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In mountainous catchments, the quantification of sediment yield is of paramount relevance for land-use planning and design of sediment control structures. However, deciphering the contribution of the different sediment transport processes (debris flows, debris floods and bedload transport) is often challenging as they are strongly controlled by basin morphometry, hydrological regime, and sediment supply. Therefore, long-term instrumental monitoring through catchment-scale sensor networks can provide precious information, especially if coupled with high-resolution topographical surveys. The Gadria catchment, located in the eastern Italian Alps, offers the possibility to perform a systematic monitoring of sediment transport processes. This catchment typically features several low-magnitude flood episodes and a few debris-flow events per year, from late spring to early fall. Starting from 2011, various instruments mainly devoted to debris-flow detection (geophones, video cameras, flow stage sensors) have been installed along the main channel, just upstream of a retention basin. High-resolution topographical surveys of the retention basin are carried out each year, at the beginning and at the end of the summer season and after debris-flow events. Rainfall is measured in the intermediate part of the catchment and in the headwaters, while PIT-tracing of bedload was performed in the main channel. In this work, we present the reconstruction of the sediment dynamics at the catchment scale during the 2014 and 2015 monitoring seasons. Instrumental monitoring was used to estimate the contribution of the different flow processes, and data from topographical surveys to quantify the transported volumes. Results show that (i) coarse sediment yield is driven by sporadic debris flows while flood events allow the continuous fine-sediment migration along the channel network; (ii) volume estimations may be significantly different ��� up to 30% lower - if performed through a DEM of Difference (DoD) analysis of the retention basin or by analysing monitoring data; (iii) a multi-parametric monitoring is needed to decipher sediment dynamics at catchment scale.

The assessment of flow velocity has a central role in quantitative analysis of debris flows, both for the characterization of the phenomenology of these processes and for the assessment of related hazards. Large-scale particle image velocimetry (LSPIV) can contribute to the assessment of surface velocity of debris flows, provided that the specific features of these processes (e.g. fast stage variations and particles up to boulder size on the flow surface) are taken into account. Three debris-flow events, each of them consisting of several surges featuring different sediment concentrations, flow stages, and velocities, have been analysed at the inlet of a sediment trap in a stream in the eastern Italian Alps (Gadria Creek). Free software has been employed for preliminary treatment (orthorectification and format conversion) of video-recorded images as well as for LSPIV application. Results show that LSPIV velocities are consistent with manual measurements of the orthorectified imagery and with front velocity measured from the hydrographs in a channel recorded approximately 70 m upstream of the sediment trap. Horizontal turbulence, computed as the standard deviation of the flow directions at a given cross section for a given surge, proved to be correlated with surface velocity and with visually estimated sediment concentration. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of LSPIV in the assessment of surface velocity of debris flows and permit the most crucial aspects to be identified in order to improve the accuracy of debris-flow velocity measurements.

Steep mountain catchments typically experience large sediment pulses from hillslopes which are stored in headwater channels and remobilized by debris-flows or bedload transport. The purpose of this research was to investigate the coarse sediment transport through steep catchments and how channel storage can influence debris-flows. This required intensive field-based geomorphic monitoring of flow events in the Manival and Réal torrent catchments which can experience debris-flows and bedload transport every year.In the Manival Torrent, the sediment transfers were characterized at a seasonal time scale by a complete sediment budget of the catchment derived from multi-date topographic measurements between important flow events (cross-section surveying and terrestrial laser scanning). Sediment budget reconstitution of two debris-flows revealed that most of their volumes were supplied by channel scouring (more than 92%). Bedload transport during autumn contributed to the sediment recharge of high-order channels by the deposition of large gravel wedges. This process is recognized as being fundamental for debris-flow occurrence during the subsequent spring and summer. A time shift of scour-and-fill sequences was observed between low- and high-order channels, revealing the discontinuous sediment transfer in the catchment during common flow events. A conceptual model of sediment routing for different event magnitudes is proposed.In the Réal Torrent, post-event surveying and high-frequency monitoring stations were used to compare and compile measurements of flow events. Three debris-flow events and three periods of bedload transport with small headwater debris-flows were observed. Sediment transport volumes for debris-flows were very similar to the Manival with important volume growth in the channel. The largest observed debris-flow revealed a downstream decrease of maximum flow heights, shear stress, velocity, and flow resistance. We hypothesize that the debris-flow front scours and destabilizes the channel, but it