Procesos de erosión en los badlands alicantinos

Laburpena

The erosional processes are very active in the province of Alicante (SE Spain) due to the low and irregular precipitations, to the highly erodible lithology and the continual human landuse. The conditions result in the formation of gully areas or badlands which contribute with high runoff volumes and sediments to the rivers. By means of simulated rainfall experiments the erosional proceses are studied and the erosion rates measured at inter-rill scale (< 1 m2) in two typical badland sites of the Alicante territory: Monnegre and Petrer. In general, the erosion and runoff rates are very high, which is due to the quick ponding and the fast formation of the surface runoff with the rainfall. The Monnegre site had lower water, soil and solute losses than the Petrer site although the differences within each site are greater than between sites. The negligible vegetation cover and the rock fragment cover result in high runoff rates (54%) and sediment concentration ranging from 20 to 82 g l-1, and as a consequence very high erosion rates (1,5 Kg m2 h-1). Moreover the chemical control on the erosional processes the slope angle is the main factor controlling the erosion rates (54%) on the badland landscapes.