A multi-scale approach for erosion assessment in the Andes

This thesis has eight chapters. A general introduction to the research area (La Encañada watershed) in the northern Andean Highlands of Peru and the development of the methodology are given in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 presents a detailed study of the rainfall characteristics; the aggressiveness of rainfall to produce erosion, called erosivity, is highlighted. The susceptibility of soils to be eroded both by rainsplash (interrill) and by concentrated flow (rill) is described in Chapter 3. An uncertainty analysis using the physically based Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) erosion model and the collected input parameters is described in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 presents the validation of the hillslope version of WEPP, whereas Chapter 6 introduces a new tool, the GEMSE interface, which permits the visualization of the erosion process at the watershed scale. The methodologies applied during the fieldwork for this thesis are presented in Chapter 7. Conclusions are drawn in the final Chapter 8