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Djillo SC, Wolka K, Tofu DA. Assessing soil erosion and farmers' decision of reducing erosion for sustainable soil and water conservation in Burji woreda, southern Ethiopia. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8638. [PMID: 38622205 PMCID: PMC11018797 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59076-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Inadequate conservation practice affects the sustainable production of agricultural watersheds due to erosion and fertility decline. Understanding soil erosion and implementing site-specific conservation practice could enhance agriculture-based rural development. The study was aimed to document soil erosion problem and soil and water conservation effort. The specific objectives of this study were to assess soil erosion severity, practices to reduce erosion, and determinants of the decision to reduce erosion. Data were collected by interviewing 198 farm household heads, undertaking four focus group discussions, and assessing rill erosion in 10 farm fields in Morayo and Wacho sub-watersheds of southern Ethiopia. Descriptive statistics and binary logit model were applied to analyze the data. Results indicated that many of the farm households, 63% in Morayo and 83% in the Wacho sub-watershed, perceived moderate to severe soil erosion, which is characterized by big rills and small gullies on the farmlands. Rill densities of 231.4 m ha-1 and 84.1 m ha-1 in the Morayo and Wacho sub-watersheds were observed, respectively. The estimated annual soil loss due to rills was 61.2 and 23.4 Mg ha-1 in the Morayo and Wacho sub-watersheds, respectively. The soil erosion from rills alone exceeds the expected tolerable soil erosion (11 tons ha-1 year-1). Due to erosion, about 90% of farmers perceived farmland degradation as described by a progressive decline in crop yield. Farmers used to practice traditional techniques to reduce erosion and government introduced conservation measures such as soil and stone bunds. However, many farmers did not use well-promoted conservation measures such as bunds, which could have negative impact on long-term erosion control effort and sustainable implementation of the conservation options. Among the assessed explanatory variables, educational level, farm distance from home, slope of the cultivated land, and frequency of extension contact were significantly affected (p < 0.05) farmers' sustainable use of conservation measures. Development planners and policy makers are advised to consider site-specific and innovative approaches to implement conservation measures in sustainable approach in the smallholder crop-livestock mixed agriculture system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kebede Wolka
- Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resource, Hawassa University, Shashemene, Ethiopia.
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2
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Xiong J, Lin C, Ma R, Wu Z, Chen L. Tracing sediment sources in a plain river network area by using optimized experimental design and reflectance spectroscopy. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 250:121041. [PMID: 38176323 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.121041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Soil erosion in a plain river network area with dense rivers, fertile land, and agricultural development is easily causes river siltation, agricultural non-point source pollution, and water eutrophication. Therefore, the negative impact of the sediment on the environment cannot be underestimated. Most traditional sediment fingerprint tracing studies have focused on mountain basins and lack a scheme suitable for plain river network sediment tracing. Here, a typical plain river network in the Taihu Basin was selected as the study area. The flow structure and characteristics were analysed, and a sampling scheme for the stream segment and a two-step model of sediment tracing in a plain river network were proposed to quantitatively distinguish the types of sediment sources. The results indicated that the traditional discriminant function analysis adequately distinguishes the contribution rate of basin soil and has a good validation accuracy (R2 = 0.96, root mean square error of calibration = 5.91 %), whereas Random Forest obtains better discrimination results by mining non-linear information in the soil spectra of different land types, with R2 values of 0.89, 0.83, and 0.80 for farmland, forest, and grassland, respectively. The average proportion of soil in the sediment in the watershed was 23 %, and the proportion of soil in the watershed increased from upstream to downstream. The sediment sources of the Caoqiao, Yincun, and Shaoxiang Rivers mainly came from grassland (44 %), forest (39 %), and farmland (42 %), respectively. Land-use distribution, water conservation facilities, and soil particle size were the main factors affecting these sources. Each river adopts measures to remove the corresponding pollutants, optimise water and soil conservation measures for riverbank green belts and forest, and regularly clean up silt in water conservancy ditches and rivers, which can reduce the pollution impact caused by sediment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junfeng Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Chen Lin
- Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
| | - Ronghua Ma
- Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Zhipeng Wu
- Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Lei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Water Quality Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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Haji K, Khaledi Darvishan A, Mostafazadeh R. Soil erosion and sediment sourcing in the Hyrcanian forests, Northern Iran: an integration approach of the G2loss model and sediment fingerprinting technique. MODELING EARTH SYSTEMS AND ENVIRONMENT 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s40808-023-01879-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
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4
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Makhdumi W, Shwetha HR, Dwarakish GS. Soil erosion in diverse agroecological regions of India: a comprehensive review of USLE-based modelling. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:1112. [PMID: 37648877 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11687-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Soil erosion caused by water refers to the removal of topsoil by rainfall and runoff. Proper selection of an assessment method is crucial for quantifying the spatial variance of soil erosion. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and its revised version (RUSLE) are widely used for modelling soil erosion. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the USLE-based soil erosion modelling in different agroecological regions of India, identify potential issues, and provide suggestions for future applications. The review revealed that little attention has been given to estimate soil erosion in high-priority land degradation regions of India. Additionally, many studies failed to thoroughly verify the authenticity of stated soil loss rates in their research regions either by overestimating or underestimating at least one of the five soil loss parameters. Furthermore, flaws in the application of methods to calculate these parameters leading to erroneous values were identified and suggestions for improvement were made. The USLE-based soil erosion modelling is an effective tool for quantifying soil erosion risk, but researchers should put emphasis on thoroughly verifying the methodologies adopted, unit conversions, and data availability for the estimation of soil loss parameters to improve the accuracy of their final results. This paper provides valuable insights to assist researchers in implementing USLE-based erosion models in diverse agroecological regions in India and elsewhere. However, for effective soil conservation and sustainable agriculture, further research is necessary to develop efficient techniques for using USLE-based soil erosion modelling to achieve a comprehensive understanding of erosion risk across different agroecological regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Makhdumi
- Department of Water Resources and Ocean Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, 575025, India.
| | - H R Shwetha
- Department of Water Resources and Ocean Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, 575025, India
| | - G S Dwarakish
- Department of Water Resources and Ocean Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, 575025, India
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Matthews F, Verstraeten G, Borrelli P, Vanmaercke M, Poesen J, Steegen A, Degré A, Rodríguez BC, Bielders C, Franke C, Alary C, Zumr D, Patault E, Nadal-Romero E, Smolska E, Licciardello F, Swerts G, Thodsen H, Casalí J, Eslava J, Richet JB, Ouvry JF, Farguell J, Święchowicz J, Nunes JP, Pak LT, Liakos L, Campo-Bescós MA, Żelazny M, Delaporte M, Pineux N, Henin N, Bezak N, Lana-Renault N, Tzoraki O, Giménez R, Li T, Zuazo VHD, Bagarello V, Pampalone V, Ferro V, Úbeda X, Panagos P. EUSEDcollab: a network of data from European catchments to monitor net soil erosion by water. Sci Data 2023; 10:515. [PMID: 37542067 PMCID: PMC10403541 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02393-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Abstract
As a network of researchers we release an open-access database (EUSEDcollab) of water discharge and suspended sediment yield time series records collected in small to medium sized catchments in Europe. EUSEDcollab is compiled to overcome the scarcity of open-access data at relevant spatial scales for studies on runoff, soil loss by water erosion and sediment delivery. Multi-source measurement data from numerous researchers and institutions were harmonised into a common time series and metadata structure. Data reuse is facilitated through accompanying metadata descriptors providing background technical information for each monitoring station setup. Across ten European countries, EUSEDcollab covers over 1600 catchment years of data from 245 catchments at event (11 catchments), daily (22 catchments) and monthly (212 catchments) temporal resolution, and is unique in its focus on small to medium catchment drainage areas (median = 43 km2, min = 0.04 km2, max = 817 km2) with applicability for soil erosion research. We release this database with the aim of uniting people, knowledge and data through the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO).
