Slope Orientation and Vegetation Effects on Soil Thermo-Hydraulic Behavior. An Experimental Study

Raül Oorthuis, Jean Vaunat, Marcel Hürlimann, Antonio Lloret, José Moya, Càrol Puig-Polo and Alessandro Fraccica
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Raül Oorthuis: Division of Geotechnical Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UPC BarcelonaTECH, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
Jean Vaunat: International Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Division of Geotechnical Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UPC BarcelonaTECH, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
Marcel Hürlimann: Division of Geotechnical Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UPC BarcelonaTECH, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
Antonio Lloret: International Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Division of Geotechnical Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UPC BarcelonaTECH, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
José Moya: Division of Geotechnical Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UPC BarcelonaTECH, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
Càrol Puig-Polo: Division of Geotechnical Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UPC BarcelonaTECH, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
Alessandro Fraccica: Division of Geotechnical Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UPC BarcelonaTECH, 08034 Barcelona, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: The stability and erosion of natural and man-made slopes is influenced by soil-vegetation-atmosphere interactions and the thermo-hydro-mechanical slope conditions. Understanding such interactions at the source of slope mass-wasting is important to develop land-use planning strategy and to promote environmentally adapted mitigation strategies, such as the use of vegetation to stabilize slopes and control erosion. Monitoring is essential for calibrating and validating models and for better comprehending the physical mechanisms of soil-vegetation-atmosphere interactions. We approached this complex problem by means of an experimental work in a full-scale monitored embankment, which is divided into four instrumented partitions. These partitions are North or South-faced and present a bare and vegetation cover at each orientation. Our main findings show that vegetation enhances rainfall infiltration and decreases runoff, which reduces slope stability and surficial erosion, while plant transpiration induces higher suctions and hence slope stability. Concerning thermal aspects, vegetation reduces the incidence of net solar radiation and consequently heat flux. Thus, daily temperature fluctuations and evaporation decreases. However, the effect of vegetation in the development of dryer soil conditions is more significant than the orientation effect, presenting higher drying rates and states at the North-vegetated slope compared to the South-bare slope.

Keywords: embankment; rainfall; infiltration; temperature; vegetation cover; monitoring (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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