cannot transport the material because of its high sediment concentration. Therefore, the trailing hyperconcentrated surge picks up the remaining material, grows in volume, and coalesces with the decelerating debris-flow. Both the front and following surges play an integral role for net erosion during a debris-flow event.Multi-date cross-sections in the Manival and Réal have shown that debris-flows have significant scouring with large spatial variability. Bedload transport was observed to be at equilibrium with little variability. Field observations of channel deformations show that debris-flow scouring is strongly controlled by upstream slope and storage conditions. A logarithmic relationship is proposed as an empirical fit for the prediction of channel erosion. The most susceptible materials for erosion in the Manival are the unconsolidated gravel wedges developed from bedload transport. This material has a smooth surface within the rugged channel which can be automatically mapped with a 20 cm digital elevation model from either terrestrial or airborne laser scans by calculating roughness with a one meter window. This provides an automatic assessment of erodible areas in a channel at the time of the laser scan survey.This study has contributed to the need of quantitative field observations in the realm of debris-flow research. Complete and thorough databases were obtained by integrating multi-date cross-section surveys, multi-date laser scans, and high-frequency monitoring stations. Quantified evidence revealing sediment transfers, channel interactions/controls, debris-flow dynamics, and storage characterizations in two different catchments provides a strong basis in the development of conceptual and statistical models. These observations also highlighted the significant field parameters that have an influence on debris-flows and steep catchment systems.; Dans les bassins versants abrupts de montagne, de larges quantités de sédiments provenant des pentes escarpées viennent se déposer dans la partie supérieure des torrents et sont remobilisées par les laves torrentielles ou par charriage. Le but de ce travail était d'étudier le transport des sédiments grossiers dans les petits bassins versants torrentiels et d’analyser l’influence du stockage de ces sédiments dans le chenal sur les laves torrentielles. Cela a requis sur le terrain une intense surveillance géomorphologique des événements d'écoulement dans les bassins versants des torrents du Manival et du Réal, susceptibles de produire des laves torrentielles et du transport solide par charriage chaque année.Le bilan sédimentaire du Manival a été réalisé grâce à des mesures topographiques répétées entre les événements importants d’écoulements (sections transversales et relevés au scan laser terrestre). Deux évènements de laves torrentielles et plusieurs évènements de charriage ont été observés. La reconstitution de leur budget sédimentaire a révélé que la majeure partie de leurs volumes a été apportée par l'érosion du chenal. Les évènements de charriage de l’automne ont contribué à la recharge sédimentaire du chenal principal par le dépôt de grands bancs de gravier. Ce processus est fondamental au déclenchement de laves torrentielles lors des printemps et été suivants. Un décalage dans le temps des séquences érosion /dépôt a été observé entre les parties supérieure et inférieure du chenal, révélant un transfert discontinu de sédiments dans le bassin versant. Un modèle conceptuel de transfert des sédiments est proposé pour les différentes magnitudes d’écoulement.Dans le Réal, le volume de sédiment transporté est similaire à celui du Manival avec une augmentation importante du volume dans le chenal. La plus importante lave torrentielle observée a révélé une diminution en aval des hauteurs d'écoulement maximales, des contraintes de cisaillement, de la vitesse et de la résistance à l'écoulement. Cela suggère que le front de la lave torrentielle érode et déstabilise le chenal, mais qu’il ne peut pas transporter les matériaux en raison de sa concentration élevée en sédiments. La vague hyperconcentrée qui suit se charge des matériaux restants, croît en volume et fusionne avec la lave torrentielle en décélération. Le front et les vagues suivantes jouent un rôle essentiel pour l'érosion lors d'un événement de lave torrentielle.Les laves torrentielles ont créé une érosion significative à la variabilité spatiale importante alors que les déformations du lit induites par le charriage sont en équilibre. L’érosion du chenal par les laves torrentielles est contrôlée étroitement par la pente en amont et les conditions de stockage des sédiments et peut être prédite par une relation logarithmique. Les matériaux les plus sensibles à l'érosion dans le Manival sont les bancs de gravier non consolidés formés par le charriage. Ils constituent une surface lisse au sein du chenal rugueux qui peut être automatiquement cartographiée à partir de données de laser scan terrestre ou aérien. Ceci fournit une évaluation des zones sensibles à l'érosion dans un chenal au moment du relevé au scan laser.Cette étude a permis d’alimenter le domaine des laves torrentielles en observations quantitatives sur le terrain. Des bases de données détaillées ont été obtenues par l'intégration de multiples relevés des différentes sections transversales, des nombreux balayages laser et des données des stations de mesure à haute fréquence. Les mesures de transfert de sédiments, des interactions/contrôles dans le chenal, de la dynamique des laves torrentielles. La caractérisation des stockages dans ces bassins différents fournit une base solide pour le développement de modèles conceptuels et statistiques. Ces observations ont également mis en évidence les paramètres importants à mesurer sur le terrain qui ont une influence sur les laves torrentielles.