| Title: | Assessing the impact of man–made ponds on soil erosion and sediment transport in limnological basins |
| Authors: | Al Sayah, M.J., R. Nedjai, K. Kaffas, C. Adballah and M. Khouri |
| Year: | 2019 |
| Journal: | Water |
| Volume (Issue): | 11(12) |
| Pages: | |
| Article ID: | 2576 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/w11122526 |
| URL (non-DOI journals): | |
| Model: | SWAT |
| Broad Application Category: | pollutant only |
| Primary Application Category: | land use change |
| Secondary Application Category: | sediment loss and transport |
| Watershed Description: | 707 km^2 Brenne River, a tributary of the Claise River that drains part of Brenne Natural Regional Park in west central France. |
| Calibration Summary: | |
| Validation Summary: | |
| General Comments: | |
| Abstract: | The impact of ponds on basins has recently started to receive its well-deserved scientific
attention. In this study, pond-induced impacts on soil erosion and sediment transport were
investigated at the scale of the French Claise basin. In order to determine erosion and sediment
transport patterns of the Claise, the Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE)
erosion and Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) models were used. The impact of ponds on
the studied processes was revealed by means of land cover change scenarios, using ponded versus
pondless inputs. Results show that under current conditions (pond presence), 12.48% of the basin
corresponds to no-erosion risk zones (attributed to the dense pond network), while 65.66%
corresponds to low-erosion risk, 21.68% to moderate-erosion risk, and only 0.18% to high-erosion
risk zones. The SWAT model revealed that ponded sub-basins correspond to low sediment yields
areas, in contrast to the pondless sub-basins, which yield appreciably higher erosion rates. Under
the alternative pondless scenario, erosion risks shifted to 1.12%, 0.52%, 76.8%, and 21.56% for no,
low, moderate, and high-erosion risks, respectively, while the sediment transport pattern
completely shifted to higher sediment yield zones. This approach solidifies ponds as powerful
human-induced modifications to hydro/sedimentary processes. |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | soil erosion; sediment transport; SWAT; CORINE erosion model; ponds; Brenne;
limnology; land cover change |