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis Matthews
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Via Enrico Fermi, 2749, Ispra, VA, 21026, Italy
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200e - box 2409, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gert Verstraeten
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200e - box 2409, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pasquale Borrelli
- Department of Science, Roma Tre University, Viale Guglielmo Marconi 446, 146, Roma, Italy
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 30, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Vanmaercke
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200e - box 2409, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean Poesen
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200e - box 2409, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
- Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University (UMCS), Kra´snicka Av. 2d, Lublin, 20-718, Poland
| | - An Steegen
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200e - box 2409, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Aurore Degré
- Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Uliège, Passage des Déportés 2, Gembloux, 5030, Belgium
| | - Belén Cárceles Rodríguez
- Natural Resources and Forestry, Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria, Pesquera, Alimentaria y de la Producción Ecológica (IFAPA), Camino de Purchil s/n, Granada, 18005, Spain
| | - Charles Bielders
- Earth and Life Institute - environmental sciences, UCLouvain, Croix du sud 2, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348, Belgium
| | - Christine Franke
- Centre of Geosciences and Geoengineering, Mines Paris-PSL, 35 Rue Saint Honoré, Fontainebleau, 77305, France
| | - Claire Alary
- LGCgE, IMT Nord-Europe, 942 rue Charles Bourseul, Douai, 59508, France
| | - David Zumr
- Department of Landscape Water Conservation, Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7, Praha 6, Prague, 16629, Czech Republic
| | - Edouard Patault
- Altereo, Innovation and Digital division, 2 Av. Madeleine Bonnaud, Venelles, 13770, France
| | - Estela Nadal-Romero
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Avenida Montañana 1005, Zaragoza, 50059, Spain
| | - Ewa Smolska
- Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 30, 00-927, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Feliciana Licciardello
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 100, Catania, 95123, Italy
| | - Gilles Swerts
- Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Uliège, Passage des Déportés 2, Gembloux, 5030, Belgium
| | - Hans Thodsen
- Ecoscience, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Allé 3, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Javier Casalí
- Department of Engineering; IS-FOOD Institute (Innovation & Sustainable Development in Food Chain), Public University of Navarre, Campus de Arrosadia, Cataluña avenue, Pamplona, Navarra, 31006, Spain
| | - Javier Eslava
- Division of Soils and Climatology, Department of Rural Development and Environment, Government of Navarre, González Tablas Street, 9, Pamplona, Navarra, 31003, Spain
| | | | | | - Joaquim Farguell
- Geography, University of Barcelona, Montalegre 6, Barcelona, 8001, Spain
| | - Jolanta Święchowicz
- Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, 7 Gronostajowa Str., Kraków, 30-387, Poland
| | - João Pedro Nunes
- Soil Physics and Land Management, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, 6700 AA, Netherlands
- cE3c - Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Edifício C2, Piso 5, Sala 2.5.46, Campo Grande, Lisbon, 1749-016, Portugal
| | - Lai Ting Pak
- AREAS, 2 Avenue Foch, 76460, Saint-Valery-en-Caux, France
| | - Leonidas Liakos
- UNISYSTEMS, Rue du Puits Romain 29, Bertrange, L-8070, Luxembourg
| | - Miguel A Campo-Bescós
- Department of Engineering; IS-FOOD Institute (Innovation & Sustainable Development in Food Chain), Public University of Navarre, Campus de Arrosadia, Cataluña avenue, Pamplona, Navarra, 31006, Spain
| | - Mirosław Żelazny
- Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, 7 Gronostajowa Str., Kraków, 30-387, Poland
| | - Morgan Delaporte
- LGCgE, IMT Nord-Europe, 942 rue Charles Bourseul, Douai, 59508, France
| | - Nathalie Pineux
- UNISYSTEMS, Rue du Puits Romain 29, Bertrange, L-8070, Luxembourg
| | - Nathan Henin
- Earth and Life Institute - environmental sciences, UCLouvain, Croix du sud 2, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348, Belgium
| | - Nejc Bezak
- Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Jamova 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Noemí Lana-Renault
- Ciencias Humanas, University of La Rioja, Luis de Ulloa 2, 26004, La Rioja, Spain
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ourania Tzoraki
- Marine Sciences Department, University of the Aegean, University hill, Mytilene, 81100, Greece
| | - Rafael Giménez
- Department of Engineering; IS-FOOD Institute (Innovation & Sustainable Development in Food Chain), Public University of Navarre, Campus de Arrosadia, Cataluña avenue, Pamplona, Navarra, 31006, Spain
| | - Tailin Li
- Department of Landscape Water Conservation, Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7, Praha 6, Prague, 16629, Czech Republic
| | - Víctor Hugo Durán Zuazo
- Natural Resources and Forestry, Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria, Pesquera, Alimentaria y de la Producción Ecológica (IFAPA), Camino de Purchil s/n, Granada, 18005, Spain
| | - Vincenzo Bagarello
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Building 4, Palermo, 90128, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Pampalone
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Building 4, Palermo, 90128, Italy
| | - Vito Ferro
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Building 4, Palermo, 90128, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, 90133, Italy
| | - Xavier Úbeda
- Geography, University of Barcelona, Montalegre 6, Barcelona, 8001, Spain
| | - Panos Panagos
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Via Enrico Fermi, 2749, Ispra, VA, 21026, Italy.
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Salvati L. Framing socioecological complexity: The long-term evolution of multiple dimensions of desertification risk in Italy. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2023; 43:1657-1666. [PMID: 36314125 DOI: 10.1111/risa.14059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Desertification risk depends on the interplay of biophysical and socioeconomic drivers, among which climate change, soil depletion, landscape modifications, and biodiversity decline are key factors of change in Southern Europe. The present study introduces a diachronic analysis of desertification risk in Italy adopting a multidimensional approach based on four dimensions (ecological, economic, demographic, and administrative) assessed at three dates (1961, 1991, and 2011). These risk components were evaluated separately in Southern Italy, a formerly affected region (sensu United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification), and Northern/Central Italy, a nonaffected region in the country. All risk measures document how the divide between affected and nonaffected regions in Italy has gradually reduced. Because of local warming and rising human pressure, Northern Italy has recently displayed a level of desertification risk close to those observed in Southern Italy over the last 30 years. These results suggest a thorough revision of the national classification of risky areas, that may inform more specific mitigation and adaptation policies responding effectively to recent socioenvironmental trends and local (economic) dynamics. The intrinsic system's evolution observed at both regional and national level in Italy may be generalized to a broader European context. Our work finally documents the appropriateness of a multidimensional definition of desertification risk grounded on the joint analysis of ecological, demographic, economic, and administrative indicators. A comprehensive knowledge of socioeconomic patterns and processes of change contributes to more precise scenario modeling and design of integrated strategies mitigating desertification risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Salvati
- Department of Methods and Models for Economics, Territory and Finance, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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7
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Vieira DCS, Borrelli P, Jahanianfard D, Benali A, Scarpa S, Panagos P. Wildfires in Europe: Burned soils require attention. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 217:114936. [PMID: 36442524 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Annually, millions of hectares of land are affected by wildfires worldwide, disrupting ecosystems functioning by affecting on-site vegetation, soil, and above- and belowground biodiversity, but also triggering erosive off-site impacts such as water-bodies contamination or mudflows. Here, we present a soil erosion assessment following the 2017's wildfires at the European scale, including an analysis of vegetation recovery and soil erosion mitigation potential. Results indicate a sharp increase in soil losses with 19.4 million Mg additional erosion in the first post-fire year when compared to unburned conditions. Over five years, 44 million Mg additional soil losses were estimated, and 46% of the burned area presented no signs of full recovery. Post-fire mitigation could attenuate these impacts by 63-77%, reducing soil erosion to background levels by the 4th post-fire year. Our insights may help identifying target policies to reduce land degradation, as identified in the European Union Soil, Forest, and Biodiversity strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C S Vieira
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy.
| | - P Borrelli
- Department of Science, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
| | - D Jahanianfard
- Centro de Estudos Florestais, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - A Benali
- Centro de Estudos Florestais, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - S Scarpa
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
| | - P Panagos
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
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8
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Rendana M, Idris WMR, Rahim SA, Rahman ZA, Lihan T. Predicting soil erosion potential under CMIP6 climate change scenarios in the Chini Lake Basin, Malaysia. GEOSCIENCE LETTERS 2023; 10:1. [PMID: 36619610 PMCID: PMC9810522 DOI: 10.1186/s40562-022-00254-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Climate change and soil erosion are very associated with environmental defiance which affects the life sustainability of humans. However, the potency effects of both events in tropical regions are arduous to be estimated due to atmospheric conditions and unsustainable land use management. Therefore, several models can be used to predict the impacts of distinct climate scenarios on human and environmental relationships. In this study, we aimed to predict current and future soil erosion potential in the Chini Lake Basin, Malaysia under different Climate Model Intercomparison Project-6 (CMIP6) scenarios (e.g., SSP2.6, SSP4.5, and SSP8.5). Our results found the predicted mean soil erosion values for the baseline scenario (2019-2021) was around 50.42 t/ha year. The mining areas recorded the highest soil erosion values located in the southeastern part. The high future soil erosion values (36.15 t/ha year) were obtained for SSP4.5 during 2060-2080. Whilst, the lowest values (33.30 t/ha year) were obtained for SSP2.6 during 2040-2060. According to CMIP6, the future soil erosion potential in the study area would reduce by approximately 33.9% compared to the baseline year (2019-2021). The rainfall erosivity factor majorly affected soil erosion potential in the study area. The output of the study will contribute to achieving the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Rendana
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sriwijaya, Indralaya, 30662 South Sumatra, Indonesia
| | - Wan Mohd Razi Idris
- Department of Earth Science and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Sahibin Abdul Rahim
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Malaysia
| | - Zulfahmi Ali Rahman
- Department of Earth Science and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Tukimat Lihan
- Department of Earth Science and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Malaysia
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Wang W, Li MY, Zhou R, Mo F, Wang BZ, Zhu L, Tao HY, Zhu Y, Wang WL, Zhao ZY, Xiong YC. Moss-dominated biocrust-based biodiversity enhances carbon sequestration via water interception and plant-soil-microbe interactions. iScience 2022; 26:105773. [PMID: 36590166 PMCID: PMC9800303 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated a nature-based solution (NbS) via incorporating biocrust into alfalfa-maize intercropping system to test carbon sequestration in seriously eroded agricultural soils. Field investigation showed that the NbS (moss-dominated biocrust + intercropping) massively lowered surface soil erosion by 94.5% and soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) loss by 94.7 and 96.8% respectively, while promoting rainwater interception by 82.2% relative to bare land (CK). There generally existed positive interactions between biocrust and cropping in the integrated standing biodiversity system. Enhanced plant biomass input into soils substantially promoted soil fungal community diversity and abundance under NbS (p < 0.05). This enabled NbS to evidently improve soil macroaggregate proportion and mean weight diameter. Critically, topsoil carbon storage was increased by 2.5 and 10.7%, compared with CK and pure intercropping (p < 0.05). Conclusively, the standing diversity under such NbS fostered soil C sequestration via water interception and plant-soil-microbe interactions in degraded agricultural soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Meng-Ying Li
