Erosión y desertificación.-Sediment balance in four small catchments with differeint land cover in the Central Pyrenees (Spain)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Four experimental catchments in the Central Pyrenees were monitored by the department of Geo-environmental Processes and Global Change (Pyrenean Institute of Ecology, CSIC) to assess the hydrological and geomorphological consequences of various land uses and vegetation cover. The catchments were selected along an altitudinal and land-use gradient and included: (i) a sub-Mediterranean environment affected by intense weathering and erosion processes on marls, (ii) an old abandoned cultivated area undergoing vegetation regrowth, (iii) a barely-disturbed forest area, and (iv) a sub-alpine grassland in the high mountains, affected by snow accumulation and melting processes. The results demonstratethat plant cover is a key factor influencing the suspended sediment concentration, totalsediment yield and proportion of different types of sediment.