Assessment of factors controlling ephemeral gully erosion in Southern Portugal and Central Belgium using aerial photographs

Ephemeral gully erosion in agricultural land is an important source of sediment that is frequently being overlooked and not accounted for in soil erosion studies. However, there is field evidence that ephemeral gully erosion is responsible for significant soil losses. On the other hand, little is known about the factors controlling ephemeral gully erosion. In addition, the relative contribution of ephemeral gully erosion to total sediment production in agricultural catchments has not been assessed.