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Soil erosion after fire in volcanic terrain: assessment and implications for post-fire soil losses
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J.W. Wagenbrenner ,
R.E. Brown,
Stefan Doerr
Journal of Hydrology, Volume: 625, Issue: A, Start page: 129923
Swansea University Authors:
Jonay Neris Tome, Stefan Doerr
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DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.129923
Abstract
Wildfires can dramatically modify the hydrologic and erosion response of ecosystems, increasing risks to population and assets downslope of fire affected hillslopes. This applies especially to volcanic areas in fire-prone regions which often exhibit steep terrain and high population densities. Howev...
| Published in: | Journal of Hydrology |
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| ISSN: | 0022-1694 |
| Published: |
Elsevier BV
2023
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63914 |
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| Abstract: |
Wildfires can dramatically modify the hydrologic and erosion response of ecosystems, increasing risks to population and assets downslope of fire affected hillslopes. This applies especially to volcanic areas in fire-prone regions which often exhibit steep terrain and high population densities. However, the effects of fire on key hydrologic and erosion parameters, which are critical for modelling runoff-erosion processes, predicting related post-fire risks and for selecting effective mitigation measures, have not been extensively assessed in this terrain type. Here we evaluate water erosion processes of two contrasting volcanic soils in recently burned forest areas of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) at hillslope scale using erosion plots monitoring and rill erosion simulation experiments. The results show that both the lithology and the degree of weathering of the volcanic material govern the post-fire water erosion by concentrated flow (rill erosion experiments) and by the combination of interrill and rill erosion (erosion plots). Mature volcanic soils showed less susceptibility to erosion than weakly weathered volcanic soils and soils with non-volcanic lithologies. The results also show that the availability of easily detachable and transportable soil particles swiftly decreases after the fire, leading to the exhaustion of sediments and a decrease of the erosion rates with cumulative runoff events. These findings have direct implications for the modelling of runoff-erosion processes in volcanic terrain. |
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| Keywords: |
Wildfire, Runoff-erosion processes, Rill erosion, Sediment exhaustion, Andisols, Post-fire management |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
During manuscript preparation J Neris and SH Doerr were supported by a Natural Environment Research Council grant (NE/R011125/1). J Neris, was also supported by a H2020 Marie Skłodowska‐Curie Individual Fellowship (655993) and SH Doerr was supported by a European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme grant (FirEUrisk; 101003890. |
| Issue: |
A |
| Start Page: |
129923 |