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Rui Zhou
- School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
| | - Fei Mo
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Bao-Zhong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Li Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Hong-Yan Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ying Zhu
- Institute of Biology, Gansu Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Wen-Li Wang
- School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
| | - Ze-Ying Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - You-Cai Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China,Corresponding author
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Bartkowski B, Schepanski K, Bredenbeck S, Müller B. Wind erosion in European agricultural landscapes: More than physics. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Simon Bredenbeck
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ Leipzig Germany
| | - Birgit Müller
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ Leipzig Germany
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11
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Comber S, Deviller G, Wilson I, Peters A, Merrington G, Borrelli P, Baken S. Sources of copper into the European aquatic environment. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2022. [PMID: 36239378 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Chemical contamination from point source discharges in developed (resource-rich) countries has been widely regulated and studied for decades; however, diffuse sources are largely unregulated and widespread. In the European Union (EU), large dischargers report releases of some chemicals, yet little is known of total emissions (point and diffuse) and their relative significance. We estimated copper loadings from all significant sources including industry, sewage treatment plants, surface runoff (from traffic, architecture, and atmospheric deposition), septic tanks, agriculture, mariculture, marine transport (antifoulant leaching), and natural processes. A combination of European datasets, literature, and industry data were used to generate export coefficients. These were then multiplied by activity rates to derive loads. A total of approximately 8 kt of copper per annum (ktpa) is estimated to enter freshwaters in the EU, and another 3.5 ktpa enters transitional and coastal waters. The main inputs to freshwater are natural processes (3.7 ktpa), agriculture (1.8 ktpa), and runoff (1.8 ktpa). Agricultural emissions are dominated by copper-based plant protection products and farmyard manure. Urban runoff is influenced by copper use in architecture and by vehicle brake linings. Antifoulant leaching from boats (3.2 ktpa) dominates saline water loads of copper. It is noteworthy that most of the emissions originate in a limited number of copper uses where environmental exposure and pathways exist, compared with the bulk of copper use within electrical and electronic equipment and infrastructure that has no environmental pathway during its use. A sensitivity analysis indicated significant uncertainty in data from abandoned mines and urban runoff load estimates. This study provided for the first time a methodology and comprehensive metal load apportionment to European aquatic systems, identifying data gaps and uncertainties, which may be refined over time. Source apportionments using this methodology can inform more cost-effective environmental risk assessment and management. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;00:1-17. © 2022 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Comber
- Biogeochemistry Research Centre, University of Plymouth, Drakes Circus, Plymouth, UK
| | | | - Iain Wilson
- WCA Environment Ltd, Faringdon, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Adam Peters
- WCA Environment Ltd, Faringdon, Oxfordshire, UK
| | | | - Pasquale Borrelli
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Stijn Baken
- European Copper Institute, Brussels, Belgium
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Harsányi E, Bashir B, Alsilibe F, Moazzam MFU, Ratonyi T, Alsalman A, Széles A, Nyeki A, Takács I, Mohammed S. Predicting Modified Fournier Index by Using Artificial Neural Network in Central Europe. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:10653. [PMID: 36078383 PMCID: PMC9518056 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191710653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The Modified Fournier Index (MFI) is one of the indices that can assess the erosivity of rainfall. However, the implementation of the artificial neural network (ANN) for the prediction of the MFI is still rare. In this research, climate data (monthly and yearly precipitation (pi, Ptotal) (mm), daily maximum precipitation (Pd-max) (mm), monthly mean temperature (Tavg) (°C), daily maximum mean temperature (Td-max) (°C), and daily minimum mean temperature (Td-min) (°C)) were collected from three stations in Hungary (Budapest, Debrecen, and Pécs) between 1901 and 2020. The MFI was calculated, and then, the performance of two ANNs (multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF)) in predicting the MFI was evaluated under four scenarios. The average MFI values were between 66.30 ± 15.40 (low erosivity) in Debrecen and 75.39 ± 15.39 (low erosivity) in Pecs. The prediction of the MFI by using MLP was good (NSEBudapest(SC3) = 0.71, NSEPécs(SC2) = 0.69). Additionally, the performance of RBF was accurate (NSEDebrecen(SC4) = 0.68, NSEPécs(SC3) = 0.73). However, the correlation coefficient between the observed MFI and the predicted one ranged between 0.83 (Budapest (SC2-MLP)) and 0.86 (Pécs (SC3-RBF)). Interestingly, the statistical analyses promoted SC2 (Pd-max + pi + Ptotal) and SC4 (Ptotal + Tavg + Td-max + Td-min) as the best scenarios for predicting MFI by using the ANN-MLP and ANN-RBF, respectively. However, the sensitivity analysis highlighted that Ptotal, pi, and Td-min had the highest relative importance in the prediction process. The output of this research promoted the ANN (MLP and RBF) as an effective tool for predicting rainfall erosivity in Central Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Endre Harsányi
- Institute of Land Use, Technical and Precision Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- Institutes for Agricultural Research and Educational Farm, University of Debrecen, Böszörményi 138, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Bashar Bashir
- Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
| | - Firas Alsilibe
- Department of Transport Infrastructure and Water Resources Engineering, Széchenyi István University, Egyetem tér 1, 9026 Gyor, Hungary
| | - Muhammad Farhan Ul Moazzam
- Department of Civil Engineering, College of Ocean Science, Jeju National University, 102 Jejudaehakro, Jeju 63243, Korea
| | - Tamás Ratonyi
- Institute of Land Use, Technical and Precision Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Abdullah Alsalman
- Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
| | - Adrienn Széles
- Institute of Land Use, Technical and Precision Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Aniko Nyeki
- Department of Biosystems and Food Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Széchenyi István University, Vár Square 2, 9200 Mosonmagyarovar, Hungary
| | - István Takács
- Doctoral School of Humanities, University of Debrecen, Egyetem Tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Safwan Mohammed
- Institute of Land Use, Technical and Precision Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- Institutes for Agricultural Research and Educational Farm, University of Debrecen, Böszörményi 138, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
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13
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Conditions Affecting Wind-Induced PM10 Resuspension as a Persistent Source of Pollution for the Future City Environment. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14159186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Air pollution by particulate matter (PM) in cities is an ongoing problem with increasing severity. The biggest PM contributors are traffic and domestic fire burning. With the shift towards electromobility and the use of low-emission fuels, attention should be shifted to less mentioned sources of pollution. Such sources of pollution include wind-induced resuspension. This study focuses on determining the threshold wind speed causing the resuspension of particulate matter (TWSR) with aerodynamic diameter smaller than 10 µm. A methodology is introduced that examines how data could be treated to identify its characteristics (for locations where only PM10 data are available). The most significant monitored parameters are air humidity, wind direction, time of the day, and surface type. The characteristic wind speeds causing resuspension are identified in four locations for different times of day. It was proven that at times of intense human activity, particles are lifted by wind more easily. The mean threshold wind speed causing resuspension in the studied urban environment was identified as 1.58 m/s at a height of 2 m above the surface. The wind speeds were also compared with experimental studies of resuspension. The results proved correspondence between the identified wind speeds and the experimental results.
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Mihi A, Ghazela R, wissal D. Mapping potential desertification-prone areas in North-Eastern Algeria using logistic regression model, GIS, and remote sensing techniques. ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SCIENCES 2022; 81:385. [PMID: 35891927 PMCID: PMC9305054 DOI: 10.1007/s12665-022-10513-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Desertification is an environmental threat that affects many countries in the world, and it poses specially an ecological issue to Algeria. This study aimed to assess areas sensitive to desertification in North-Eastern Algeria (Tebessa province) using a logistic regression model (LRM), and geomatics-based approaches. Topsoil Grain Size Index (TGSI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Aridity index (AI), and Anthropic pressure on the steppe environment (APSE) were selected as desertification indicators for representing land surface conditions from soil, vegetation, climate, and anthropic disruptors. Results indicate that both AI and TGSI are the most crucial indices conditioning desertification risk. Other indices; NDVI and ASPE were appeared as secondary important indices. Herein, although vegetation generally is a key factor for reading desertification, this result shows that vegetation changes in this study are less important than other desertification conditioning parameters. Area under curve value equal 0.94 indicates a satisfactory accuracy for the proposed model. In total, desertification risk changes increasingly along a North-to-South gradient of the whole research area. Besides, slight, moderate, high, and very high classes occupied 0.87%, 21.08%, 19.33% and 58.72% of the total land area, respectively. LRM is recommended as an accurate and easily applied tool to monitor desertification, especially in scarce data environment in developing countries. Additionally, the results obtained in this paper represent a basic scientific tool for implementing current and future policies to control desertification at areas with high risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Mihi
- Department of Natural and Life Sciences, Faculty of Exact Sciences and Natural and Life Sciences, Larbi Tebessi University, 12002 Tebessa, Algeria
| | - Rabeh Ghazela
- Department of Natural and Life Sciences, Faculty of Exact Sciences and Natural and Life Sciences, Larbi Tebessi University, 12002 Tebessa, Algeria
| | - Daoud wissal
- Department of Natural and Life Sciences, Faculty of Exact Sciences and Natural and Life Sciences, Larbi Tebessi University, 12002 Tebessa, Algeria
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15
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Sustainability by Function (SbF): A Case Study in a Rainfed Vineyard to Reduce the Loss of Soil Nutrients. LAND 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/land11071033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The effectiveness of a seeded cover crop to minimize soil nutrient losses was evaluated in a rainfed vineyard. Two sediment tanks were installed (ST2: drainage area with high ground cover (GC: 82%) and ST3: very high GC (89%)) and samples from 26 time-integrated periods (TIP) were collected over 15 months. The average soil nutrient content was previously estimated in the drainage areas of ST2 (Ntotal: 0.967 mg/g; Pava: 0.411 mg/g; Kava: 1.762 mg/g) and ST3 (Ntotal: 0.711 mg/g; Pava: 0.437 mg/g; Kava: 1.856 mg/g). The sediment nutrient concentrations and the sediment/soil enrichment ratios were comparable between ST2 and ST3, but the total loss of nutrients clearly differed among areas. The loss of nutrients in the area with lower GC (379.7 g N-P-K/ha/yr) was 8.3 times higher than in the area with higher GC (45.8 g N-P-K/ha/yr), and this pattern remained during the months with low, medium and high GC: 91.9, 2.1 and 2.1 g N-P-K/ha/month in ST2 and 6.9, 3.0 and 3.5 g N-P-K/ha/month in ST3. The benefits of greater GC promote the environmental and agronomic sustainability by the functions of the cover crop, favoring healthy soils and a reduction in the investment of the farmers in fertilizers. This is very relevant in a postpandemic world under the threat of the war in Ukraine, the lack of fertilizers and the need for a local production of food.
