Instituto Catalán de Investigación del Agua - ICRA (SPAIN) (ICRA), Universidad Pública de Navarra [Espagne] = Public University of Navarra (UPNA), Universidade de Aveiro, Universitat de València (UV), Université Cadi Ayyad [Marrakech] (UCA), Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputacion (BSC - CNS), Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible - Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (IAS CSIC), Universidad de Extremadura - University of Extremadura (UEX), Universidad de Málaga [Málaga] = University of Málaga [Málaga], Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019] (UGA [2016-2019]), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), University of Potsdam = Universität Potsdam, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen = Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM), École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Ecologie fonctionnelle et biogéochimie des sols et des agro-écosystèmes (UMR Eco&Sols), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Université de Toulouse (UT), Universidad de Córdoba = University of Córdoba [Córdoba], Università degli Studi di Perugia = University of Perugia (UNIPG), Centre de Ciència i Tecnologia Forestal de Catalunya (CTFC), Pena-Angulo D., Nadal-Romero E., Gonzalez-Hidalgo J.C., Albaladejo J., Andreu V., Bagarello V., Barhi H., Batalla R.J., Bernal S., Bienes R., Campo J., Campo-Bescos M.A., Canatario-Duarte A., Canton Y., Casali J., Castillo V., Cerda A., Cheggour A., Cid P., Cortesi N., Desir G., Diaz-Pereira E., Espigares T., Estrany J., Fernandez-Raga M., Ferreira C.S.S., Ferro V., Gallart F., Gimenez R., Gimeno E., Gomez J.A., Gomez-Gutierrez A., Gomez-Macpherson H., Gonzalez-Pelayo O., Hueso-Gonzalez P., Kairis O., Karatzas G.P., Klotz S., Kosmas C., Lana-Renault N., Lasanta T., Latron J., Lazaro R., Le Bissonnais Y., Le Bouteiller C., Licciardello F., Lopez-Tarazon J.A., Lucia A., Marin C., Marques M.J., Martinez-Fernandez J., Martinez-Mena M., Martinez-Murillo J.F., Mateos L., Mathys N., Merino-Martin L., Moreno-de las Heras M., Moustakas N., Nicolau J.M., Novara A., Pampalone V., Raclot D., Rodriguez-Blanco M.L., Rodrigo-Comino J., Romero-Diaz A., Roose E., Rubio J.L., Ruiz-Sinoga J.D., Schnabel S., Senciales-Gonzalez J.M., Simonneaux V., Sole-Benet A., Taguas E.V., Taboada-Castro M.M., Taboada-Castro M.T., Todisco F., Ubeda X., Varouchakis E.A., Vericat D., Wittenberg L., Zabaleta A., Zorn M., Instituto Pirenaico de Ecologia (IPE), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro), Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), and Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Runoff, Erosion, Mediterranean basin, Sediment yield, Synoptic weather types, 0207 environmental engineering, [SDU.STU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences, 02 engineering and technology, 01 natural sciences, Mediterranean Basin, Hydrology (agriculture), Erosão, Produção de sedimentos, Escoamento, Bacia Mediterrânica, Soil retrogression and degradation, ddc:550, 020701 environmental engineering, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Water Science and Technology, Hydrology, Sediment, Institut für Umweltwissenschaften und Geographie, 15. Life on land, 6. Clean water, 13. Climate action, Environmental science, Spatial variability, Soil conservation, Surface runoff
Abstract

