Anthropogenic control on sediment connectivity for soil resource management in sloping vineyards (Mercurey, France)

Abstract

In agricultural lands, human practices have a significant role in sediment connectivity from plots to streams by influencing surface roughness and sediment storage capacity. This study was conducted to investigate how erosion and flood management structures modify the sediment connectivity in a vineyard headwater catchment (Mercurey, France). In this area, wine‐growing activities have resulted in significant soil loss, sometimes causing mudflows through the inhabited valley. Recognizing these environmental issues, local winegrowers have developed a network of structures designed to collect and trap water and sediments. Our methodology relies on the InVEST SDR model, which combines RUSLE‐based erosion estimates with an index of connectivity (IC) to compute the sediment delivery ratio (SDR) and sediment yield. The model outputs were adjusted using the sediment trap efficiencies of the artificial sinks derived from Brown's empirical approach. This was subsequently compared with the field‐monitoring observations. The findings highlighted that vineyard erosion averaged 11.5 t.ha ⁻¹ .yr ⁻¹ , but only 0.14 ± 0.12 t.ha ⁻¹ .yr ⁻¹ was delivered to the catchment outlet, indicating high sediment retention. Despite differences in trapping performance among structure types, we demonstrated that erosion and flood management structures were highly effective at disrupting sediment connectivity. They reduced the modelled sediment yield by 42 ± 1%, in addition to the effect of landscape roughness which was explicitly included in the modelling approach. Field monitoring further supported this, indicating a low sediment yield of ±0.04 t.ha ⁻¹ .yr ⁻¹ . These results provide a valuable reference for erosion control strategies in sloping vineyards. They also show the relevance of an integrated approach at the catchment scale for developing such strategies.