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Raza A, Ahrends H, Habib-Ur-Rahman M, Hüging H, Gaiser T. Using the Taguchi experimental design for assessing within-field variability of surface run-off and soil erosion risk. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 828:154567. [PMID: 35302038 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Water erosion is one of the soil degradation processes driven by environmental and field factors such as rainfall intensity, slope gradient, dynamics of vegetation cover, soil characteristics, and management practices. Most of the studies assess the separate contribution of these factors under controlled conditions. However, there is a lack of adequate knowledge regarding the complex interactions between prevailing factors and soil erosion processes under heterogeneous field conditions. This study investigated 16 combinations of 5 factors at 4 levels of each factor on the soil erosion process using Taguchi's fractional factorial experiment design, identifying the factor combinations resulting in maximum sediment yield, runoff, organic carbon, and nitrogen losses. We considered the factors: Soil organic matter and silt content (SiltOM), vegetation cover (VC), slope steepness (SS), rainfall intensity (RI), and depth to a loamy layer (DLL). The interactive effects of these factors and their combinations were visualized from the analysis of signal-to-noise (S/N) responses. Results indicated that interactions between the selected factors and soil erosion processes exist and multiple linear regression models were developed to predict sediment yields, runoff, carbon, and nitrogen losses at the sub-field scale. Results revealed that 1) RI with 40.6% showed the highest contribution to sediment yield followed by SS (23.8%), VC (17.74%), SiltOM (14.77%), and DLL (3.17%), indicating a strong rainfall-erosion relationship; 2) the combination of levels of factors generating highest sediment yield was determined; 3) A simple multiple linear regression model developed for predicting local sediment yield showed the highest agreement with field observations (R2 = 82.5%). The findings suggest that Taguchi design could be used reliably for modeling soil erosion at field and sub-field scales. Using local calibration data such models have great potential for soil erosion risk assessments at the field scale, especially in areas where contributing factors and factor levels change at small spatial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahsan Raza
- University of Bonn, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), Crop Science Group, Katzenburgweg 5, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
| | - Hella Ahrends
- University of Helsinki, Department of Agricultural Sciences\, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Muhammad Habib-Ur-Rahman
- University of Bonn, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), Crop Science Group, Katzenburgweg 5, 53115 Bonn, Germany; Department of Agronomy, MNS- University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan
| | - Hubert Hüging
- University of Bonn, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), Crop Science Group, Katzenburgweg 5, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Thomas Gaiser
- University of Bonn, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), Crop Science Group, Katzenburgweg 5, 53115 Bonn, Germany
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17
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Modeling and Mapping of Soil Water Erosion Risks in the Srou Basin (Middle Atlas, Morocco) Using the EPM Model, GIS and Magnetic Susceptibility. JOURNAL OF LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.2478/jlecol-2022-0007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The Oued Srou watershed located in the Middle Atlas Mountain of Morocco has been a subject of serious soil erosion problems due to the combination of natural factors and anthropic activities. Therefore, soil erosion hazard assessment and mapping can be handy to initiate remedial measures in the area. In this study, the improved Erosion Potential Model (EPM) integrated with GIS and remote sensing techniques is employed to map and assess the vulnerability of the Oued Srou watershed to the water erosion phenomenon and its impact on the silting of the Ahmed El Hansali dam. The results of the EPM model showed that the maximum annual soil loss rates were in the range of 5-652 m3/km2/year, with an average of 49 m3/km2/year. The delivery coefficient ratio showed that about 34433 t/year of the sediments reach the outlet of the watershed. The correlation analysis between all erosion factors revealed the following order of their importance in the water erosion control: soil sensitivity to erosion, soil protection, slope, erosive state, temperature, and rainfall. The magnetic susceptibility provided results on the evolution of soils; it showed that the most degraded soils had a high erosion rate. Generally, the stable soils not eroded showed an upward increase of magnetic susceptibility values in soil profiles; the evolution of magnetic susceptibility of degraded soils is disturbed. The magnetic susceptibility has also made it possible to highlight the source zones of sediments that reach the outlet of the watershed.
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18
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Senanayake S, Pradhan B. Predicting soil erosion susceptibility associated with climate change scenarios in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 308:114589. [PMID: 35121456 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Soil erosion hazard is one of the prominent climate hazards that negatively impact countries' economies and livelihood. According to the global climate index, Sri Lanka is ranked among the first ten countries most threatened by climate change during the last three years (2018-2020). However, limited studies were conducted to simulate the impact of the soil erosion vulnerability based on climate scenarios. This study aims to assess and predict soil erosion susceptibility using climate change projected scenarios: Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. The potential of soil erosion susceptibility was predicted to 2040, depending on climate change scenarios, RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5. Five models: revised universal soil loss (RUSLE), frequency ratio (FR), artificial neural networks (ANN), support vector machine (SVM) and adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) were selected as widely applied for hazards assessments. Eight geo-environmental factors were selected as inputs to model the soil erosion susceptibility. Results of the five models demonstrate that soil erosion vulnerability (soil erosion rates) will increase 4%-22% compared to the current soil erosion rate (2020). The predictions indicate average soil erosion will increase to 10.50 t/ha/yr and 12.4 t/ha/yr under the RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5 climate scenario in 2040, respectively. The ANFIS and SVM model predictions showed the highest accuracy (89%) on soil erosion susceptibility for this study area. The soil erosion susceptibility maps provide a good understanding of future soil erosion vulnerability (spatial distribution) and can be utilized to develop climate resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumudu Senanayake
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, 2007, NSW, Australia; Natural Resources Management Centre, Department of Agriculture, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka
| | - Biswajeet Pradhan
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, 2007, NSW, Australia; Department of Energy and Mineral Resources Engineering, Sejong University, Choongmu-gwan, 209 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05006, South Korea; Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research, King Abdulaziz University, P. O. Box 80234, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia; Earth Observation Center, Institute of Climate Change, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, UKM, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
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Senanayake S, Pradhan B, Huete A, Brennan J. Spatial modeling of soil erosion hazards and crop diversity change with rainfall variation in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:150405. [PMID: 34582866 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The spatial variation of soil erosion is essential for farming system management and resilience development, specifically in the high climate hazard vulnerable tropical countries like Sri Lanka. This study aimed to investigate climate and human-induced soil erosion through spatial modeling. Remote sensing was used for spatial modeling to detect soil erosion, crop diversity, and rainfall variation. The study employed a time-series analysis of several variables such as rainfall, land-use land-cover (LULC) and crop diversity to detect the spatial variability of soil erosion in farming systems. Rain-use efficiency (RUE) and residual trend analysis (RESTREND) combined with a regression approach were applied to partition the soil erosion due to human and climate-induced land degradation. Results showed that soil erosion has increased from 9.08 Mg/ha/yr to 11.08 Mg/ha/yr from 2000 to 2019 in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. The average annual rainfall has increased in the western part of the Central Highlands, and soil erosion hazards such as landslides incidence also increased during this period. However, crop diversity has been decreasing in farming systems, namely wet zone low country (WL1a) and wet zone mid-country (WM1a), in the western part of the Central Highlands. The RUE and RESTREND analyses reveal climate-induced soil erosion is responsible for land degradation in these farming systems and is a threat to sustainable food production in the farming systems of the Central Highlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumudu Senanayake
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, NSW, Australia; Natural Resources Management Centre, Department of Agriculture, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
| | - Biswajeet Pradhan
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, NSW, Australia; Department of Energy and Mineral Resources Engineering, Sejong University, Choongmu-gwan, 209 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea; Earth Observation Center, Institute of Climate Change, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Alfredo Huete
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, NSW, Australia; Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Jane Brennan
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, NSW, Australia
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Li J, Zhou Y, Li Q, Yi S, Peng L. Exploring the Effects of Land Use Changes on the Landscape Pattern and Soil Erosion of Western Hubei Province from 2000 to 2020. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19031571. [PMID: 35162595 PMCID: PMC8834729 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Accelerated land use and land cover changes affect regional landscape patterns and change the ecological environment, including soil conservation capabilities. This is not conducive to the sustainable development of human society. In this research, we explored the land use change pattern and landscape change pattern in western Hubei from 2000 to 2020. Using the Chinese soil loss equation and stepwise regression, we measure how landscape patterns affect soil erosion under land use and cover changes in western Hubei Province. The results show that average soil erosion in the mountainous areas of western Hubei tended to increase from 2000 to 2010 and decrease from 2010 to 2020; soil erosion was higher in the western than in the eastern part of the study area. The land in areas with high-intensity and low-intensity soil erosion was mainly waterfront/grassland and cropland/forestland, respectively, and the area of moderate to severe soil erosion was greatest when the slope was 10–20°. When the slope exceeded 20°, the soil erosion area of each grade tended to decrease; thus, 20° is the critical slope for soil erosion in the study area. The landscape pattern in mountainous areas changed dramatically from 2000 to 2020. At the landscape level, landscape fragmentation increased and connectivity decreased, but the area of landscape diversity was stable. Soil erosion in western Hubei was positively correlated with the contiguity index, aggregation index and largest patch index but negatively correlated with the Shannon evenness index. The higher the landscape fragmentation and the greater the accumulation of single land-use types, the more severe the soil erosion is, while the higher the landscape connectivity and the richer the landscape diversity, the less severe the soil erosion is. The results can inform regional landscape management and soil conservation research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyun Li
- Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis & Simulation of Hubei Province, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China; (J.L.); (Q.L.); (S.Y.)
- The College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Yong Zhou
- Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis & Simulation of Hubei Province, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China; (J.L.); (Q.L.); (S.Y.)
- The College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
- Correspondence:
| | - Qing Li
- Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis & Simulation of Hubei Province, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China; (J.L.); (Q.L.); (S.Y.)
- The College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Siqi Yi
- Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis & Simulation of Hubei Province, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China; (J.L.); (Q.L.); (S.Y.)