Este artículo contiene 16 páginas, 6 figuras, 2 tablas., Soil degradation by water is a serious environmental problem worldwide, with specific climatic factors being the major causes. We investigated the relationships between synoptic atmospheric patterns (i.e. weather types, WTs) and runoff, erosion and sediment yield throughout the Mediterranean basin by analyzing a large database of natural rainfall events at 68 research sites in 9 countries. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to identify spatial relationships of the different WTs including three hydro-sedimentary variables: rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield (SY, used to refer to both soil erosion measured at plot scale and sediment yield registered at catchment scale). The results indicated 4 spatial classes of rainfall and runoff: (a) northern sites dependent on North (N) and North West (NW) flows; (b) eastern sites dependent on E and NE flows; (c) southern sites dependent on S and SE flows; and, finally, (d) western sites dependent on W and SW flows. Conversely, three spatial classes are identified for SY characterized by: (a) N and NE flows in northern sites (b) E flows in eastern sites, and (c) Wand SW flows in western sites. Most of the rainfall, runoff and SY occurred during a small number of daily events, and just a few WTs accounted for large percentages of the total. Our results confirm that characterization by WT improves understanding of the general conditions under which runoff and SY occur, and provides useful information for understanding the spatial variability of runoff, and SY throughout the Mediterranean basin. The approach used here could be useful to aid of the design of regional water management and soil conservation measures., This research was supported by projects funded by the MINECOFEDER: CGL2014-52135-C3-3-R, CGL2014-59946-R, CGL2015-65569- R, CGL2015-64284-C2-2-R, and PCIN-2017-061/AEI. When this manuscript was first submitted Estela Nadal-Romero and Damià Vericat received a “Ramón y Cajal” postdoctoral contract (RYC-2013-14371 and RYC‐2010‐06264, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MEC). Damià Vericat is now a Serra Húnter Fellow at the University of Lleida. María Fernández-Raga received a “José Castillejo” postdoctoral grant (Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports). Carla Ferreira was supported by a post-doctoral research grant from the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (SFRH/ BPD/120093/2016). Mariano Moreno-de las Heras received a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral contract (IJCI-2015-26463) from the MEC. José Andrés López-Tarazón received a Vicenç Mut postdoctoral fellowship from the Autonomous Balearic Government (CAIB PD/038/2016). José Andrés López-Tarazón and Ramon Batalla also acknowledge the Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Department of the Economy and Knowledge of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia for supporting the Consolidated Research Group 2014 SGR 645 (RIUSFluvial Dynamics Research Group), and the CERCA Programme. This paper has benefited from the Lab and Field Data Pool created within the framework of the COST action CONNECTEUR (ES1306).

Published
2019

11. Long-term effects of wildfire on rock weathering and soil stoniness in the Mediterranean landscapes

Author

Lea Wittenberg and Nurit Shtober-Zisu

Subjects
Environmental Engineering, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Dolomite, Geochemistry, Weathering, 010501 environmental sciences, 01 natural sciences, Pollution, Rendzina, Schmidt hammer, Rock fragment, Clastic rock, Erosion, Environmental Chemistry, Carbonate rock, Waste Management and Disposal, Geology, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

The severe wildfire at Mt. Carmel, Israel, in 2010, caused massive destruction of carbonate rocks. The thermal shock caused extreme exfoliation, producing large and flat clasts, affecting rocks to a depth of up to 20 cm. A decade after the fire, most flakes and spalls disappeared from the rock outcrops and adjacent soils. From these observations, this study pursued two objectives: (a) to monitor and analyze the spatio-temporal distribution of the disintegrated flakes 10 years after the fire and (b) to test the hypothesis that fires contribute to increased soil stoniness via physical and chemical flake erosion. The studied area included five lithostratigraphic units composed of chalk, limestone, and dolomite. The Schmidt Hammer test showed that after a decade, most of the spalled surface on the burned outcrops was lost, exposing new rock surfaces to atmospheric and weathering processes. The spalls and flakes were broken down and pulverized. The most prominent effects were changes in surface stoniness on the rendzina soils over the chalks, while there was less impact on the dolomite and limestone samples. The stoniness of the non-burned chalk was 23–39% and increased significantly to 69–86% in the burned area. Chalk erosion produced large (>16 mm, median 8–16 mm) and abundant gravel, suggesting fragmentation of large spalls, and particles that lost their bladed shapes becoming oblate and equant. While earlier works suggested that increasing rock fragment cover is often associated with the removal of fine particles, our results showed a substantial increase in rock fragments due to fire-induced exfoliation of rock surfaces, leading to long-term changes in soil properties. We therefore propose that the size, shape, and spatial distribution of rock fragments should be considered when examining the effects of rock fragments on hydrological and geomorphological processes or on post-fire soil rehabilitation.

