Medium-term development of discontinuous gullies

Intense gully erosion has sculptured remarkable channels into the Moldavian Plateau of eastern Romania, especially in its most representative subunit, Bârlad covering >8000 km2. The permanent types are: (1) discontinuous gullies, mostly located on hillslopes and (2) large continuous gullies valley bottoms. This study seeks to improve our understanding development over variable time-scales (mostly 17–30 years, but also including data collected since 1961) by providing quantitative information evolution processes. Several methods were used accurately measure estimate growth. These include intensive field monitoring between 1978 2000 using ‘stakes grid method,’ repeated levelling until 2019, analysis aerial photographs Caesium-137 analysis. occur as single, successive (chains) or clusters. are associated with small catchments (usually <100 ha area) ephemeral peak runoff discharges usually ≤2 m3 s−1. ‘hydraulic radius at bankfull-channel’ tended decrease downstream head, accompanied a gradual increase bottom width. A salient tendency observed during major events was for hydraulic flow progressively downslope, decreasing sedimentation rates floors. mean linear head retreat 31 0.97 m yr−1, indicative relatively slow rate. However, their ‘pulsatory’ controlled accommodation when enters is conveyed through gully. We discuss changing pattern ‘variable-geometry flow.’ R2 association areal growth catchment area indicated weak correlation gullies.