- The College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Lina Peng
- Wuhan Natural Resources and Planning Information Center, Wuhan 430014, China;
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Outreach and Post-Publication Impact of Soil Erosion Modelling Literature. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14031342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Back in the 1930s, the aphorism “publish or perish” first appeared in an academic context. Today, this phrase is becoming a harsh reality in several academic environments, and scientists are giving increasing attention to publishing and disseminating their scientific work. Soil erosion modelers make no exception. With the introduction of the bibliometric field, the evaluation of the impact of a piece of scientific work becomes more articulated. The post-publication impact of the research became an important aspect too. In this study, we analyse the outreach and the impact of the literature on soil erosion modelling using the altmetric database, i.e., Altmetric. In our analysis, we use only a small fraction (around 15%) of Global Applications of Soil Erosion Modelling Tracker (GASEMT) papers because only 257 papers out of 1697 had an Altmetric Score (AS) larger than 0. We observed that media and policy documents mentioned more frequently literature dealing with global-scale assessments and future projection studies than local-scale ones. Papers that are frequently cited by researchers do not necessarily also yield high media and policy outreach. The GASEMT papers that had an AS larger than 0 were, on average, mentioned by one policy document and five Twitter users and had 100 Mendeley readers. Only around 5% and 9% of papers with AS > 0 appeared in news articles and blogs, respectively. However, this percentage was around 45% for Twitter and policy mentions. The top GASEMT paper’s upper bound was around 1 million Twitter followers, while this number was around 10,000 for the 10th ranked GASEMT paper. The exponentially increasing trend for erosion modelling papers having an AS has been confirmed, as during the last 3 years (2014–2017), we estimated that the number of entries had doubled compared to 2011–2014 and quadrupled if we compare it with 2008–2011.
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22
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Estimation of Potential Soil Erosion and Sediment Yield: A Case Study of the Transboundary Chenab River Catchment. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13243647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Near real-time estimation of soil loss from river catchments is crucial for minimizing environmental degradation of complex river basins. The Chenab river is one of the most complex river basins of the world and is facing severe soil loss due to extreme hydrometeorological conditions, unpredictable hydrologic response, and complex orography. Resultantly, huge soil erosion and sediment yield (SY) not only cause irreversible environmental degradation in the Chenab river catchment but also deteriorate the downstream water resources. In this study, potential soil erosion (PSE) is estimated from the transboundary Chenab river catchment using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), coupled with remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS). Land Use of the European Space Agency (ESA), Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) data, and world soil map of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization were incorporated into the study. The SY was estimated on monthly, quarterly, seasonal, and annual time-scales using sediment delivery ratio (SDR) estimated through the area, slope, and curve number (CN)-based approaches. The 30-year average PSE from the Chenab river catchment was estimated as 177.8, 61.5, 310.3, 39.5, 26.9, 47.1, and 99.1 tons/ha for annual, rabi, kharif, fall, winter, spring, and summer time scales, respectively. The 30-year average annual SY from the Chenab river catchment was estimated as 4.086, 6.163, and 7.502 million tons based on area, slope, and CN approaches. The time series trends analysis of SY indicated an increase of 0.0895, 0.1387, and 0.1698 million tons per year for area, slope, and CN-based approaches, respectively. It is recommended that the areas, except for slight erosion intensity, should be focused on framing strategies for control and mitigation of soil erosion in the Chenab river catchment.
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Detailed Analysis of Spatial–Temporal Variability of Rainfall Erosivity and Erosivity Density in the Central and Southern Pannonian Basin. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su132313355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Estimation of rainfall erosivity (RE) and erosivity density (ED) is essential for understanding the complex relationships between hydrological and soil erosion processes. The main objective of this study is to assess the spatial–temporal trends and variability of the RE and ED in the central and southern Pannonian Basin by using station observations and gridded datasets. To assess RE and ED, precipitation data for 14 meteorological stations, 225 grid points. and an erosion model consisting of daily, monthly, seasonal, and annual rainfall for the period of 1961–2014 were used. Annual RE and ED based on station data match spatially variable patterns of precipitation, with higher values in the southwest (2100 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1) and southeast (1650 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1) of the study area, but minimal values in the northern part (700 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1). On the other hand, gridded datasets display more detailed RE and ED spatial–temporal variability, with the values ranging from 250 to 2800 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1. The identified trends are showing increasing values of RE (ranging between 0.20 and 21.17 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1) and ED (ranging between 0.01 and 0.03 MJ·ha−1·h−1) at the annual level. This tendency is also observed for autumn RE (from 5.55 to 0.37 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1) and ED (from 0.05 to 0.01 MJ·ha−1·h−1), as for spring RE (from 1.00 to 0.01 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1) and ED (from 0.04 to 0.01 MJ·ha−1·h−1), due to the influence of the large-scale processes of climate variability, with North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) being the most prominent. These increases may cause a transition to a higher erosive class in the future, thus raising concerns about this type of hydro-meteorological hazard in this part of the Pannonian Basin. The present analysis identifies seasons and places of greatest erosion risk, which is the starting point for implementing suitable mitigation measures at local to regional scales.
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Senanayake S, Pradhan B, Huete A, Brennan J. Proposing an ecologically viable and economically sound farming system using a matrix-based geo-informatics approach. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 794:148788. [PMID: 34323751 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Healthy farming systems play a vital role in improving agricultural productivity and sustainable food production. The present study aimed to propose an efficient framework to evaluate ecologically viable and economically sound farming systems using a matrix-based analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and weighted linear combination method with geo-informatics tools. The proposed framework has been developed and tested in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. Results reveal that more than 50% of farming systems demonstrated moderate status in terms of ecological and economic aspects. However, two vulnerable farming systems on the western slopes of the Central Highlands, named WL1a and WM1a, were identified as very poor status. These farming systems should be a top priority for restoration planning and soil conservation to prevent further deterioration. Findings indicate that a combination of ecologically viable (nine indicators) and economical sound (four indicators) criteria are a practical method to scrutinize farming systems and decision making on soil conservation and sustainable land management. In addition, this research introduces a novel approach to delineate the farming systems based on agro-ecological regions and cropping areas using geo-informatics technology. This framework and methodology can be employed to evaluate the farming systems of other parts of the country and elsewhere to identify ecologically viable and economically sound farming systems concerning soil erosion hazards. The proposed approach addresses a new dimension of the decision-making process by evaluating the farming systems relating to soil erosion hazards and suggests introducing policies on priority-based planning for conservation with low-cost strategies for sustainable land management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumudu Senanayake
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, 2007, NSW, Australia; Natural Resources Management Centre, Department of Agriculture, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
| | - Biswajeet Pradhan
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, 2007, NSW, Australia; Department of Energy and Mineral Resources Engineering, Sejong University, Choongmu-gwan, 209 Neungdongro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea; Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research, King Abdulaziz University, P. O. Box 80234, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; Earth Observation Center, Institute of Climate Change, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Alfredo Huete
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, 2007, NSW, Australia; Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Jane Brennan
- The Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial Information Systems (CAMGIS), Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, 2007, NSW, Australia
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Land Degradation and Soil Conservation Measures in the Moldavian Plateau, Eastern Romania: A Case Study from the Racova Catchment. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13202877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Land degradation by soil erosion, gullying and landslides and reservoir sedimentation is a major environmental threat in the Moldavian Plateau of eastern Romania. The widespread development of these processes in the last two centuries was favored mainly by traditional agriculture focused on ‘up-and-down slope’ farming on small plots. However, soil conservation measures were actively undertaken between 1970 and 1989. More recent legislation (No. 18/1991 Agricultural Real Estate Act) includes two provisions that discourage maintaining and extending soil conservation practices. Hence, the former contour farming system has been abandoned in favor of the traditional, inadequate farming methods. Thus, this paper reviews the impact of land degradation and soil conservation measures in a representative 32,908 ha catchment located in the Central Moldavian Plateau. Based on field measurements, the results show that the estimated mean long-term (1973–2017) sedimentation rate reaches 4.7 cm y−1 in the Puscasi Reservoir at the catchment outlet, resulting in an associated sediment delivery ratio of 0.28. The initial area of the Puscasi Reservoir at normal retention level has decreased by 32% and the water storage capacity has decreased by 39%. Consequently, land degradation remains a serious problem in the study area and effective soil conservation is urgently needed.
