This monograph is a fundamental study of watershed erosion and runoff processes. It utilizes decades of soil erosion data to take a comprehensive and balanced approach in covering various watershed erosion processes. While there are many works on soil erosion and conservation, this book fills the gaps in previously published research by focusing more on mass movement, gully erosion, soil piping/tunnel erosion, and the spatial interactions of different erosion processes. Additionally, the book examines erosion processes in extreme rainfall events, something typically absent in short-term studies but discussed in detail here as the book draws on 60 years of research and observations, including 30 years of the author's own investigations of erosion under a wide range of rainfall conditions. The book is divided into 3 parts, and is intended for soil erosion researchers and practitioners, and postgraduate students studying soil erosion and water conservation. Part 1 opens with a comprehensive and critical review of existing literature on soil erosion processes, discusses this book's place among existing literature, and examines the major erosion processes (rainwash, gully erosion, tunnel erosion, and mass movements) including their controlling factors and mechanisms. Part 2 explores the spatial interactions of these different erosion processes to provide a prerequisite for effective design of comprehensive soil erosion control measures in a watershed. Part 3 evaluates the relative significance of these erosion processes in sediment production, the effectiveness of comprehensive soil and water conservation programs, and the applications of watershed modelling in determining the impact of land-use changes on soil erosion and other ecological processes.

This Special Issue includes manuscripts about soil erosion and degradation processes and the accelerated rates due to hydrological processes and climate change. The new research included in this issue focuses on measurements, modeling, and experiments in field or laboratory conditions developed at different scales (pedon, hillslope, and catchment). This Special Issue received investigations from different parts of the world such as Ethiopia, Morocco, China, Iran, Italy, Portugal, Greece, and Spain, among others. We are happy to see that all papers presented findings characterized as unconventional, provocative, innovative, and methodologically new. We hope that the readers of the journal Water can enjoy and learn about hydrology and soil erosion using the published material, and share the results with the scientific community, policymakers, and stakeholders to continue this amazing adventure, facing plenty of issues and challenges.

This book gathers recent international research on the association between aggressive rainfall and soil loss and landscape degradation. Different contributions explore these complex relationships and highlight the importance of the spatial patterns of precipitation intensity on land flow under erosive storms, with the support of observational and modelling data. This is a large and multifaceted area of research of growing importance that outlines the challenge of protecting land from natural hazards. The increase in the number of high temporal resolution rainfall records together with the development of new modelling capabilities has opened up new opportunities for the use of large-scale planning and risk prevention methods. These new perspectives should no longer be considered as an independent research topic, but should, above all, support comprehensive land use planning, which is at the core of environmental decision-making and operations. Textbooks such as this one demonstrate the significance of how hydrological science can enable tangible progress in understanding the complexity of water management and its current and future challenges.

Soil erosion and torrential floods, as destructive processes, have serious implications on the economy, society, and environment. The severity of torrential floods lies in their sudden occurrence and high intensity, and hence, the defense against torrential floods is very complex and demanding. Much remains to be discovered about soil erosion and torrential floods prevention, management, legislation, practices, and solutions worldwide. Thus, a better understanding of various prevention and management developments on soil erosion and torrential floods across different contexts is needed to assess their impact on sustainability, especially in the changed climate conditions. Prevention and Management of Soil Erosion and Torrential Floods investigates the problems of erosion and torrential floods and opportunities for the prevention, management, and control of these destructive processes. It highlights the importance of the prevention and management practices of soil erosion and torrential floods with respect to the exchange of knowledge and best practices. Covering topics such as dam maintenance, wind erosion, and natural disasters, it is ideal for environmentalists, environmental engineers, crisis response specialists, policymakers, government officials, academicians, students, experts, practitioners, and researchers in the fields of soil erosion, torrential flood, environmental protection, sustainable development, engineering, and management.