Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : MEASURING AND MODELLING HYDROLOGICAL SURFACE CONNECTIVITY

Auteur : VAN NIEUWENHUYSE Bartel H.J.

Université de soutenance : Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Grade : Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2012

Présentation
Hydrological connectivity describes the internal linkages between runoff generation in upper parts of the catchment and the receiving water. It is quantified as the ratio of the runoff reaching the catchment’s outlet and the total internal runoff generation. It thus effectively bridges the gap between the point-scale separation of rainfall into soil water storage and (sub-)surface runoff as opposed to what we see as response at the hillslope or catchment scale. In between both, significant water redistribution from runoff source areas into sinks may occur such that isolated active areas in upslope regions may become disconnected and may not contribute to the actual outflow. This pattern-process interaction is one of the main reasons why hydrological observations at laboratory or plot scale are inadequate to explain the phenomena witnessed on hillslopes and in catchments and is why hydrological connectivity has become, in the last decade, a central concept in hydrology, particularly in semi-arid environments. The overall purpose of this dissertation is to identify which factors control the connectivity of a hillslope and to discuss how this reflects on data collection and modelling.

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