Published
2021

12. Spectroscopy application for soil differentiation in urban landscape

Author

Anna Brook, Daniella Kopel, Dan Malkinson, and Lea Wittenberg

Subjects
Hydrology, Soil test, National park, Stratigraphy, Soil science, 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences, 010501 environmental sciences, 01 natural sciences, VNIR, Ecosystem services, Soil functions, Urbanization, Soil water, 040103 agronomy & agriculture, 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, Environmental science, Chemical property, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Earth-Surface Processes
Abstract

The definition of urban soil is descriptive, a description of a state, not a taxonomic classification. There are no physical or chemical property lists for it as for general soils’ definition. “Urban soil” is a generic term and can be interpreted in many ways, but it refers to soils affected by urbanization. Urban soils supply environmental services and support the urban vegetation communities, despite being essentially different from natural soils. The main goals of this paper were to characterize urban soils in open green undisturbed patches and find a feature that will identify urban soils, not directly affected by urbanization process, like construction, residential, and transportation development. Seventy soil samples were collected from Mount Carmel National Park, city of Haifa’s remnant patches and disturbed sites. The samples were taken from horizon A, after the coarse organic particles or trash residues were removed. Two non-distractive spectral methods across visible and near, shortwave, and mid-infrared (VNIR-SWIR-MIR) spectral regions were used to characterize the soil minerology and total carbon content (0.35–25 μm) and analyzed by previously published top-down spectral unmixing method. The urban soils from all the city sites were found to be a combination of anthropogenic residue, contaminants alien like actinolite and chrysotile traces, local clay, and silicate minerals, while the park’s soils contained none. Furthermore, the average total carbon content found in urban soils was significantly lower than the amount found in the park’s samples. The results of the spectroscopy and analytical chemical analysis could not set apart the urban soils; all samples contained materials from anthropogenic origin. Yet, urban soil samples and park soil samples had different spectra features, which set the two soils significantly apart. The spectra of urban soil samples contain high absorption features at the VNIR and very few and much less information at the MIR wavelength. This fundamental difference can define urban-affected soils. The spectral feature found in this study may be useful for creating a non-destructive method to trace the urbanization changes in rapid acquisition of soil information at quantitative and qualitative levels.

Published
2016

13. REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES TO ASSESS POST-FIRE EFFECTS AT THE HILLSLOPE AND SUB-BASIN SCALES VIA MULTI-SCALE MODEL

Author

Nurit Shtober-Zisu, Anna Brook, Daniella Kopel, Maria Polinova, Dar A. Roberts, Lea Wittenberg, and Dan Malkinson

Subjects
lcsh:Applied optics. Photonics, Ecological footprint, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, lcsh:T, Local scale, lcsh:TA1501-1820, 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences, Structural basin, 01 natural sciences, lcsh:Technology, Geography, Remote sensing (archaeology), lcsh:TA1-2040, Temporal resolution, 040103 agronomy & agriculture, 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, Satellite, lcsh:Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General), Scale model, Cartography, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Remote sensing
Abstract

Post-fire environmental footprint is expected at varying scales in space and in time and demands development of multi-scale monitoring approaches. In this paper, a spatially and temporally explicit multi-scale model that reveals the physical and morphological indicators affecting hillslope susceptibility at varying scales, is explained and demonstrated. The qualitative and quantitative suitability classification procedures are adapted to translate the large-scale space-borne data supplied by satellite systems (Landsat OLS8 and Sentinel 2 and 3) to local scale produced by a regional airborne survey performed by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). At the smallest spatial and temporal resolution, a daily airborne imagery collection by UAV is linked to micro-topography model, using statistical and mathematical approaches.

Published
2018

14. Recovery of Mediterranean Vegetation after Recurrent Forest Fires: Insight from the 2010 Forest Fire on Mount Carmel, Israel

Author

Naama Tessler, Yuval Sapir, Lea Wittenberg, and Noam Greenbaum

Subjects
Mediterranean climate, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Ecology, food and beverages, Soil Science, Plant community, Vegetation, 010501 environmental sciences, Development, 01 natural sciences, Environmental Chemistry, Plant cover, Environmental science, Species richness, Fire ecology, Regeneration (ecology), 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, General Environmental Science, Woody plant
Abstract

The December 2010 forest fire on Mount Carmel – the largest recorded in Israel – burned about 2500 ha of Mediterranean forest. We documented the immediate and short-term changes of the vegetation following this fire. Relative vegetation cover and plant species richness were sampled in five sites in spring 2009 and 2010, prior to the fire, and were re-sampled in 2011 and 2012. The number of recurrent fires (between 0 and 3) and time intervals between fires were documented for each site. We observed a strong decrease in total vegetation cover, associated with reduction of relative cover of woody vegetation. In the second year after the fire, shrubs and dwarf shrubs became dominant at all sites. Time intervals between fires played an important role in determining the extent of regeneration of the vegetation cover and plant species richness. Plant species richness immediately decreased after the fire in sites with a short fire interval, while in sites with a long fire interval, plant species richness increased. Relative plant cover was associated with the time from the last previous fire, and this association differed among different plant groups. These results suggest that vegetation and plant community regeneration after recurrent fires is accelerated when time intervals between fires are longer, whereas high fire frequency may suppress vegetation regeneration. Based on the results, we propose that forest regeneration after recurrent fires depends largely on time from the previous fire, rather than on the number of previous fires. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Published
2015

