Geografie 2012, 117, 152-169
Assessing the natural hazard of gully erosion through a Geoecological Information System (GeIS): a case study from the Western Carpathians
The development of gullies represents a specific type of fluvial erosion that is triggered when surface runoff becomes concentrated during extreme rainfall events. This study investigates a part of the Považské Valley and Strážovské Mountains in Slovakia to assess the potential susceptibility and gully erosion hazard using a Geoecological Information System (GeIS). The landscape of the area was studied through primary field research and the analysis of secondary materials. The GeIS was then constructed in order to undertake specific multidimensional statistical methods. These were used to assess the potential susceptibly and gully erosion hazard. Those areas with the greatest potential susceptibility occur in Butkovská Furrow and the Podmanínska Hills whilst those with the least potential susceptibility occur in Butkovské Klippes and the Trenčianska Upland. The greatest gully erosion hazard was identified on arable land in the Podmanínska Hills and on the river terraces in the Ilavská Basin. It is clear that the majority of the permanent gullies within the study area are controlled by the course of existing anthropogenic linear features such as unpaved field and forest roads and balks in arable land.
Keywords
natural hazard, gully erosion, abiocomplex, multidimensional statistical methods, Geoecological Information System, Western Carpathians.
Funding
This work was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract ESF-EC-0006-07.
