The origin of sediment and particulate phosphorus inputs into water bodies in the Swiss Midlands – A twenty-year field study of soil erosion

Soil erosion, in the form of transported suspended sediment in overland flow, is often associated with high rates of particulate phosphorus (PP) (total P>0.45 μm) transfer from land to watercourses. Particulate P may provide a long-term source of P for aquatic biota. Twenty-two sites for winter overland flow monitoring were selected in south-west England within fields ranging from 0.2–3.8 ha on conventionally-managed arable land. Fields were situated on highly porous, light textured soils, lacking impermeable horizons and often overlying major aquifers. Long arable use and modern cultivation methods result in these soils capping under rain impact. Overland flow was observed when rainfall intensity approached the modest rate of 0.8 mm hr−1 on land at or near to field capacity. Low intensity rainfall (<2 mm hr−1) produced mean suspended sediment losses of 14 kg ha−1 hr−1, with associated PP transfer rates of 16 g ha−1 hr−1. In high intensity rainfall (>9 mm hr−1) mean PP losses of 319 g ha−1 hr−1 leaving the field were observed. As might be expected, there was a good relationship between PP and suspended sediment transfer in overland flow leaving the sites. The capacity of light soils to cap when in arable use, combined with heavy or prolonged rainfall, resulted in substantial discharges, soil erosion and associated PP transfer. Storms with heavy rain, typically of only a few hours duration, were characterised by considerable losses of PP. Such events, with return periods of once or twice a winter, may account for a significant proportion of total annual P transfer from agricultural soils under arable crops. However, contributions from less intense rain with much longer duration (around 100 hours per winter in many arable districts of the UK) are also demonstrated here.

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The effect of rainfall intensity on soil erosion and particulate phosphorus transfer from arable soils

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.1016/s0273-1223(99)00316-9 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 39 (12) ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Rainfall Intensity ◽

Particulate Phosphorus ◽

Arable Soils

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Soil erosion hazard map for river basin managers: An example for the water bodies of the Loire river basin (France)

Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie ◽

10.1127/zfg/2020/0643 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Clément Chabert ◽

Francesca Degan ◽

Sébastien Salvador-Blanes ◽

Olivier Evrard ◽

Rosalie Vandromme ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

River Basin ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Rainfall Erosivity ◽

Erosion Risk ◽

Erosion Hazard ◽

Management Plans ◽

The Impact ◽

Loire River

Abstract: Soil erosion on agricultural land is associated with deleterious off-site impacts including the siltation andthe pollution of the receiving water bodies. To better manage this situation, local/regional water agencies needspatially-distributed information to compare the sensitivity to erosion of the areas draining into these water bodiesand supplying the vast majority of sediment and associated pollutants leading to this water quality impairment.These soil erosion hazard maps are now often included in the latest versions of the basin management plans thatmust be designed to meet the water quality objectives of the EU Framework Directive. However, the resolution ofthese maps is often too coarse to meet the practical needs of these agencies. Accordingly, the current research usedthe latest input databases to improve the MESALES model outputs in one of the largest French River basins (Loire,117,000 km2), with the implementation of three main modifications. First, the seasonal variations of land coverwere incorporated into the model through a revised set of expert rules based on the agricultural census data. Second,the discrimination of the soil textures was improved within the infiltration and erodibility module of the model.Third, variations in rainfall erosivity across the study area were described taking into account the latest erosivitymap available at the European scale. Then, the model results obtained with the updated model version were comparedwith those generated by the previous version. Overall, the simulated soil erosion hazard changed for 35% ofthe pixels of the Loire River basin, with a significant increase of the lowest hazard classes during all seasons exceptsummer. When aggregating the results at the scale of water bodies, the simulated erosion hazard changed for 49%of these management units. Although 28% of these water bodies were associated with a lower hazard, 23% of theriver systems were attributed a higher erosion risk. The implications of these model/map revisions for the localdecision makers were discussed, taking the strategy of concentrating the management budget on those water bodiesassociated with the highest erosion risk as an example. In the future, this model could be used to compare the soilerosion hazard in contrasted regions of Europe and to simulate the impact of management plans designed todecrease this risk to support the decisions of water agencies

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Water Hyacinth’s Effect on Greenhouse Gas Fluxes: A Field Study in a Wide Variety of Tropical Water Bodies

Ecosystems ◽

10.1007/s10021-020-00564-x ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ernandes S. Oliveira Junior ◽

Tamara J. H. M. van Bergen ◽

Janne Nauta ◽

Andrea Budiša ◽

Ralf C. H. Aben ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Field Study ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Tropical Water ◽

