Climate-driven decrease in erosion in extant Mediterranean badlands

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
Erosion measurements, derived from field monitoring using erosion pins, in southern Italy during the period 1974–2004 are used to explore the impacts of changing precipitation patterns on badland erosion. Erosion on badland inter-rill areas is strongly correlated with cumulative rainfall over each monitoring period. Annual precipitation has a substantial dynamic range, but both annual and winter (December, January, February) rainfall amounts in southern Italy show a steady decrease over the period 1970–2000. The persistence of positive values of the winter North Atlantic Oscillation index in the period 1980–2000 is correlated with a reduction in the winter rainfall amounts. Future climate scenarios show a reduction in annual rainfall across the western and central Mediterranean which is likely to result in a further reduction in erosion rates in existing badlands.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Earth surface processes and landforms, issn : 0197-9337, 2010, vol. 35, n°. 11, p. 1281-1288, nombre de pages : 8, Références bibliographiques : 1,5 p.

Date :
2010

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, Chichester, Wiley