The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Profile photo of Ronny Berndtsson

Ronny Berndtsson

Professor, Dep Director, MECW Dep Scientific Coordinator

Profile photo of Ronny Berndtsson

Exceptional rainfall characteristics related to erosion risk in semiarid Tunisia

Author

  • Sihem Jebari
  • Ronny Berndtsson
  • Akissa Bahri
  • Mohamed Boufaroua

Summary, in English

The Tunisian Dorsal area is representative of the semiarid Mediterranean region in terms of water resources availability as well as exceptional rainfall characteristics, runoff generation, and soil loss risk. In this context, soil properties, surface management practices together with highly intensive rainfall make the soils vulnerable to erosion. If the exceptional rainfall characteristics are linked to different erosion types, the erosion risk could be evaluated in a simple and straightforward way. In this regard, a short time-scale rainfall data base from the Dorsal area was analysed in the paper. The procedure used involves finding a representative duration between 1-60 min for the exceptional rainfall characteristics.
Rainfall intensities of different return periods are then related to the different erosion types. The identified exceptional rainfall durations between 1-60 min were analyzed in terms of number of events, depth, average intensity and maximum intensity. Results show that the 15-min duration maximum intensity can be used to evaluate erosion risk based on soil erosion type. The developed methodology can be used to evaluate erosion risk in semiarid regions based on exceptional rainfall characteristics. In practical terms the results can be used to better manage catchments that are vulnerable to soil erosion.

Department/s

  • Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)
  • Division of Water Resources Engineering
  • LTH Profile Area: Water

Publishing year

2008

Language

English

Pages

25-33

Publication/Series

Open Hydrology Journal

Volume

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Bentham Science Publishers, Bentham Open

Topic

  • Other Social Sciences

Keywords

  • erosion processes
  • return period
  • rainfall characteristics
  • exceptional event
  • semiarid area
  • Tunisia
  • precipitation (meteorology)

Status

Published

Project

  • The Middle East in the Contemporary World (MECW)

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1874-3781