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26
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Bezak N, Mikoš M, Borrelli P, Alewell C, Alvarez P, Anache JAA, Baartman J, Ballabio C, Biddoccu M, Cerdà A, Chalise D, Chen S, Chen W, De Girolamo AM, Gessesse GD, Deumlich D, Diodato N, Efthimiou N, Erpul G, Fiener P, Freppaz M, Gentile F, Gericke A, Haregeweyn N, Hu B, Jeanneau A, Kaffas K, Kiani-Harchegani M, Villuendas IL, Li C, Lombardo L, López-Vicente M, Lucas-Borja ME, Maerker M, Miao C, Modugno S, Möller M, Naipal V, Nearing M, Owusu S, Panday D, Patault E, Patriche CV, Poggio L, Portes R, Quijano L, Rahdari MR, Renima M, Ricci GF, Rodrigo-Comino J, Saia S, Samani AN, Schillaci C, Syrris V, Kim HS, Spinola DN, Oliveira PT, Teng H, Thapa R, Vantas K, Vieira D, Yang JE, Yin S, Zema DA, Zhao G, Panagos P. Soil erosion modelling: A bibliometric analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 197:111087. [PMID: 33798514 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Soil erosion can present a major threat to agriculture due to loss of soil, nutrients, and organic carbon. Therefore, soil erosion modelling is one of the steps used to plan suitable soil protection measures and detect erosion hotspots. A bibliometric analysis of this topic can reveal research patterns and soil erosion modelling characteristics that can help identify steps needed to enhance the research conducted in this field. Therefore, a detailed bibliometric analysis, including investigation of collaboration networks and citation patterns, should be conducted. The updated version of the Global Applications of Soil Erosion Modelling Tracker (GASEMT) database contains information about citation characteristics and publication type. Here, we investigated the impact of the number of authors, the publication type and the selected journal on the number of citations. Generalized boosted regression tree (BRT) modelling was used to evaluate the most relevant variables related to soil erosion modelling. Additionally, bibliometric networks were analysed and visualized. This study revealed that the selection of the soil erosion model has the largest impact on the number of publication citations, followed by the modelling scale and the publication's CiteScore. Some of the other GASEMT database attributes such as model calibration and validation have negligible influence on the number of citations according to the BRT model. Although it is true that studies that conduct calibration, on average, received around 30% more citations, than studies where calibration was not performed. Moreover, the bibliographic coupling and citation networks show a clear continental pattern, although the co-authorship network does not show the same characteristics. Therefore, soil erosion modellers should conduct even more comprehensive review of past studies and focus not just on the research conducted in the same country or continent. Moreover, when evaluating soil erosion models, an additional focus should be given to field measurements, model calibration, performance assessment and uncertainty of modelling results. The results of this study indicate that these GASEMT database attributes had smaller impact on the number of citations, according to the BRT model, than anticipated, which could suggest that these attributes should be given additional attention by the soil erosion modelling community. This study provides a kind of bibliographic benchmark for soil erosion modelling research papers as modellers can estimate the influence of their paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nejc Bezak
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Matjaž Mikoš
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Pasquale Borrelli
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata, 1, 27100, Pavia, Italy; Kangwon National University, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea; Department of Environmental Sciences, Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Basel, CH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Christine Alewell
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Basel, CH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Pablo Alvarez
- Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, National University of Loja, Ecuador
| | - Jamil Alexandre Ayach Anache
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, São Carlos School of Engineering (EESC), University of São Paulo (USP), CxP. 359, São Carlos, SP, 13566-590, Brazil; Federal University of Mato Grosso Do Sul, CxP. 549, Campo Grande, MS, 79070-900, Brazil
| | - Jantiene Baartman
- Soil Physics and Land Management Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Marcella Biddoccu
- Institute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility (STEMS), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Strada Delle Cacce 73, 10135, Torino, Italy
| | - Artemi Cerdà
- Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Department of Geography, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Devraj Chalise
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
| | | | - Walter Chen
- Department of Civil Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan
| | | | - Gizaw Desta Gessesse
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Ethiopia
| | - Detlef Deumlich
- Leibniz-Center for Agricultural Landscape Research Muencheberg (ZALF), Germany
| | - Nazzareno Diodato
- Met European Research Observatory-International Affiliates Program of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Via Monte Pino Snc, 82100, Benevento, Italy
| | - Nikolaos Efthimiou
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Praha - Suchdol, 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Gunay Erpul
- Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ankara, 06110, Diskapi-Ankara, Turkey
| | - Peter Fiener
- Water and Soil Resources Research Group, Institute of Geography, Universität Augsburg, Alter Postweg 118, 86159, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Michele Freppaz
- University of Turin, Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, Largo Paolo Braccini, 2, 10095, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Francesco Gentile
- University of Bari Aldo Moro, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Bari, Italy
| | - Andreas Gericke
- Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (FV-IGB), Department of Ecohydrology, 12587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nigussie Haregeweyn
- International Platform for Dryland Research and Education, Tottori University, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan
| | - Bifeng Hu
- Department of Land Resource Management, School of Tourism and Urban Management, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, Nanchang 330013, China
| | - Amelie Jeanneau
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Konstantinos Kaffas
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Mahboobeh Kiani-Harchegani
- Department of Watershed Management Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
| | - Ivan Lizaga Villuendas
- Estación Experimental de Aula-Dei (EEAD-CSIC), Spanish National Research Council, Zaragoza, Spain. Avenida Montañana, 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Changjia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Institute of Land Surface System and Sustainable Development, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Luigi Lombardo
- University of Twente, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), PO Box 217, Enschede, AE 7500, the Netherlands
| | - Manuel López-Vicente
- Team Soil, Water and Land Use, Wageningen Environmental Research. Wageningen, 6708RC, Netherlands
| | - Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja
- Castilla La Mancha University, School of Advanced Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, Albacete, 02071, Spain
| | - Michael Maerker
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata, 1, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Chiyuan Miao
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Sirio Modugno
- World Food Programme, Roma, 00148, Italy; University of Leicester, Centre for Landscape and Climate Research, Department of Geography, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Markus Möller
- Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) - Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Crop and Soil Science, Bundesallee 69, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Victoria Naipal
- École Normale Supérieure, Department of Geosciences, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Mark Nearing
- Southwest Watershed Research Center, USDA-ARS, 2000 E. Allen Rd., Tucson, AZ, 85719, United States
| | - Stephen Owusu
- Soil Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Kwadaso-Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Dinesh Panday
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
| | - Edouard Patault
- Normandie Univ, Rouen, UNIROUEN, UNICAEN, CNRS, M2C, FED-SCALE, Rouen, France
| | | | - Laura Poggio
- ISRIC - World Soil Information, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Raquel Portes
- Minas Gerais State University - Campus Frutal, Brazil
| | - Laura Quijano
- Georges Lemaître Centre for Earth and Climate Research - Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
| | | | - Mohammed Renima
- University Hassiba Benbouali of Chlef, Laboratory of Chemistry Vegetable-Water-Energy, Algeria
| | - Giovanni Francesco Ricci
- University of Bari Aldo Moro, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Bari, Italy
| | - Jesús Rodrigo-Comino
- Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Department of Geography, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; Department of Physical Geography, University of Trier, 54296 Trier, Germany
| | - Sergio Saia
- Dept. Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa Via Delle Piagge 2, Pisa, 56129, Italy
| | | | - Calogero Schillaci
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Hyuck Soo Kim
- Kangwon National University, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Diogo Noses Spinola
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Paulo Tarso Oliveira
- Federal University of Mato Grosso Do Sul, CxP. 549, Campo Grande, MS, 79070-900, Brazil
| | - Hongfen Teng
- School of Environmental Ecology and Biological Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, China
| | - Resham Thapa
- Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Konstantinos Vantas
- Department of Rural and Surveying Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Diana Vieira
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Dpt. of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Jae E Yang
- Kangwon National University, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Shuiqing Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Demetrio Antonio Zema
- Department "Agraria", University "Mediterranea" of Reggio Calabria, Località Feo di Vito, 89122, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Guangju Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Panos Panagos
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
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Modeling Approaches to Assess Soil Erosion by Water at the Field Scale with Special Emphasis on Heterogeneity of Soils and Crops. LAND 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/land10040422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Information on soil erosion and related sedimentation processes are very important for natural resource management and sustainable farming. Plenty of models are available for studying soil erosion but only a few are suitable for dynamic soil erosion assessments at the field-scale. To date, there are no field-scale dynamic models available considering complex agricultural systems for the simulation of soil erosion. We conducted a review of 51 different models evaluated based on their representation of the processes of soil erosion by water. Secondly, we consider their suitability for assessing soil erosion for more complex field designs, such as patch cropping, strip cropping and agroforestry (alley-cropping systems) and other land management practices. Several models allow daily soil erosion assessments at the sub-field scale, such as EPIC, PERFECT, GUEST, EPM, TCRP, SLEMSA, APSIM, RillGrow, WaNuLCAS, SCUAF, and CREAMS. However, further model development is needed with respect to the interaction of components, i.e., rainfall intensity, overland flow, crop cover, and their scaling limitations. A particular shortcoming of most of the existing field scale models is their one-dimensional nature. We further suggest that platforms with modular structure, such as SIMPLACE and APSIM, offer the possibility to integrate soil erosion as a separate module/component and link to GIS capabilities, and are more flexible to simulate fluxes of matter in the 2D/3D dimensions. Since models operating at daily scales often do not consider a horizontal transfer of matter, such modeling platforms can link erosion components with other environmental components to provide robust estimations of the three-dimensional fluxes and sedimentation processes occurring during soil erosion events.
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Prăvălie R, Patriche C, Borrelli P, Panagos P, Roșca B, Dumitraşcu M, Nita IA, Săvulescu I, Birsan MV, Bandoc G. Arable lands under the pressure of multiple land degradation processes. A global perspective. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 194:110697. [PMID: 33428912 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
While agricultural systems are a major pillar in global food security, their productivity is currently threatened by many environmental issues triggered by anthropogenic climate change and human activities, such as land degradation. However, the planetary spatial footprint of land degradation processes on arable lands, which can be considered a major component of global agricultural systems, is still insufficiently well understood. This study analyzes the land degradation footprint on global arable lands, using complex geospatial data on certain major degradation processes, i.e. aridity, soil erosion, vegetation decline, soil salinization and soil organic carbon decline. By applying geostatistical techniques that are representative for identifying the incidence of the five land degradation processes in global arable lands, results showed that aridity is by far the largest singular pressure for these agricultural systems, affecting ~40% of the arable lands' area, which cover approximately 14 million km2 globally. It was found that soil erosion is another major degradation process, the unilateral impact of which affects ~20% of global arable systems. The results also showed that the two degradation processes simultaneously affect an additional ~7% of global arable lands, which makes this synergy the most common form of multiple pressure of land degradative conditions across the world's arable areas. The absolute statistical data showed that India, the United States, China, Brazil, Argentina, Russia and Australia are the most vulnerable countries in the world to the various pathways of arable land degradation. Also, in terms of percentages, statistical observations showed that African countries are the most heavily affected by arable system degradation. This study's findings can be useful for prioritizing agricultural management actions that can mitigate the negative effects of the two degradation processes or of others that currently affect many arable systems across the planet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remus Prăvălie
- University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography, 1 Nicolae Bălcescu Street, 010041, Bucharest, Romania; University of Bucharest, Research Institute of the University of Bucharest (ICUB), 90-92 Sos. Panduri, 5th District, 050663, Bucharest, Romania.
| | - Cristian Patriche
- Romanian Academy, Iaşi Divison, Geography Department, 8 Carol I Street, 700505, Iaşi, Romania.
| | - Pasquale Borrelli
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata, 27100, Pavia, Italy; Department of Biological Environment, Kangwon National University, 24341, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
| | - Panos Panagos
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate for Sustainable Resources, Ispra, I-21027, Italy.
| | - Bogdan Roșca
- Romanian Academy, Iaşi Divison, Geography Department, 8 Carol I Street, 700505, Iaşi, Romania.
| | - Monica Dumitraşcu
- Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy, 12 Dimitrie Racoviță Street, 023993, Bucharest, Romania.
| | - Ion-Andrei Nita
- National Meteorological Administration (Meteo Romania), Department of Research and Meteo Infrastructure Projects, 97 București-Ploiești Street, 013686, Bucharest, Romania; Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Faculty of Geography and Geology, Department of Geography, 20A Carol I Street, 700506, Iaşi, Romania.
| | - Ionuţ Săvulescu
- University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography, 1 Nicolae Bălcescu Street, 010041, Bucharest, Romania.
| | - Marius-Victor Birsan
- National Meteorological Administration (Meteo Romania), Department of Research and Meteo Infrastructure Projects, 97 București-Ploiești Street, 013686, Bucharest, Romania.
| | - Georgeta Bandoc
- University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography, 1 Nicolae Bălcescu Street, 010041, Bucharest, Romania; Academy of Romanian Scientists, 54 Splaiul Independenței Street, Bucharest, Romania.
