Third SCALE Project Meeting in Rome

The third face-to-face meeting of the SCALE project was held in Rome, Italy, May 23-26, 2023.

The meeting was productive with presentations of results and discussions on the work plan. Several partners gave presentations on their work on connectivity modeling for synthesis in WP4. Topics included connectivity in process-based models, exploring RUSLE-based approaches to sediment connectivity for agricultural erosion management, and modeling erosion and sediment transport at catchment and regional scales for evaluating and installing erosion control measures.

Our Italian hosts from CREA organized a field trip through the landscape of northern Lazio and to the Marta River basin, where many connectivity elements such as hedgerows were visible in the landscape. We also visited the Badlands Valley (Valle dei Calanchi), whose morphology shows clear signs of erosion and landslides. In this area, two rock layers are predominant: the oldest is composed of white clay of marine origin, which forms the base layer that is particularly susceptible to erosion. The upper layers consist of red tuffs and lava. The rapid erosion rate of 7 cm per year on average is due to flowing water, atmospheric influences, but also to deforestation. In the midst of the badlands, the town of Civita di Bagnoregio is located on an unstable volcanic plateau whose edges are constantly threatening to collapse due to erosion, which is why it is also known as "the dying town".