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A Method for Spatially Explicit Representation of Sub-watershed Sediment Yield, Southern California, USA

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Abstract

We present here a method to integrate geologic, topographic, and land-cover data in a geographic information system to provide a fine-scale, spatially explicit prediction of sediment yield to support management applications. The method is fundamentally qualitative but can be quantified using preexisting sediment-yield data, where available, to verify predictions using other independent data sets. In the 674-km2 Sespe Creek watershed of southern California, 30 unique “geomorphic landscape units” (GLUs, defined by relatively homogenous areas of geology, hillslope gradient, and land cover) provide a framework for discriminating relative rates of sediment yield across this landscape. Field observations define three broad groupings of GLUs that are well-associated with types, relative magnitudes, and rates of erosion processes. These relative rates were then quantified using sediment-removal data from nearby debris basins, which allow relatively low-precision but robust calculations of both local and whole-watershed sediment yields, based on the key assumption that minimal sediment storage throughout most of the watershed supports near-equivalency of long-term rates of hillslope sediment production and watershed sediment yield. The accuracy of these calculations can be independently assessed using geologically inferred uplift rates and integrated suspended sediment measurements from mainstem Sespe Creek, which indicate watershed-averaged erosion rates between about 0.6–1.0 mm year−1 and corresponding sediment yields of about 2 × 103 t km−2 year−1. A spatially explicit representation of sediment production is particularly useful in a region where wildfires, rapid urban development, and the downstream delivery of upstream sediment loads are critical drivers of both geomorphic processes and land-use management.

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Acknowledgments

Our thanks to colleagues with whom we discussed the development of this approach and who helped in the field: John Wooster, Jay Stallman, and Cliff Reibe. Rafael Real de Asua and Eric Panzer were instrumental in developing and executing the GIS analysis and in helping to draft the maps. The field work and much of the preliminary analysis were funded by the Ventura County Watershed Protection District in support of their assessment of post-fire flood risks to the town of Fillmore. Thanks also to the U.S. Forest Service–Ojai Ranger District office for granting access to all areas of the Los Padres National Forest for our field surveys, the U.S. Forest Service–Los Padres National Forest for sharing compiled geologic data and Day Fire spatial data, and Kevin Schmidt (USGS) for useful post-fire sediment production information from their ongoing study in the Day Fire area. Peter Wohlgemuth (USFS) reviewed a draft of the preliminary report for Ventura County, and shared valuable insights into sediment production and fire effects in this dynamic landscape. Our thanks also to the journal editors and two anonymous reviewers for careful and thoughtful evaluations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA

    Derek B. Booth

  2. Stillwater Sciences, 2855 Telegraph Ave #400, Berkeley, CA, 94705, USA

    Derek B. Booth, Glen Leverich, Peter W. Downs, Scott Dusterhoff & Sebastian Araya

  3. School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK

    Peter W. Downs

  4. San Francisco Estuary Institute, 4911 Central Avenue, Richmond, CA, 94804, USA

    Scott Dusterhoff

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  1. Derek B. Booth
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Correspondence to Derek B. Booth.

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Booth, D.B., Leverich, G., Downs, P.W. et al. A Method for Spatially Explicit Representation of Sub-watershed Sediment Yield, Southern California, USA. Environmental Management 53, 968–984 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-014-0251-9

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