Sprinkling tests to understand hydrological behaviour of mudslide

Abstract

The unsaturated zone buffers precipitation and controls groundwater recharges. Quantification of groundwater recharges is important for the improvement of hydrogeomorphological hazard analysis. The importance of fast preferential flow is recognized in literature, but its quantification remains difficult. This paper presents the results from three 1 m2 sprinkling experiments carried out in highly heterogeneous black marls of the Super-Sauze mudslide, in Southern French Alps. The aim of the experiments was to study the hydrological system within three morphological units characterized by different displacement rates and possible hydrological conditions. Special attention was given to identify and characterise the preferential flow patterns with the attempt for its quantification. The infiltration process was monitored with hydrological observations and hydrochemical tracers (Br-, Cl -). Based on the analysis of all available field data, conceptual models of the hydrological responses were proposed. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.