Arid and Semi-Arid Environments

This special CATENA volume is an outcome of the Workshop on Erosion, Transport and Deposition Processes in Semi-Arid and Arid Areas. The Workshop, held in Israel in the Spring of 1987 was organized as a joint venture between the International Commission on Continental Erosion (IRHS) and the Commission on Measurement, Theory and Application in Geomorphology (IGU). This cooperation reflected the need for scientific interchange between hydrologists and geomorphologists, both groups having a common interest in the study of runoff and erosion processes. The meeting improved avenues of communication and enhanced cooperation in the boundary area shared by hydrology and geomorphology. The present volume contains selected papers dealing with geomorphic and pedo-logic aspects of semi-arid and arid zones. They cover a wide range of physiographic conditions, extending over four continents (North America, Europe, Asia and Africa). As might be expected, the topics covered are highly diversified. Some are theoretical or are of an applied nature while other papers deal with hillslopes or channels. Although the temporal and spatial scales differ from one paper to another, all exhibit a strong interest towards the understanding of processes shaping the land.