Hydropedology of a mildly-arid loess covered area, southern Israel

Extensive loess covered areas characterize the mildly arid areas of western Israel, where average annual rainfall is 280 mm. Hydrological data point to a peculiar hydrological behavior of the ephemeral streams. The frequency of sporadic flash floods is very high. However, even in extreme rain events peak discharges are extremely low. Hydrographs are usually characterized by very steep rising and falling limbs, representative of saturated areas, extending over a limited part of the watershed. Following this observation we advanced the hypothesis that storm channel runoff originated in the channel itself, with negligible contribution from the adjoining hillslopes. The study was based on two complementary approaches. The hydrological approach was based on the detailed analysis of rainfall–runoff relationships in a small watershed (11 km²) and on the analysis of the hydrological characteristics of the drainage network. The second approach was based on the toposequence concept. Several boreholes were dug along a hillslope 400 m long. Chemical data obtained show no significant difference in the downslope direction. Similar results were also obtained for the particle size distribution and soil moisture content. Data obtained perfectly fit the concept of ‘Partial Area Contribution’ as it presents an extreme case of hydrological discontinuity at the hillslope–channel interface. The lack of pedological trends in the downslope direction is an additional indication of the limited connectivity between the hillslopes and the adjoining channel. The limited connectivity is attributed to the prevalence of low rain intensities in the study area. The present study is also relevant to our understanding of pedological processes in dryland areas. The high frequency of intermittent low intensity rainstorms limits runoff generation and flow distances, and casts doubt on the general application of the toposequence approach.