Influence of climate and land use changes on recent trends of soil erosion rates within the Russian Plain

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 2658-2667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Golosov ◽  
Oleg Yermolaev ◽  
Leonid Litvin ◽  
Nelli Chizhikova ◽  
Zoya Kiryukhina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Russian Plain ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
Recent Trends

scholarly journals Evaluation of soil erosion rates in the southern half of the Russian Plain: methodology and initial results

2017 ◽  
Vol 375 ◽  
pp. 23-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Golosov ◽  
Artem Gusarov ◽  
Leonid Litvin ◽  
Oleg Yermolaev ◽  
Nelly Chizhikova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Russian Plain ◽  
Model Calculations ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
Land Use Transformation ◽  
Southern Half

Abstract. The Russian Plain (RP) is divided into two principally different parts. The northern half of the RP is a predominantly forested area with a low proportion of arable fields. In contrast, the southern half of the RP has a very high proportion of arable land. During the last 30 years, this agricultural region of the RP has experienced considerable land use transformation and changes in precipitation due to climate change have altered soil erosion rates. This paper describes the use of erosion model calculations and GIS spatial analytical methods for the evaluation of trends in erosion rates in the RP. Climate change (RIHMI World Data Center, 2016), land use transformation and crop rotation modification (Rosstat, 2016; R Core Team, 2016) are the main factors governing erosion rates in the region during recent decades. It was determined that mean annual erosion rates have decreased from 7.3 to 4.1 t ha−1 yr−1 in the forest zone mostly because of the serious reduction in the surface runoff coefficient for periods of snowmelt. At the same time, the erosion rates have increased from 3.9 to 4.6 t ha−1 yr−1 in the steppe zone due to the increasing frequency of heavy rain-storms.

scholarly journals Impacts of oak deforestation and rainfed cultivation on soil redistribution processes across hillslopes using 137Cs techniques

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamsollah Ayoubi ◽  
Nafiseh Sadeghi ◽  
Farideh Abbaszadeh Afshar ◽  
Mohammad Reza Abdi ◽  
Mojtaba Zeraatpisheh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Magnetic Susceptibility ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Erosion Rate ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Oak Forests ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Rainfed Farming

Abstract Background As one of the main components of land-use change, deforestation is considered the greatest threat to global environmental diversity with possible irreversible environmental consequences. Specifically, one example could be the impacts of land-use changes from oak forests into agricultural ecosystems, which may have detrimental impacts on soil mobilization across hillslopes. However, to date, scarce studies are assessing these impacts at different slope positions and soil depths, shedding light on key geomorphological processes. Methods In this research, the Caesium-137 (137Cs) technique was applied to evaluate soil redistribution and soil erosion rates due to the effects of these above-mentioned land-use changes. To achieve this goal, we select a representative area in the Lordegan district, central Iran. 137Cs depth distribution profiles were established in four different hillslope positions after converting natural oak forests to rainfed farming. In each hillslope, soil samples from three depths (0–10, 10–20, and 20–50 cm) and in four different slope positions (summit, shoulder, backslope, and footslope) were taken in three transects of about 20 m away from each other. The activity of 137Cs was determined in all the soil samples (72 soil samples) by a gamma spectrometer. In addition, some physicochemical properties and the magnetic susceptibility (MS) of soil samples were measured. Results Erosion rates reached 51.1 t·ha− 1·yr− 1 in rainfed farming, whereas in the natural forest, the erosion rate was 9.3 t·ha− 1·yr− 1. Magnetic susceptibility was considerably lower in the cultivated land (χhf = 43.5 × 10− 8 m3·kg− 1) than in the natural forest (χhf = 55.1 × 10− 8 m3·kg− 1). The lower soil erosion rate in the natural forest land indicated significantly higher MS in all landform positions except at the summit one, compared to that in the rainfed farming land. The shoulder and summit positions were the most erodible hillslope positions in the natural forest and rainfed farming, respectively. Conclusions We concluded that land-use change and hillslope positions played a key role in eroding the surface soils in this area. Moreover, land management can influence soil erosion intensity and may both mitigate and amplify soil loss.

Evaluation of changes in soil erosion rates in Andalucia between 1990 and 2018

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filippo Milazzo ◽  
Tom Vanwalleghem ◽  
Pilar Fernández, Rebollo ◽  
Jesus Fernández-Habas
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
Management Changes ◽  
Soil Erosion By Water

<p>Land use and land management changes impact significantly on soil erosion rates. The Mediterranean, and in particular Southern Spain, has been affected by important shifts in the last decades. This area is currently identified as a hotspot for soil erosion by water. In the effort to achieve the SDG Target 15, we aim to show the effect of land management change, assessing soil erosion rate based on historical data. We analyzed the evolution of land use from historical aerial photographs between 1990 and 2018. We then calculated soil erosion with RUSLE. For this, we first determined the distribution frequency of cover-management factors for each land use class, comparing current land use maps with the European Soil Erosion Map (Panagos et al., 2015). Past C factors where then assigned using a Monte Carlo approach, based on the obtained frequency distributions. </p>