15. Vegetation cover and species richness after recurrent forest fires in the Eastern Mediterranean ecosystem of Mount Carmel, Israel

Author

Naama Tessler, Lea Wittenberg, and Noam Greenbaum

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Mediterranean climate, Environmental Engineering, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Forests, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Mediterranean Basin, Fires, Trees, Environmental Chemistry, Ecosystem, Israel, Waste Management and Disposal, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Tree canopy, Ecology, food and beverages, Vegetation, Biodiversity, Plants, Pollution, Geography, Disturbance (ecology), Plant cover, Species richness
Abstract

Fire is a common disturbance in Mediterranean ecosystems, and can have a destructive, influential, and even essential, effect on vegetation and wildlife. In recent decades there has been a general increase in the number of fires in the Mediterranean Basin, including in Mount Carmel, Israel. The effects of recurrent forest fires on vegetation cover and species richness were determined in the spring of 2009 and 2010 by field surveys. The results of this study showed that the vegetation cover changes after recurrent forest fires, and can serve as a good indicator of the influence of fire and the resulting ecosystem rehabilitation. The dominant cover in most fire-damaged areas was composed of shrubs and dwarf-shrubs, especially Cistus salviifolius and Calicotome villosa. Tree cover was severely damaged after recurrent fires, and in those areas there was a drastic decrease of the total plant cover. Species richness increased mainly in the first decade after the recurrent fires, and decreased when the forest canopy began to close. Fire recurrence with short intervals (4-6years) between fires may lower the rehabilitated processes of the ecosystem and change its equilibrium.

Published
2015

16. Wildfires in the eastern Mediterranean as a result of lightning activity – a change in the conventional knowledge

Author

Moshe Inbar, Haim Kutiel, Naama Tessler, Shlomit Paz, Dan Malkinson, and Lea Wittenberg

Subjects
Mediterranean climate, 021110 strategic, defence & security studies, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Ecology, Meteorology, Fire regime, 0211 other engineering and technologies, Forestry, 02 engineering and technology, 01 natural sciences, Eastern mediterranean, Geography, El Niño Southern Oscillation, Boreal, Climatology, Convective storm detection, Thunderstorm, Trough (meteorology), 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

No records exist in the scientific literature about lightning fires in the eastern Mediterranean (EM). Although thunderstorms are frequent in winter, if spontaneous fire is ignited, it will immediately be extinguished by rain. No thunderstorms occur in summer, and therefore no favourable weather conditions for natural ignitions exist. In October 2014, the synoptic conditions over the EM comprised a Red Sea Trough (RST) with an easterly axis (a less frequent version of this system). A convective storm, accompanied by thunderstorms with intense local rains developed rapidly. Simultaneously, six wildfires were reported from different locations in northern Israel (in the EM). Lightning activity documented by the Israel Electric Co. was at the same time and locations as the reported wildfires. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case recorded in recent history of wildfires in the EM as a result of lightning. Moreover, in the literature, the RST is associated with fires only when its axis is in a western position, thus driving very hot and dry air masses. A different way of thinking is needed on the potential of lightning in autumn as a possible cause of fires under different situations of the RST.

Published
2016

17. Relationship of Weather Types on the Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Rainfall, Runoff, and Sediment Yield in the Western Mediterranean Basin

