Hydrological response and sediment production under different land cover in abandoned farmland fields in a Mediterranean mountain environment

Abstract

Rainfall simulation experiments were carried out in plots on three types of land cover (scrubland, grassland and rock fragment). Infiltration rates were similar for all three land cover types. Sediment concentrations and sediment detachments were moderate-to-low. The results confirm moderate hydrological and sediment responses associated with abandoned agricultural slopes. They also illustrate the complexity and variability of slope behavior associated with management of the fields, and are related to topographic features, in particular slope aspect.