Gas Fluxes ◽

Greenhouse Gas Fluxes

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Enset-based land use land cover change detection and its impact on soil erosion in Meki river watershed, Western Lake Ziway Sub-Basin, Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH ◽

10.1186/s40068-020-00198-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alemu Beyene Woldesenbet ◽

Sebsebe Demisew Wudmatas ◽

Mekuria Argaw Denboba ◽

Azage Gebreyohannes Gebremariam

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Land Cover ◽

Land Cover Change ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Management Practices ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Land Use Land Cover ◽

River Watershed ◽

Management Interventions

Abstract Background Water erosion, upland degradation and deforestation are key environmental problems in the Meki river watershed. The study assessed the land use land cover change (LULCC) for 30 years and it examined the contribution of indigenous Enset-based land use system (EBLUS) to reduce soil erosion and prevent water bodies including Lake Ziway from sedimentation which was not considered in the former studies. GPS based data collected and satellite based LULC analysis using ERDAS Imagine 2014 performed to investigate existing farm management practices and land cover respectively. HEC-GEOHMS, Geo-statistical interpolation and RUSLE were applied to model watershed characteristics, spatial climate parameters and soil loss respectively. Result Meki river watershed (2110.4 km2 of area) is dominantly covered by cultivated LUS (41.5%), EBLUS (10.65%), Bush and Chat LUS (25.6%), Forest and plantations LUS (14.14%), built-up (7.4%) and water bodies (0.75%). Soil loss is increasing from 1987 to 2017 and a larger part of the watershed suffers a moderately severe to very severe risk (18 t ha−1 year−1 to > 80 t ha−1 year−1) in all sub-watersheds irrespective of the land use systems which shows the watershed is facing sever degradation problem. The mean soil loss of 30.5 t ha−1 year−13 and 31.905 t ha−1 year−1 are verified from Enset growing zones and non-Enset growing zones of the watershed respectively. Conclusion EBLUS saves significant amount of soil despite the steepness of the slopes of the Enset growing zones of the watershed. Hence, expansion of EBLUS can contribute in sustaining water bodies, including Lake Ziway by reducing soil loss rate and sedimentation problem for the ecological sustainability of the watershed. Therefore, separate land use policy and awareness creation are mandatory for such EBLUS expansion, sustainable watershed management interventions and conservation of the natural environment in the watershed based on its suitability and severity of erosion risk mapping.

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The Influence of Mechanical Composition and Mineral Composition of Calcareous Soil on Slope Farmland on Phosphorus Fixation

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11093731 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 3731

Author(s):

Weiyi Han ◽

Ye Li ◽

Hang Yin

Keyword(s):

Particle Size ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Mineral Composition ◽

Calcareous Soil ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Three Gorges Reservoir Area ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Phosphorus Fixation ◽

Slope Farmland

Soil erosion on slope farmland causes the degradation of soil quality and eutrophication of water bodies due to the loss of phosphorus. In order to explore the influence of soil mechanical composition and mineral composition on phosphorus fixation, we selected calcareous soil on slope farmland in the Three Gorges Reservoir area as the research object and separated the samples on the basis of particle size. Next, we determined the content of different forms of phosphorus for each particle size, and then characterized and analyzed the mineral composition. The adsorption performance of each particle size was also studied. The results show that the calcareous soil on slope farmland has a high proportion of coarse fractions, and the carbonate minerals enriched in coarse fractions will fix a large amount of phosphorus and degrade soil quality. As slope farmland is prone to soil erosion, when the soil undergoes selective migration, the loss of fine fractions will increase the proportion of coarse fractions and aggravate soil quality degradation. Meanwhile, because of the large amount of phosphorus adsorbed by fine fractions, the available phosphorus is easily lost with fine fractions, leading to eutrophication of water bodies.

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Enset-Based land use land cover change detection and its impact on soil erosion in Meki river watershed, Western Lake Ziway Sub-Basin, Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-31939/v5 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Alemu Beyene Woldesenbet ◽

Sebsebe Demisew Wudmatas ◽

Mekuria Argaw Denboba ◽

Azage Gebreyohannes Gebremariam

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Land Cover ◽

Land Cover Change ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Management Practices ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Land Use Land Cover ◽