Author

Álvaro Gómez-Gutiérrez, Feliciana Licciardello, Marcella Biddoccu, Susana Bernal, Victor Castillo, José Carlos González-Hidalgo, Costas Kosmas, Ramón Bienes, Juan Albaladejo, Susanne Schnabel, Artemio Cerdà, Ana Lucía, José Damián Ruiz-Sinoga, Luis Merino-Martín, Xavier Úbeda, Yolanda Cantón, Emmanouil A. Varouchakis, Francesc Gallart, Antonio Canatário-Duarte, Vincenzo Pampalone, Patricio Cid, Dhais Peña-Angulo, N. Mathys, José Andrés López-Tarazón, Jérôme Latron, Sébastien Klotz, Matija Zorn, Damien Raclot, Elvira Díaz-Pereira, Maria Jose Marques, María Martínez-Mena, Óscar González-Pelayo, Albert Solé-Benet, E. Gimeno, María Fernández-Raga, Noemí Lana-Renault, Carla Ferreira, George P. Karatzas, N. Moustakas, Helena Gómez-Macpherson, Francesca Todisco, Teodoro Lasanta, C. Le Bouteiller, Joan Estrany, Vicente Andreu, M. L. Rodríguez-Blanco, José M. Nicolau, José Luis Rubio, Orestis Kairis, M. Mercedes Taboada-Castro, Miguel A. Campo-Bescós, Eugenio Cavallo, Tíscar Espigares, Saskia Keesstra, Luciano Mateos, H. Bahri, José A. Gómez, Y. Le Bissonnais, Jesús Rodrigo-Comino, José María Senciales-González, A. Zabaleta, Lea Wittenberg, Mariano Moreno-de las Heras, Vito Ferro, M.T. Taboada-Castro, Javier Casalí, Nicola Cortesi, Rafael Giménez, Asunción Romero-Díaz, C. Marín, Estela Nadal-Romero, J. Farguell, Julián Campo, José Martínez-Fernández, G. Desir, V.M. Marín-Moreno, Roberto Lázaro, Encarnación V. Taguas, Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Ambientales (IUCA), Departamento de Geografía, University of Zaragoza - Universidad de Zaragoza [Zaragoza], Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Quimicas, Desertification Research Centre, Department of Environmental Quality and Soils, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Institut National de Recherche en Génie Rural Eaux et Forêts (INRGREF), Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural, des Eaux et des Forêts (ENGREF)-Institution de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles [Tunis] (IRESA), Integrative Freshwater Ecology Group, Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes, Institute for Agricultural and Earthmoving Machines, National Research Council of Italy | Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Departamento Investigación Aplicada y Extensión Agraria, Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDRA), ISFOOD Institute, Department of Projects and Rural Engineering, Universidad Pública de Navarra [Espagne] = Public University of Navarra (UPNA), School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Department of Agronomy (Soil Science Area), University of Almeria, Soil and Water Conservation Research Group, Centro de Edafologia y Biologia Aplicada del Segura, Department of Geography, Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Universitat de València (UV), Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad (LANGEBIO), Maize Genetics and Genomics Lab, CINVESTAV, Department of Earth Sciences, Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputacion (BSC - CNS), Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Unidad de Ecología, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares (UAH), Department of Geography, Mediterranean Ecogeomorphological and Hydrological Connectivity Research Team (MEDhyCON), University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Mediterranean Environmental Research Group, Department of Physical Geography and Regional Geographic Analysis (GRAM), University of Barcelona, Department of Applied Chemistry and Physics, University of Leon, College of Agriculture, Research Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society (CERNAS), Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, Department of Earth and Marine Sciences [Palermo], Università degli studi di Palermo - University of Palermo, Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera, Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible - Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (IAS CSIC), INTERRA Research Institute, Universidad de Extremadura - University of Extremadura (UEX), Department of Environment and Planning, Earth Surface Processes Team (ESP) Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Universidade de Aveiro, Department of Natural Resources Management and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, School of Environmental Engineering [Chania], Technical University of Crete [Chania], Team Soil Water and Land Use, Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen UR, Erosion torrentielle neige et avalanches (UR ETGR (ETNA)), Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Area of Physical Geography, DCH, Universidad de la Rioja, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecologìa = Pyrenean Institute of Ecology [Zaragoza] (IPE - CSIC), Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Experimental Station of Arid Zones (EEZA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Laboratoire d'étude des Interactions Sol - Agrosystème - Hydrosystème (UMR LISAH), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro - Montpellier SupAgro, Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro), Physical and Regional Geography Research Group, Université Catholique de Louvain = Catholic University of Louvain (UCL), Universitat de Lleida, University of Potsdam = Universität Potsdam, Faculty of Sciences, Center for Applied Geosciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen = Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Universidad de Córdoba = University of Córdoba [Córdoba], Universidade do Porto = University of Porto, Instituto Hispano Luso de Investigaciones Agrarias, Universidad de Salamanca, Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations (UMR AMAP), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro - Montpellier SupAgro, Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Laboratoire commun de télédétection (UR LCMO), Centre national du machinisme agricole, du génie rural, des eaux et forêts (CEMAGREF), University of Vigo [ Pontevedra], Physical Geography, Trier University, Departamento de Geografía, Universidad de Cantabria [Santander], Universidad de Málaga [Málaga] = University of Málaga [Málaga], Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), University of A Coruña (UDC), Department of Agriculture-Food and Environmental Sciences, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Research Unit, Università degli Studi di Perugia = University of Perugia (UNIPG), Departamento de Geografía, Grup de Recerca Ambiental Mediterrània, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Nairobi (UoN), Science and Technology Faculty, Hydro-Environmental Processes Research Group, University of the Basque Country (University of the Basque Country), Geographical Institute, Scientific Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU), Spanish Government (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MINECO) and FEDER Projects: CGL2014 52135-C3-3-R, ESP2017-89463-C3-3-R, CGL2014-59946-R, CGL2015-65569-R, CGL2015-64284-C2-2-R, CGL2015-64284-C2-1-R, CGL2016-78075-P, GL2008-02879/BTE, LEDDRA 243857, RECARE-FP7, CGL2017-83866-C3-1-R, and PCIN-2017-061/AEI. Dhais Pena-Angulo received a 'Juan de la Cierva' postdoctoral contract (FJCI-2017-33652 Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MEC). Ana Lucia acknowledge the 'Brigitte-Schlieben-Lange-Programm'. The 'Geoenvironmental Processes and Global Change' (E02_17R) was financed by the Aragon Government and the European Social Fund. Jose Andres Lopez-Tarazon acknowledges the Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Department of the Economy and Knowledge of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia for supporting the Consolidated Research Group 2014 SGR 645 (RIUS-Fluvial Dynamics Research Group). Artemi Cerda thank the funding of the OCDE TAD/CRP JA00088807. Jose Martinez-Fernandez acknowledges the project Unidad de Excelencia CLU-2018-04 co-funded by FEDER and Castilla y Leon Government. Ane Zabaleta is supported by the Hydro-Environmental Processes consolidated research group (IT1029-16, Basque Government)., Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (España), European Commission, Gobierno de Aragón, Eusko Jaurlaritza, Generalitat de Catalunya, Junta de Castilla y León, Universidad Pública de Navarra. Departamento de Ingeniería, Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa. ISFOOD - Institute for Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain, Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa. Ingeniaritza Saila, University of Zaragoza, CNR - National Research Council of Italy, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Université de Valence, University of Extremadura, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecologia (IPE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), University of Potsdam, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Universidad de Córdoba [Cordoba], Instrumentation, Material and Correlated Electrons Physics (IMAPEC), PHotonique, ELectronique et Ingénierie QuantiqueS (PHELIQS), Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire de Grenoble (IRIG), Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire de Grenoble (IRIG), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), Universidade do Porto, Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université de Montpellier (UM), Università degli Studi di Perugia (UNIPG), Barcelona Supercomputing Center, UAM. Departamento de Geología y Geoquímica, Pena-Angulo D., Nadal-Romero E., Gonzalez-Hidalgo J.C., Albaladejo J., Andreu V., Barhi H., Bernal S., Biddoccu M., Bienes R., Campo J., Campo-Bescos M.A., Canatario-Duarte A., Canton Y., Casali J., Castillo V., Cavallo E., Cerda A., Cid P., Cortesi N., Desir G., Diaz-Pereira E., Espigares T., Estrany J., Farguell J., Fernandez-Raga M., Ferreira C.S., Ferro V., Gallart F., Gimenez R., Gimeno E., Gomez J.A., Gomez-Gutierrez A., Gomez-Macpherson H., Gonzalez-Pelayo O., Kairis O., Karatzas G.P., Keesstra S., Klotz S., Kosmas C., Lana-Renault N., Lasanta T., Latron J., Lazaro R., Bissonnais Y.L., Bouteiller C.L., Licciardello F., Lopez-Tarazon J.A., Lucia A., Marin-Moreno V.M., Marin C., Marques M.J., Martinez-Fernandez J., Martinez-Mena M., Mateos L., Mathys N., Merino-Martin L., Moreno-de las Heras M., Moustakas N., Nicolau J.M., Pampalone V., Raclot D., Rodriguez-Blanco M.L., Rodrigo-Comino J., Romero-Diaz A., Ruiz-Sinoga J.D., Rubio J.L., Schnabel S., Senciales-Gonzalez J.M., Sole-Benet A., Taguas E.V., Taboada-Castro M.T., Taboada-Castro M.M., Todisco F., Ubeda X., Varouchakis E.A., Wittenberg L., Zabaleta A., Zorn M., Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), and Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)

