The role of vegetation in the daily and yearly small tilt variations of the Danube’s high bank, Hungary

Bódis, Virág Bereniké and Mentes, Gyula (2012) The role of vegetation in the daily and yearly small tilt variations of the Danube’s high bank, Hungary. ZEITSCHRIFT FÜR GEOMORPHOLOGIE, 56 (Supl 2). pp. 133-141. ISSN 0372-8854

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Abstract

In this paper relationships between vital processes of plants and small movements of a river bank slope are investigated. For monitoring the movements, two geodetic test sites were established on the high loess bank of the river Danube at Dunaföldvár and Dunaszekcső in Hungary. At both sites two highly sensitive borehole tiltmeters were installed for continuous monitoring of movements. The recorded daily tilt amplitudes were compared with the precipitation and the potential evapotranspiration of the area. It was pointed out that the daily tilt amplitudes are in close connection with the vital processes of the plants. The precipitation effect on the seasonal variations of the tilt amplitudes is of minor importance which means that the vegetation has a much more important role in the water balance of the upper soil layer than the precipitation. Our investigation showed that the vegetation can be effective in hindering landslides occurrence since the infiltration of the precipitation into the deep soil layers and so the moistening of the high bank can be significantly diminished by planting appropriate vegetation on slopes.

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