THE SPATIAL VARIATION IN WIND-BLOWN SEDIMENT TRANSPORT IN SMALL SCALES IN KARAPINAR-TURKEY

Authors : F YOUSSEF, V SASKIA, D KARSSENBERG, G ERPUL

Pages : 80-88

Doi:10.7161/anajas.2010.25.2.80-88

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Publication Date : 2010-08-20

Article Type : Other Papers

Abstract :The wind erosion in Great Konya Basin is one of significant land degradation factors. The rampant grazing and agriculture with no soil conservation measures in Karapınar region accelerated the wind erosion process. This research was conducted in Karapınar region. Two measurement plots were chosen: One of them is located at the agricultural area and the other is located at the protected steppe. 25 MWAC (Modified Wilson and Cooke) traps were placed for every measurement plot of 60 x 60 m2 area. A full meteorological station was installed to collect climatologic data necessary for modeling the wind erosion. 5 wind events were observed in March 2009. The maximum wind speed was recorded as 17.56 ms-1 on the 6th of March 2009. The results showed that while the mass transport amount in the agricultural area was high (maximum amount was 621 Kgm-1), there was no considerable sediment collected/eroded at the plot of the protected steppe. Therefore, analyses for the spatial distribution were restricted to the plot of agricultural area. It is also determined that the most erosive winds come from the S, SSW and SSE. In conclusion, results indicated that the mass flux has a high variation over the measurement plot. This dictated that additional measurements are required to have clear view on the wind erosion distribution in Karapınar region and on the interactions between wind erosion and land use.
Keywords : Wind erosion, Mass transport, Spatial variation