Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., 4, 627–654, 2007 Hydrology and www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net/4/627/2007/ Earth System © Author(s) 2007. This work is licensed Sciences under a Creative Commons License. Discussions Papers published in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions are under open-access review for the journal Hydrology and Earth System Sciences A spatially distributed analysis of erosion susceptibility and sediment yield in a river basin by means of geomorphic parameters and regression relationships S. Grauso1, G. Fattoruso2, C. Crocetti3, and A. Montanari3 1Dipartimento Ambiente, Cambiamenti Globali e Sviluppo Sostenibile, ENEA Centro Ricerche Casaccia , Roma, Italy 2Dipartimento Ambiente, Cambiamenti Globali e Sviluppo Sostenibile, ENEA Centro Ricerche Portici (Napoli), Italy 3Faculty of Engineering, University of Bologna, Italy Received: 16 March 2007 – Accepted: 16 March 2007 – Published: 23 March 2007 Correspondence to: S. Grauso (
[email protected]) 627 Abstract In the present work, an application of statistical regression relationships utilising ge- omorphic parameters is attempted in a spatially distributed mode, in order to predict the amount of river sediment supply at varying sections of the drainage network. Sim- 5 ple and multiple regression relationships utilising drainage density Dd and hierarchical anomaly index ∆a as independent variables were applied to the Calvano watershed (Central Italy) at different degree of subdivision in tributary drainage basins, so as to assess their contribution to the whole watershed sediment yield balance. In the same way, the role of small hill-reservoirs as sediment-trap and that of areas affected by bad- 10 lands and of tributary basins exposure were also investigated.