Causes and Controlling Factors of Valley Bottom Gullies

Selamawit Amare, Saskia Keesstra, Martine van der Ploeg, Eddy Langendoen, Tammo Steenhuis and Seifu Tilahun
Additional contact information
Selamawit Amare: Soil Physics and Land Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Saskia Keesstra: Team Soil, Water and Land Use, Wageningen Environmental Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Martine van der Ploeg: Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Eddy Langendoen: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Sedimentation Laboratory, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
Tammo Steenhuis: Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 26, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Seifu Tilahun: Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 26, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Land, 2019, vol. 8, issue 9, 1-21

Abstract: Valley bottomland provides diverse agricultural and ecosystem benefits. Due to concentrated flow paths, they are more vulnerable to gully erosion than hillslope areas. The objective of this review was to show what caused valley bottoms gullies and to present deficiencies in existing rehabilitation measures. From the literature review, we found the following general trends: watershed characteristics determine location of valley bottom gullies; an increase in water transported from the watershed initiates the formation of gullies; the rate of change of the valley bottom gullies, once initiated, depends on the amount of rainfall and the soil and bedrock properties. Especially in humid climates, the presence of subsurface flow greatly enhances bank slippage and advancement of gully heads. Valley bottom gully reclamation measures are generally effective in arid and semi-arid areas with the limited subsurface flow and deep groundwater tables, whereas, for (sub) humid regions, similar remedial actions are not successful as they do not account for the effects of subsurface flows. To ensure effective implementation of rehabilitation measures, especially for humid regions, an integrated landscape approach that accounts for the combined subsurface and surface drainage is needed.

Keywords: erosion; runoff; soil saturation; sediment; badlands; landscape restoration; valley bottom (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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