Quantifying hydro-sedimentary transfers in a lowland tile-drained agricultural catchment

Soil erosion, runoff and sediment connectivity are strongly impacted by anthropogenic features in lowland agricultural catchments. Among these landscape features, the role played tile drainage on water transfers hillslope-to-river drained catchments remains poorly understood. This study quantified a catchment of central France combining high frequency rainfall, discharge concentration measurements at outlet set 10 plots (34 ha) medium-sized (120 km2) scale. Over monitoring period, including dry wet year compared to average conditions (one with 112% mean annual rainfall one 64% rainfall), 36 rainfall-flood events were recorded analyzed. The analysis tile-drained showed seasonal variability occurrence two transfer pathways soil column slow saturated soils preferential flow through column. Indeed, 13 flood hydrographs components, reflecting pathways: columns fast macropores and/or cracks. beginning event, high-magnitude peak overlaid hydrograph. On average, this contributed 15% fluxes. dynamics drains was suggested depend storage exhaustion processes occurring drain network.