River Watershed ◽

Management Interventions

Abstract Background Water erosion, upland degradation and deforestation are key environmental problems in the Meki river watershed. The study assessed the land use land cover change (LULCC) for 30 years and it examined the contribution of indigenous Enset-Based land use system (EBLUS) to reduce soil erosion and prevent water bodies including Lake Ziway from sedimentation which was not considered in the former studies. GPS based data collected and satellite based LULC analysis using ERDAS Imagine 2014 performed to investigate existing farm management practices and land cover respectively. HEC-GEOHMS, Geo-statistical interpolation and RUSLE were applied to model watershed characteristics, spatial climate parameters and soil loss respectively. Result Meki river watershed (2110.4sq.km of area) is dominantly covered by cultivated LUS (41.5%), EBLUS (10.65%), Bush and Chat LUS (25.6%), Forest and plantations LUS (14.14%), built-up (7.4%) and water bodies (0.75%). Soil loss is increasing from 1987 to 2017 and a larger part of the watershed suffers a moderately severe to very severe risk (18 t ha-1yr-1 to >80 t ha-1yr-1) in all sub-watersheds irrespective of the land use systems which shows the watershed is facing sever degradation problem. The mean soil loss of 30.5 t ha-1yr-1 and 31.905 t ha-1yr-1 are verified from Enset growing zones and non-Enset growing zones of the watershed respectively. Conclusion EBLUS saves significant amount of soil despite the steepness of the slopes of the Enset growing zones of the watershed. Hence, expansion of EBLUS can contribute in sustaining water bodies, including Lake Ziway by reducing soil loss rate and sedimentation problem for the ecological sustainability of the watershed. Therefore, separate land use policy and awareness creation are mandatory for such EBLUS expansion, sustainable watershed management interventions and conservation of the natural environment in the watershed based on its suitability and severity of erosion risk mapping.

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Measurement and evaluation of the hydrodynamics and secondary currents in and near a strait connecting large water bodies—A field study

Ocean Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.oceaneng.2005.10.016 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 33 (13) ◽

pp. 1718-1748 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Işıkhan Güler ◽

Yalçın Yüksel ◽

Ahmet Cevdet Yalçıner ◽

Esin Çevik ◽

Christian Ingerslev

Keyword(s):

Field Study ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Secondary Currents ◽

Large Water ◽

Measurement And Evaluation

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Question of Livelihood in the Light of Disaster: With Special Reference to Flood of Bahraich, India

10.5772/intechopen.95287 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Keyoor Pathak ◽

Chittaranjan Subudhi

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Water Resources ◽

Special Reference ◽

Field Study ◽

Uttar Pradesh ◽

Heavy Rain ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Neighboring Country ◽

Eastern Uttar Pradesh

Floods in India is a repetitive one due to natural reasons like excessive rain and man-made mistakes like encroachments of water bodies, heavy rain-falls and so on. The chapter is based on a field study of Bahraich, a district of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. Interestingly, the district shares its boundary to neighboring country Nepal that influences the occurrence of floods in the region. The district is also prosperous in water resources such as the great Ghaghara river and many small and big ponds and lakes are in the district that becomes a cause of sorrow in the rainy seasons. The key concern of the chapter is to understand the challenges of livelihood of the rural communities which is annually threatened by devastative floods.

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A review of the (Revised) Universal Soil Loss Equation (R/USLE): with a view to increasing its global applicability and improving soil loss estimates

10.5194/hess-2018-68 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rubianca Benavidez ◽

Bethanna Jackson ◽

Deborah Maxwell ◽

Kevin Norton

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Data Availability ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Universal Soil Loss Equation ◽

Soil Productivity ◽

Temporal Scales ◽

Erosion Models ◽

The World ◽

Soil Loss Equation

Abstract. Soil erosion is a major problem around the world because of its effects on soil productivity, nutrient loss, siltation in water bodies, and degradation of water quality. By understanding the driving forces behind soil erosion, we can more easily identify erosion-prone areas within a landscape and use land management and other strategies to effectively manage the problem. Soil erosion models have been used to assist in this task. One of the most commonly used soil erosion models is the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and its family of models: the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation version 2 (RUSLE2), and the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE). This paper reviewed the different components of USLE and RUSLE etc., and analysed how different studies around the world have adapted the equations to local conditions. We compiled these studies and equations to serve as a reference for other researchers working with R/USLE and related approaches. We investigate some of the limitations of R/USLE, such as issues in data-sparse regions, its inability to account for soil loss from gully erosion or mass wasting events, and that it does not predict sediment pathways from hillslopes to water bodies. These limitations point to several future directions for R/USLE studies: incorporating soil loss from other types of soil erosion, estimating soil loss at sub-annual temporal scales, and using consistent units for future literature. These recommendations help to improve the applicability of the R/USLE in a range of geoclimatic regions with varying data availability, and at finer spatial and temporal scales for scenario analysis.

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