Distribution and development of gullies in Southern East Siberia (Russia)

Large catchment basins (the Yenisei, Angara, Lena, Selenga, and Amur) within southern East Siberia are characterized by weak gully dissection, and by a very uneven distribution of gullies.The varied natural conditions, combined with anthropogenic impacts, produce a highly mosaic pattern in the spatial distribution of gullies.For the last 230-300 years, four intensification stages of gully erosion were identified, which were associated with periods of abrupt changes in nature management.The growth rates of the gully heads in different areas of southern East Siberia vary from 0.1 to 26 m yr-1, the mean long-term linear growth rates of gullies are 0.5–2.5 m yr-1.Extreme meteorological phenomena: torrential rains (over 30 mm hr-1), abundant rains (over 50 mm day-1), and rapid snow thawing in the spring are responsible for gullying