Subjects
Mediterranean climate, Western Mediterranean, Rainfall, Atmospheric Science, Water en Landgebruik, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Climate, analyses, Sedimentació, 02 engineering and technology, [SDV.BID.SPT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics, Phylogenetics and taxonomy, 01 natural sciences, Mediterranean Basin, Soil, Bodem, Lluvia, Soil, Water and Land Use, Geología, weather types, rainfall, runoff, erosion, sediment yield, seasonal analyses, Mediterranean basin, Erosion, Mediterranean basin, Rainfall, Runoff, Seasonal analyses, Sediment yield, Weather types, 020701 environmental engineering, Precipitacions (Meteorologia), Sediment yield, Edafología, [SDV.BV.BOT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Vegetal Biology/Botanics, PE&RC, 2502 Climatología, Drenatge, 6. Clean water, Weather types, Tipos de clima, Erosión, Precipitations (Meteorology), 2511 Ciencias del Suelo (Edafología), 2508.10 Precipitación, Seasonal analyses, Anticyclone, Erosió, Erosion, Drainage, Mediterrània occidental, Soil erosion--Climatic factors, Cuenca mediterranea, Runoff, 0207 environmental engineering, Environmental Science (miscellaneous), lcsh:QC851-999, complex mixtures, [SDV.EE.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment/Ecosystems, Atmospheric instability, Settore AGR/08 - Idraulica Agraria E Sistemazioni Idraulico-Forestali, Datasets, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Mediterraneanbasin, Hydrology, Water and Land Use, Rainfal, fungi, Sediment, Sedimentation and deposition, seasonal, 15. Life on land, Atmosfera -- Aspectes ambientals, Bodem, Water en Landgebruik, 13. Climate action, Enginyeria agroalimentària::Ciències de la terra i de la vida [Àrees temàtiques de la UPC], Soil erosion, Environmental science, Rainfall frequencies, Spatial variability, lcsh:Meteorology. Climatology, Clima, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Surface runoff
Abstract

