Human-induced land use worldwide has increased soil erosion and sediment transport by large rivers. Nevertheless, countertendencies have been recently recorded in wealthier countries, either through more favourable climatic conditions or erosion prevention measures. In the Mediterranean region, together with the natural soil loss susceptibility, human pressure has a long history and seem to be the main driver of changes in sediment supply during the Anthropocene. Badland areas in non-arid landscapes can be ideal sites to investigate the role of man in triggering erosion in the current context of global change, as their origin has been related to scenarios of widespread land degradation. So far, little attention has been given to the relationship between slope processes and river morphodynamics. In this context, the exploration of sediment connectivity in badland landscapes can be informative, considering their rapid evolution and off-site effects.
This research is aimed at exploring the Anthropocene hillslope morphodynamics and sediment connectivity of representative italian badland areas, in order to better delineate a) their recent morphodynamics; b) the role of man in the short-term evolution and how far it can be connected to the initiation and mitigation of water erosion processes; c) a badland evolution model which considers the effects of man-induced modifications to the landscape. In order to achieve these general purposes, the activities will include a multitemporal survey of the erosion dynamics and of the land transformations, the present erosion rate monitoring with innovative technologies and the geomorphometric modelling of the structural and functional connectivity on high resolution Digital Elevation Models. Outcomes of this project are expected to provide a deeper comprehension of the effects of catchment-scale man induced changes on fluvial systems and, in a wider context, support the decision making in a perspective of sustainable development.