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Uncovering the Role of Biophysical Factors and Socioeconomic Forces Shaping Soil Sensitivity to Degradation: Insights from Italy. SOIL SYSTEMS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/soilsystems5010011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Following an operational framework derived from earlier research, our study research estimates the specific contribution of biophysical and socioeconomic factors to soil sensitivity to degradation at two-time points (Early-1990s and Early-2010s) in Italy, a Mediterranean hotspot for desertification risk. A total of 34 variables associated (directly or, at least, indirectly) with different processes of soil degradation (erosion, salinization, sealing, contamination, and compaction) and climate change were considered here, delineating the predominant (underlying) cause (i.e., biophysical or socioeconomic). This set of variables represented the largest (quantitative) information available from national and international data sources including official statistics at both national and European scale. Contribution of biophysical and socioeconomic dimensions to soil sensitivity to degradation was heterogeneous in Italy, with the level of soil sensitivity to biophysical factors being the highest in less accessible, natural areas mostly located in hilly and mountainous districts. The highest level of soil sensitivity to socioeconomic drivers was instead observed in more accessible locations around large cities and flat rural districts with crop intensification and low (but increasing) population density. All these factors delineated an enlarged divide in environmental quality between (i) flat and upland districts, and between (ii) Northern and Southern Italian regions. These findings suggest the appropriateness of policy strategies protecting soils with a strong place-specific knowledge, i.e., based on permanent monitoring of local (biophysical and socioeconomic) conditions.
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30
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Jiang C, Guo H, Wei Y, Yang Z, Wang X, Wen M, Yang L, Zhao L, Zhang H, Zhou P. Ecological restoration is not sufficient for reconciling the trade-off between soil retention and water yield: A contrasting study from catchment governance perspective. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 754:142139. [PMID: 32919318 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Ecological restoration program (ERP) is widely recognized as an effective measure to combat land degradation and improve environmental quality. However, inappropriate ERPs lead to trade-offs between soil retention and water yield as well as conflicts of soil and water resources between the midstream and the downstream of catchment. This study aims to assess the efficiency of ERPs in soil erosion control and identify the trade-offs between soil retention and water yield through the lens of runoff and sediment regimes in contrasting catchments of the Loess Plateau (LP) and the Karst Plateau (KP). Although favorable climate and rapid vegetation restoration substantially reduced water erosion in both these areas, the hydrological responses were not the same because of climate differences. In the arid LP, water and energy variables correlated closely with vegetation cover. Excessive afforestation programs in drylands increased vegetation transpiration and soil evaporation, further exhausting soil water resources, and eventually causing water yield reduction. However, soil and water conservation programs (SWCPs) in the humid KP reduced sediment yield substantially, and the runoff remained stable. Significant runoff reduction in the midstream of the Yellow River aggravated water scarcity and threatened the downstream water demand. Meanwhile, sediment load decline in the LP and the KP impacted sediment deposition in the downstream and estuary formation. From the perspective of integrated catchment governance, human interventions including ERP and SWCP should be more sustainable and consider not only the target process at the local scale (intracoupling effect), but also unprecedented non-target process at the regional scale (telecoupling effect). In addition, it should allow for the supply-demand balance of competing soil and water resources to achieve the coordinated development of resources, environment, and production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong Jiang
- Guangdong Open Laboratory of Geospatial Information Technology and Application, Guangzhou Institute of Geography, Guangzhou 510070, PR China; Key Lab of Guangdong for Utilization of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System, Guangzhou 510070, PR China; School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Hongwei Guo
- Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China
| | - Yongping Wei
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiyuan Yang
- Department of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Xinchi Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, PR China
| | - Meili Wen
- Guangdong Open Laboratory of Geospatial Information Technology and Application, Guangzhou Institute of Geography, Guangzhou 510070, PR China; Key Lab of Guangdong for Utilization of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System, Guangzhou 510070, PR China
| | - Long Yang
- Guangdong Open Laboratory of Geospatial Information Technology and Application, Guangzhou Institute of Geography, Guangzhou 510070, PR China; Key Lab of Guangdong for Utilization of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System, Guangzhou 510070, PR China
| | - Lingling Zhao
- Guangdong Open Laboratory of Geospatial Information Technology and Application, Guangzhou Institute of Geography, Guangzhou 510070, PR China; Key Lab of Guangdong for Utilization of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System, Guangzhou 510070, PR China
| | - Haiyan Zhang
- Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China
| | - Ping Zhou
- Guangdong Open Laboratory of Geospatial Information Technology and Application, Guangzhou Institute of Geography, Guangzhou 510070, PR China; Key Lab of Guangdong for Utilization of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System, Guangzhou 510070, PR China.
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31
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Soil Degradation and Socioeconomic Systems’ Complexity: Uncovering the Latent Nexus. LAND 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/land10010030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Understanding Soil Degradation Processes (SDPs) is a fundamental issue for humankind. Soil degradation involves complex processes that are influenced by a multifaceted ensemble of socioeconomic and ecological factors at vastly different spatial scales. Desertification risk (the ultimate outcome of soil degradation, seen as an irreversible process of natural resource destruction) and socioeconomic trends have been recently analyzed assuming “resilience thinking” as an appropriate interpretative paradigm. In a purely socioeconomic dimension, resilience is defined as the ability of a local system to react to external signals and to promote future development. This ability is intrinsically bonded with the socio-ecological dynamics characteristic of environmentally homogeneous districts. However, an evaluation of the relationship between SDPs and socioeconomic resilience in local systems is missing in mainstream literature. Our commentary formulates an exploratory framework for the assessment of soil degradation, intended as a dynamic process of natural resource depletion, and the level of socioeconomic resilience in local systems. Such a framework is intended to provide a suitable background to sustainability science and regional policies at the base of truly resilient local systems.
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Lyu X, Li X, Wang H, Gong J, Li S, Dou H, Dang D. Soil wind erosion evaluation and sustainable management of typical steppe in Inner Mongolia, China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 277:111488. [PMID: 33070017 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Soil wind erosion is an important ecological environmental problem that is widespread in arid and semi-arid regions. Currently, related studies are mainly focused on spatiotemporal characteristics or analysis of effector mechanisms, and they do not facilitate direct servicing of management decisions. In this paper, we used the Xilingol typical steppe in Inner Mongolia, China, as a study site to develop a decision framework for a comprehensive understanding of soil wind erosion and to promote sustainable management of steppes. In this study, we used the Revised Wind Erosion Equation model to simulate soil wind erosion. We combined this model with linear trend analysis to evaluate the ecological effects of soil wind erosion and wind erosion intensity, and delineated the gravity center migration path. We used the constraint line method to reveal the mechanisms by which climatic factors affected soil wind erosion, achieved the spatial visualization of wind-breaking and sand-fixing service flow, and proposed decision-based regional sustainable development suggestions. The results showed that long-term soil wind erosion will lead to soil coarsening and loss of soil nutrients. Soil wind erosion in the study site showed worsening trends and risks, and as such, ecological environment conservation and management are urgently required. The study framework promotes a clear understanding of the complex relationship of human-earth systems. The study results will aid in the ecological remediation of steppe landscapes and the prevention of desertification and will provide a foundation for win-win management of ecological conservation and economic development in arid and semi-arid regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Lyu
- School of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Process and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Xiaobing Li
- School of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Process and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Hong Wang
- School of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Process and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Jirui Gong
- School of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Process and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Shengkun Li
- School of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Process and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Huashun Dou
- School of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Process and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Dongliang Dang
- School of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Process and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
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33
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Spatial Assessment of the Effects of Land Cover Change on Soil Erosion in Hungary from 1990 to 2018. ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/ijgi9110667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
As soil erosion is still a global threat to soil resources, the estimation of soil loss, particularly at a spatiotemporal setting, is still an existing challenge. The primary aim of our study is the assessment of changes in soil erosion potential in Hungary from 1990 to 2018, induced by the changes in land use and land cover based on CORINE Land Cover data. The modeling scheme included the application and cross-valuation of two internationally applied methods, the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and the Pan-European Soil Erosion Risk Assessment (PESERA) models. Results indicate that the changes in land cover resulted in a general reduction in predicted erosion rates, by up to 0.28 t/ha/year on average. Analysis has also revealed that the combined application of the two models has reduced the occurrence of extreme predictions, thus, increasing the robustness of the method. Random Forest regression analysis has revealed that the differences between the two models are mainly driven by their sensitivity to slope and land cover, followed by soil parameters. The resulting spatial predictions can be readily applied for qualitative spatial analysis. However, the question of extreme predictions still indicates that quantitative use of the output results should only be carried out with sufficient care.
