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| Titel |
Quantifying sediment connectivity in Wadi Al-Arab (NW Jordan) using a sediment budget approach |
| VerfasserIn |
Sabine Kraushaar, Ronald Pöppl |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2015
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 17 (2015) |
| Datensatznummer |
250107303
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 EGU/EGU2015-14878.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Due to data scarcity, sediment connectivity most often only qualitatively describes the potential transfer of sediments through a landscape. However, quantitative information on sediment delivery is of special relevance for modelling approaches as well as for sustainable land and water management, especially in water scarce regions such as Jordan, where valuable water reservoirs suffer from sediment pollution. Measurements are needed to quantify sediment outputs of the different land units and to trace their pathways though the catchments. This study uses the outcomes of a multiple response sediment budget approach conducted in the Wadi al-Arab catchment in northwest Jordan (263.5 km²) to quantify sediment connectivity. The catchment shows a Mediterranean to semi arid climate and consists of carbonatic and marly geology of the Upper Cretaceous. The topography ranges from rolling hills in the East to steeper mountainous areas in the North and West were olive orchards are the main agricultural use.
Soil erosion measurements in the main land use units and relevant sediment sources, such as olive orchards, agricultural fields, and natural vegetated slopes uncovered the potential ranges of soil erosion rates in these units. Furthermore, the annual sediment yield in the Wadi Al Arab water reservoir was calculated. With the extrapolation of the erosion rates of the main contributing land use units and the annual sediment amount that reaches the sink, a maximum value of lateral sediment connectivity could be quantified, reaching up to 18%. A multiple sediment fingerprint method was used to delineate the relative contribution of each measured source to the sink based on the lake sediment samples. Supported by additional 137Cs analysis of terrace samples and a survey of the Wadi bed a high longitudinal connectivity could be derived.
The applied method mix allowed the quantification of lateral sediment connectivity on catchment scale and gave a comprehensive understanding of the longitudinal connectivity in the Wadi bed, this way serving as possible data base to test available sediment connectivity models. |
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