Multi‐Temporal UAV Surveys and Modelling of Soil Erosion in the Ca l'Isard Catchment, NE Spain
Abstract
This study investigates seasonal sediment dynamics in highly active Mediterranean mountain badlands by integrating multi‐temporal Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveys, and landscape evolution modelling (LEM) in the Ca l'Isard catchment (NE Spain). Four years (2020–2024) of high‐resolution topographic data obtained from UAV revealed a consistent seasonal pattern; winter sediment accumulation (more than 0.5 m in incised channels), followed by summer export. In this sense, intense rainfall events are identified as the main drivers of soil detachment within the system. However, sediment transport through the drainage network towards the outlet points depends on the generation of sufficient runoff capable of mobilizing and transferring the previously detached material. The catchment exhibited an average substantial sediment yields (42–105 T/km 2 year), with interannual variability strongly linked to seasonal patterns. The LEM, calibrated using UAV‐derived digital elevation models (DEMs), successfully replicated observed fluxes at both gully (1000 m 2 ) and catchment scales (1.32 km 2 ). The model correctly captured the annual and seasonal sediment dynamics, revealing strong Pearson correlations (0.7) between modelled and monitored data. Minor discrepancies emerged during extreme high‐intensity rainfall events. Our findings demonstrate that badland erosion is governed by climatic factors (i.e., freezing–thawing cycles, high intensity rainfalls) and highlight the value of coupling field monitoring with process‐based modelling to successfully analyse sediment dynamics in rapidly eroding badlands. Moreover, this framework provides a transferable approach for quantifying sediment dynamics in similar mountain regions.
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BibTeX
@article{torra2026multitemporal,
title = {{Multi‐Temporal UAV Surveys and Modelling of Soil Erosion in the Ca l'Isard Catchment, NE Spain}},
author = {Ona Torra and Marcel Hürlimann and Càrol Puig-Polo and Felipe Buill and Caroline Le Bouteiller and Coline Ariagno and Jérôme Latron},
journal = {European Journal of Soil Science},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1111/ejss.70412},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05843840v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Multi‐Temporal UAV Surveys and Modelling of Soil Erosion in the Ca l'Isard Catchment, NE Spain
AU - Ona Torra
AU - Marcel Hürlimann
AU - Càrol Puig-Polo
AU - Felipe Buill
AU - Caroline Le Bouteiller
AU - Coline Ariagno
AU - Jérôme Latron
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/06
JO - European Journal of Soil Science
DO - 10.1111/ejss.70412
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05843840v1
AB - This study investigates seasonal sediment dynamics in highly active Mediterranean mountain badlands by integrating multi‐temporal Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveys, and landscape evolution modelling (LEM) in the Ca l'Isard catchment (NE Spain). Four years (2020–2024) of high‐resolution topographic data obtained from UAV revealed a consistent seasonal pattern; winter sediment accumulation (more than 0.5 m in incised channels), followed by summer export. In this sense, intense rainfall events are identified as the main drivers of soil detachment within the system. However, sediment transport through the drainage network towards the outlet points depends on the generation of sufficient runoff capable of mobilizing and transferring the previously detached material. The catchment exhibited an average substantial sediment yields (42–105 T/km 2 year), with interannual variability strongly linked to seasonal patterns. The LEM, calibrated using UAV‐derived digital elevation models (DEMs), successfully replicated observed fluxes at both gully (1000 m 2 ) and catchment scales (1.32 km 2 ). The model correctly captured the annual and seasonal sediment dynamics, revealing strong Pearson correlations (0.7) between modelled and monitored data. Minor discrepancies emerged during extreme high‐intensity rainfall events. Our findings demonstrate that badland erosion is governed by climatic factors (i.e., freezing–thawing cycles, high intensity rainfalls) and highlight the value of coupling field monitoring with process‐based modelling to successfully analyse sediment dynamics in rapidly eroding badlands. Moreover, this framework provides a transferable approach for quantifying sediment dynamics in similar mountain regions.
SN - 1351-0754
SN - 1365-2389
ER -