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34
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The Use of Straw Mulches to Mitigate Soil Erosion under Different Antecedent Soil Moistures. WATER 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/w12092518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Straw mulch cover is one of the most important soil erosion control measures applied to reduce runoff and soil loss in cultivated areas. However, in developing countries such as Iran, without a clear tradition or knowledge about soil erosion control measures, the use of straw mulch is rare, and its impact in the most extended crops is not well understood. We investigated the separate and combined effects of colza (Brassica napus L.) and corn (Zea mays L.), to mitigate the activation of soil loss and runoff in sandy-loam soils, under different antecedent soil moisture conditions, in a rainfed plot in Northern Iran. Under laboratory conditions, we used a rainfall simulator device. The experiments were performed by using a rainfall intensity of 50 mm h−1, with a duration of 10 min and an inclination of 30%, with three replications. These conditions were used to evaluate the soils under extreme meteorological and topographical conditions. Two types of straw mulch, colza and corn, separated and combined with three different cover levels (25, 50 and 75%) and four distinct antecedent soil moisture conditions (0, 15, 20 and 30%), were used. The results showed that the applied straw mulches had significant effects on the reduction of soil loss and sediment concentration, by almost 99%. The maximum reduction of soil loss and sediment concentration was observed for the treatments with 0% moisture and 75% of corn, colza + corn and colza, with a reduction of 93.8, 92.2 and 84.9% for soil loss, respectively, and 91.1, 85.7 and, 60.7% for sediment concentration, respectively. The maximum reduction of runoff was also obtained with 0% soil moisture and a cover of 75%, reducing 62.5, 48.5 and 34.8% for colza, colza + corn and corn, respectively. The corn straw mulch showed the highest effectivity on reducing soil loss and sediment concentration toward colza treatment. But the colza straw mulch showed the best results on reducing runoff toward corn treatment. We conclude that the application of straw mulch is affordable and useful in reducing soil loss and runoff, instead of bare soils.
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Salhi A, Benabdelouahab T, Martin-Vide J, Okacha A, El Hasnaoui Y, El Mousaoui M, El Morabit A, Himi M, Benabdelouahab S, Lebrini Y, Boudhar A, Casas Ponsati A. Bridging the gap of perception is the only way to align soil protection actions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 718:137421. [PMID: 32105933 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Revised: 02/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Science is the seed of a decent life, with which we sow hope in the present and which we irrigate with the perfecting of good deeds. It is even crucial in the Mediterranean southern frontiers where the cultural erosion dissolves the structure of a society abandoned by the arms and brains of its youth. Soil-water-vegetation crisis should not be underestimated; coupled with socioeconomic congestion it would lead to an irremediable crash. Here, we show that the first and most difficult step to face soil degradation is to cultivate the right idea and develop it into a well-established community culture. We found in northern Morocco that 94.5% of farmers have no qualification and 82.6% of them act in a way that worsens soil degradation even if they are aware of the severity of the problem. This confused perception of ideas originates inappropriate labour behaviours non-aligned with public actions. Our results show that the impact of this is a high potential regional erosion rate of 27.7 t/ha/year which is equivalent to a massive potential gross amount of soil loss of 44.3 Mt/year. We show that this leads to an overall vegetation decrease related mainly to the anthropogenic pressure then to climate and lithology. We anticipate that the solution must be comprehensive, participatory, strategic and innovative, led by education and scientific research (Citizen Science) and involving all actors equally. In its broad context, the only path to achieve the coordination and alignment of actions would be through a gradual change of perception and involvement based on a time-consuming culture of assimilation and acceptance rather than a culture of rapid reform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adil Salhi
- Geography and Development Group, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Martil, Morocco.
| | | | | | - Abdelmonaim Okacha
- Geography and Development Group, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Martil, Morocco
| | - Yassin El Hasnaoui
- Geography and Development Group, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Martil, Morocco
| | - Mhamed El Mousaoui
- Geography and Development Group, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Martil, Morocco
| | | | - Mahjoub Himi
- Economic and Environmental Geology and Hydrology Group, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Sara Benabdelouahab
- Economic and Environmental Geology and Hydrology Group, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Youssef Lebrini
- National Institute of Agronomic Research, Rabat, Morocco; Water Resource Management, Valorisation and Remote Sensing Group, Sultan Moulay Slimane University, Beni Mellal, Morocco
| | - Abdelghani Boudhar
- Water Resource Management, Valorisation and Remote Sensing Group, Sultan Moulay Slimane University, Beni Mellal, Morocco
| | - Albert Casas Ponsati
- Economic and Environmental Geology and Hydrology Group, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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36
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A Soil Erosion Indicator for Supporting Agricultural, Environmental and Climate Policies in the European Union. REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs12091365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Soil erosion is one of the eight threats in the Soil Thematic Strategy, the main policy instrument dedicated to soil protection in the European Union (EU). During the last decade, soil erosion indicators have been included in monitoring the performance of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study comes five years after the assessment of soil loss by water erosion in the EU [Environmental science & policy 54, 438–447 (2015)], where a soil erosion modelling baseline for 2010 was developed. Here, we present an update of the EU assessment of soil loss by water erosion for the year 2016. The estimated long-term average erosion rate decreased by 0.4% between 2010 and 2016. This small decrease of soil loss was due to a limited increase of applied soil conservation practices and land cover change observed at the EU level. The modelling results suggest that, currently, ca. 25% of the EU land has erosion rates higher than the recommended sustainable threshold (2 t ha−1 yr−1) and more than 6% of agricultural lands suffer from severe erosion (11 t ha−1 yr−1). The results suggest that a more incisive set of measures of soil conservation is needed to mitigate soil erosion across the EU. However, targeted measures are recommendable at regional and national level as soil erosion trends are diverse between countries which show heterogeneous application of conservation practices.
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37
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Luetzenburg G, Bittner MJ, Calsamiglia A, Renschler CS, Estrany J, Poeppl R. Climate and land use change effects on soil erosion in two small agricultural catchment systems Fugnitz - Austria, Can Revull - Spain. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 704:135389. [PMID: 31810709 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Soil erosion represents one of the most important processes of land degradation in the world and is considered a serious threat to the provision of food supply, to human health and to terrestrial ecosystems. In Europe, soil erosion by water and tillage is responsible for the loss of fertile topsoil and therefore productive land. Under Global Change scenarios climate and land use are expected to impact soil loss and sediment discharge rates distinctly in contrasting climatic regions, further influenced by tillage practices. Soil erosion modeling is a valuable tool to estimate future changes and elucidate opportunities to mitigate future threats to soil loss and crop yield, ultimately leading to the development of Best Management Practices (BMPs). In this study, future change of soil erosion processes under the IPCC Representative Concentration Pathways RCP2.6 and RCP6.0, as well as a conventional tillage (CT) and a reduced tillage (RT) practice are investigated in two small agricultural catchments in Europe under contrasting climate; Can Revull in Spain and Fugnitz in Austria. We applied GeoWEPP, the Geospatial Interface for the Water Erosion Prediction Project, to model these two agricultural catchments at a fine spatial resolution. We demonstrate that tillage practice, precipitation and runoff are driving factors for soil erosion at both locations. Furthermore, we illustrate that tillage practices have a greater effect on soil erosion than climate change scenarios. RT could reduce soil erosion by more than 75% compared to CT practices. Under RCP6.0, future changes in runoff, hillslope soil loss and sediment discharge would be greater compared to RCP2.6, with different responses depending on the investigated climatic region. Linking soil erosion models on a fine spatial scale and with different management practices to downscaled global circulation models, can provide valuable input for the development of future BMPs to reduce soil loss in agricultural landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregor Luetzenburg
- Department of Geography and Regional Research, University of Vienna, Universitätsstr. 7 (NIG), 1010 Vienna, Austria; Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Meriel Jennifer Bittner
- Department of Limnology and Bio-Oceanography, University of Vienna, Althanstr. 14 (UZA I), 1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Strandpromenaden 5, 3000 Helsingør, Denmark.
| | - Aleix Calsamiglia
- Hydrology and Ecogeomorphology in Mediterranean Environments - MEDhyCON, Department of Geography, University of the Balearic Islands, Carretera de Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122 Palma, Mallorca, Spain; Institute of Agro-environment and Water Economy Research -INAGEA, University of the Balearic Islands, Carretera de Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122 Palma, Mallorca, Spain.
| | - Chris S Renschler
- Department of Geography and Regional Research, University of Vienna, Universitätsstr. 7 (NIG), 1010 Vienna, Austria; Department of Geography, University at Buffalo, 116 Wilkeson Quad, Buffalo, NY 14226, USA.
| | - Joan Estrany
- Hydrology and Ecogeomorphology in Mediterranean Environments - MEDhyCON, Department of Geography, University of the Balearic Islands, Carretera de Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122 Palma, Mallorca, Spain; Institute of Agro-environment and Water Economy Research -INAGEA, University of the Balearic Islands, Carretera de Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122 Palma, Mallorca, Spain.
| | - Ronald Poeppl
- Department of Geography and Regional Research, University of Vienna, Universitätsstr. 7 (NIG), 1010 Vienna, Austria.
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A European-Scale Investigation of Soil Erosion Threat to Subsurface Archaeological Remains. REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs12040675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This communication emanates from the lack of a European-scale study for investigating the potential threats that subsurface archaeological remains face today due to soil loss by water. This research analyses the impact of soil loss on potential subsurface archaeological evidence by integrating open geospatial datasets deriving from two pertinent European studies. The first study’s dataset is related to soil erosion (soil loss provoked by water activity), which was reclassified into three groups alluding the level of threat on potential subsurface archaeological contexts, as follows: (1) areas presenting soil loss from 0 until 5 t/h per year, which are characterised as low threat areas; (2) areas presenting soil loss from 5 until 10 t/h per year, which are characterised as moderated threat; and (3) areas presenting soil loss beyond 10 t/h per year, which are considered as high-risk areas. The second study’s dataset refers to the capacity of soils to preserve specific archaeological materials, classified in four categories based on the properties of the archaeological material (bones, teeth, and shells (bones); organic materials (organics); metals (Cu, bronze, and Fe) (metals); and stratigraphic evidence (strati). Both datasets were imported into a Geographical Information System (GIS) for further synthesis and analysis, while the average threat of soil loss per year was evaluated in a country level (nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) level 0). The overall results show that approximately 10% of European soils that potentially preserve archaeological remains are in high threat due to soil loss, while similar patterns—on a European level—are found for areas characterised with moderate to high risk from the soil loss. This study is the first attempt to present a proxy map for subsurface cultural material under threat due to soil loss, covering the entire European continent.
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