LAND USE: U.S. Soil Erosion Rates--Myth and Reality

Science ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 289 (5477) ◽  
pp. 248-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. W. Trimble
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates

scholarly journals Investigation of the effect of anthropogenic land use on the Pănăzii Lake (Romania) catchment area using Cs-137 and Pb-210 radionuclides

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0251603
Author(s):  
Robert-Csaba Begy ◽  
Codrin F. Savin ◽  
Szabolcs Kelemen ◽  
Daniel Veres ◽  
Octavian-Liviu Muntean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Sedimentation Rate ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Gamma Spectroscopy ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
Lake Catchment

The problem of soil degradation has accentuated over recent decades. Aspects related to soil erosion and its relation to changes in land use as well as anthropogenic influence constitute a topic of great interest. The current study is focused on a soil erosion assessment in relation to land use activities in the Pănăzii Lake catchment area. Fallout radionuclides were used to provide information on soil erosion as well as redistribution rates and patterns. Variations in the sedimentation rate of the lake were also investigated as these reflect periods in which massive erosion events occurred in the lake catchment area. The novelty of this study is the construction of a timescale with regard to the soil erosion events to better understand the relationship between soil erosion and land use activities. In this study, 10 soil profiles and one sediment core from the lake were taken. Soil parameters were determined for each sample. The activities of 210Pb, 137Cs and 226Ra were measured by gamma spectroscopy. For low 210Pb activities, measurements via 210Po using an alpha spectrometer were performed. Soil erosion rates were determined by the 137Cs method and the sedimentation rate calculated by the Constant Rate of Supply (CRS) model. A soil erosion rate of 13.5 t·ha-1·yr-1 was obtained. Three distinct periods could be observed in the evolution of the sedimentation rate. For the first period, between 1880 and 1958, the average deposition rate was 9.2 tons/year, followed by a high deposition period (1960–1991) of 29.6 tons/year and a third period, consisting of the last 30 years, during which the sedimentation rate was 15.7 tons/year. These sedimentation rates fluctuated depending on the main land use activity, which can also be seen in the soil erosion rates that had almost doubled by the time agricultural activities were performed in the area.

scholarly journals Soil aggregation, erodibility, and erosion rates in mountain soils (NW Alps, Italy)

Solid Earth ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 403-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Stanchi ◽  
G. Falsone ◽  
E. Bonifacio
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Protective Action ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Soil Aggregation ◽  
Soil Erodibility ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates

Abstract. Erosion is a relevant soil degradation factor in mountain agrosilvopastoral ecosystems that can be enhanced by the abandonment of agricultural land and pastures left to natural evolution. The on-site and off-site consequences of soil erosion at the catchment and landscape scale are particularly relevant and may affect settlements at the interface with mountain ecosystems. RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) estimates of soil erosion consider, among others, the soil erodibility factor (K), which depends on properties involved in structure and aggregation. A relationship between soil erodibility and aggregation should therefore be expected. However, erosion may limit the development of soil structure; hence aggregates should not only be related to erodibility but also partially mirror soil erosion rates. The aim of the research was to evaluate the agreement between aggregate stability and erosion-related variables and to discuss the possible reasons for discrepancies in the two kinds of land use considered (forest and pasture). Topsoil horizons were sampled in a mountain catchment under two vegetation covers (pasture vs. forest) and analyzed for total organic carbon, total extractable carbon, pH, and texture. Soil erodibility was computed, RUSLE erosion rate was estimated, and aggregate stability was determined by wet sieving. Aggregation and RUSLE-related parameters for the two vegetation covers were investigated through statistical tests such as ANOVA, correlation, and regression. Soil erodibility was in agreement with the aggregate stability parameters; i.e., the most erodible soils in terms of K values also displayed weaker aggregation. Despite this general observation, when estimating K from aggregate losses the ANOVA conducted on the regression residuals showed land-use-dependent trends (negative average residuals for forest soils, positive for pastures). Therefore, soil aggregation seemed to mirror the actual topsoil conditions better than soil erodibility. Several hypotheses for this behavior were discussed. A relevant effect of the physical protection of the organic matter by the aggregates that cannot be considered in $K$ computation was finally hypothesized in the case of pastures, while in forests soil erodibility seemed to keep trace of past erosion and depletion of finer particles. A good relationship between RUSLE soil erosion rates and aggregate stability occurred in pastures, while no relationship was visible in forests. Therefore, soil aggregation seemed to capture aspects of actual vulnerability that are not visible through the erodibility estimate. Considering the relevance and extension of agrosilvopastoral ecosystems partly left to natural colonization, further studies on litter and humus protective action might improve the understanding of the relationship among erosion, erodibility, and structure.

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