Producción Científica, Rainfall is the key factor to understand soil erosion processes, mechanisms, and rates. Most research was conducted to determine rainfall characteristics and their relationship with soil erosion (erosivity) but there is little information about how atmospheric patterns control soil losses, and this is important to enable sustainable environmental planning and risk prevention. We investigated the temporal and spatial variability of the relationships of rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield with atmospheric patterns (weather types, WTs) in the western Mediterranean basin. For this purpose, we analyzed a large database of rainfall events collected between 1985 and 2015 in 46 experimental plots and catchments with the aim to: (i) evaluate seasonal differences in the contribution of rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield produced by the WTs; and (ii) to analyze the seasonal efficiency of the different WTs (relation frequency and magnitude) related to rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield. The results indicate two different temporal patterns: the first weather type exhibits (during the cold period: autumn and winter) westerly flows that produce the highest rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield values throughout the territory; the second weather type exhibits easterly flows that predominate during the warm period (spring and summer) and it is located on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. However, the cyclonic situations present high frequency throughout the whole year with a large influence extended around the western Mediterranean basin. Contrary, the anticyclonic situations, despite of its high frequency, do not contribute significantly to the total rainfall, runoff, and sediment (showing the lowest efficiency) because of atmospheric stability that currently characterize this atmospheric pattern. Our approach helps to better understand the relationship of WTs on the seasonal and spatial variability of rainfall, runoff and sediment yield with a regional scale based on the large dataset and number of soil erosion experimental stations., Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad - FEDER (CGL2014 52135-C3-3-R; ESP2017-89463-C3-3-R; CGL2014-59946-R; CGL2015-65569-R; CGL2015-64284- C2-2-R; CGL2015-64284-C2-1-R; CGL2016-78075-P; GL2008-02879/BTE; LEDDRA 243857; RECARE-FP7; CGL2017-83866-C3-1-R y PCIN-2017- 061/AEI), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (FJCI-2017-33652), Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos (TAD/CRP JA00088807), Junta de Castilla y León - FEDER (CLU-2018-04)

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