Source areas, connectivity, and delivery rate of sediments in mountainous-forested hillslopes: A probabilistic approach.

In mountainous-forested landscape, quantifying the materials produced at hillslope scale that effectively reach the channel network with a given probability is currently challenging, due to the uncertainties in modelling the frequency-magnitude distribution of failures and in determining the sediment connectivity between unstable areas and channel network. The purpose of this study is to develop a modular approach to assess the sediment source areas and the probability of mobilization from hillslope, and to estimate the probability of sediment input to the streams proposing a new connectivity index. The first goal was faced adopting a 3D probabilistic slope stability method that includes the spatially distributed characteristics of forest coverage.

An integrated, multisensor system for the continuous monitoring of water dynamics in rice fields under different irrigation regimes.

The cultivation of rice, one of the most important staple crops worldwide, has very high water requirements. A variety of irrigation practices are applied, whose pros and cons, both in terms of water productivity and of their effects on the environment, are not completely understood yet. The continuous monitoring of irrigation and rainfall inputs, as well as of soil water dynamics, is a very important factor in the analysis of these practices.