Seasonal evolution of runoff generation on agricultural land in the Belgian loess belt and implications for muddy flood triggering

International audience ; Muddy oods due to agricultural runo are a widespread and frequent phenomenon in the European loess belt, and particularly in central Belgium. These oods are triggered when high quantities of runo are generated on cropland and cause severe erosion. Three soil surface characteristics are relevant to determine the runo potential of cultivated soils: soil cover by crops and residues, soil surface crust-ing and roughness. These characteristics have been observed on 65 cultivated elds throughout 2005. A heavy rainfall event representative for events triggering muddy oods in... Mehr ...