Formas, processos e padr es na eros o por ravinamento: para um enquadramento teórico coerente

Forms, processes and pa tterns in gully erosion: toward a coherenttheoretical framework. In spite of a vast body of literature, gully erosion does not yet possess a coherent theoretical framework. Its variability, both in terms of process and morphology, is incompatible both with the current definitions of gully, and with the prevalent notion of these forms as a product of concentrated flow whose boundaries are arbitrarily defined between smaller and larger channels. This contrast inevitably constrains methodological approaches to the phenomenon, as well as their results. The present paper draws on an extensive review of the literature with the purposes of establishing a critical comparison between the forms, processes and development patterns described and the prevailing conceptual framework, as well as on the definitions of relevant research questions. Additionally, a review is made of gully erosion studies in Portugal to this date.