Eco-engineering techniques reduce soil loss from steep slopes in Nova Scotia, Canada

Abstract. Vineyards are one of the eco-geomorphological systems most conditioned by human activity in Germany. The vineyards of the Ruwer Valley (Germany) are characterized by high soil erosion rates and rill problems on steep slopes (between 23 and 26°) caused by the increasingly frequent heavy rainfall events as well as deterioration due to incorrect land use managements. The objective of this paper is to determine and to quantify the hydrological and erosive phenomena in one vineyard in Germany during different seasons and under different management conditions (before, during and after vintage). For this purpose, a combined methodology was applied. Climatic (rainfall depth distributions and return periods), pedological (soil analysis and classification), geomorphological (sediment movements and rills evolution) and biological (botanic marks on the vines) variables were used on the two experimental plots in the village of Waldrach (Trier, region of Rhineland-Palatinate). The results showed high infiltration rates (near 100 %) and subsurface flow which were detected by rainfall simulations performed at different times of the year (between September and December). The highest variations of the monitored rills (lateral and frontal movements) were noted before and during vintage, when footsteps occurred concentrated during a short period of time (between September and October). Finally, two maps of soil loss were generated, indicated by botanic marks on the graft union of the vines. 62.5 t ha−1 yr−1 soil loss was registered in the experimental plots of the new vineyards (2 years), while 3.4 t ha−1 yr−1 was recorded in the old one (35 years).

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Effect of Slope Gradient and Plant Growth on Soil Loss on Reconstructed Steep Slopes

International Journal of Surface Mining Reclamation and Environment ◽

10.1076/ijsm.15.2.86.3416 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 86-99 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

N.M. Kapolka ◽

D.J. Dollhopf

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Slope Gradient ◽

Steep Slopes

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Evaluation of erosion control geotextiles on steep slopes. Part 1: Effects on runoff and soil loss

CATENA ◽

10.1016/j.catena.2013.05.018 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 118 ◽

pp. 168-178 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Jesús Álvarez-Mozos ◽

Eguzki Abad ◽

Rafael Giménez ◽

Miguel A. Campo ◽

Mikel Goñi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Loss ◽

Erosion Control ◽

Steep Slopes ◽

Runoff And Soil Loss

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Soil Vulnerability Assessment of Afikpo South Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

International Journal of Environment and Climate Change ◽

10.9734/ijecc/2019/v9i430112 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 248-256

Author(s):

Okonufua Endurance ◽

Olajire O. Olabanji ◽

Ojeh N. Vincent ◽

Christiana Ovie Akpoduado ◽

Joshua Maaku Mark

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Landsat 8 ◽

Landsat 8 Oli ◽

Soil Resources ◽

Gis Environment ◽

Using Data ◽

Steep Slopes ◽

Conservation And Management ◽

Soil Loss Equation

Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) integrated with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was adopted to estimate the rate of annual soil loss in Afikpo South Local Government. This is important due to the fact that agriculture is the main source of livelihood in the area. The RUSLE factors were computed using data such as rainfall from NIMET, Soil from FAO, elevation from SRTM and Landsat 8 OLI from USGS. The data were used as input in a GIS environment and the annual soil loss was generated using the RUSLE equation. The result shows that the average annual soil loss ranges from 0 to 155, 858 ha/ton/yr. It was also observed that soil erosion was predominant in the southern part of Afikpo South LGA due to the presence of steep slopes in the area. The study serves as preliminary documentation for planning, conservation and management of soil resources in the Local Government.

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GIS Based Universal Soil Erosion Estimation in District Chakwal Punjab, Pakistan

International Journal of Economic and Environmental Geology ◽

10.46660/ijeeg.vol11.iss2.2020.443 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 30-36

Author(s):

Saima Siddiqui ◽

Mirza Wajid Ali Safi ◽

Aqil Tariq ◽

Naveed Ur Rehman ◽

Syed Waseem Haider

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Management Practices ◽

Rainwater Harvesting ◽

Landsat 8 ◽

River Channels ◽

Slope Length ◽

Raster Calculator ◽

Aster Gdem ◽

Steep Slopes

Soil erosion is a serious environmental problem faced by district Chakwal. Unpredictable short term and high intensity rainfall, improper cultivation and deforestation have accelerated the soil erosion in the district. The agricultural productivity of the study area can be enhanced by understanding, estimating and controlling the root causes of soil erosion. This study was undertaken to estimate and spatially represent the rate of average annual soil erosion in Chakwal using GIS/RS techniques. The soil erosion was estimated using Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model. To find out parameters of USLE, ASTER GDEM of 30 m resolution was used to estimate slope length and elevation of the study area. Landsat 8 satellite imagery of year 2019, was used to prepare land use map using supervised classification. Soil map with texture and geomorphology was used to identify soils of study area and rainfall data of last 7 years was also studied. Finally, the soil loss has been computed using raster calculator of ArcGIS 10.2 software. The average annual soil loss was predicted up to 268,619 tons/acre/year, of which maximum soil erosion was occurring near the steep slopes and river channels. It is necessary to adapt sustainable land management practices to reduce the risk of further soil erosion, by adopting rainwater harvesting and choosing right crops for suitable soil types.

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Effect of slope length, aspect and phosphogypsum on runoff and erosion from steep slopes

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr9910197 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 197 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

M Agassi ◽

M Ben-Hur

Keyword(s):

Soil Loss ◽

Slope Length ◽

Erosivity Index ◽

Steep Slopes

The efficiency of phsophogypsum as an amendment for controlling erosion on embankments was studied on a Typic Rhodoxeralf soil, with 48% slope and 10 and 1.5 m long plots, with western and northern aspects and a westerly dominant wind during rainstorms. Phosphogypsum reduced the runoff by 23%, and the erosion was 2-3 times less than on the control slope. The embarkment's aspect has no effect on the amounts of rainfall and runoff, but the erosion from the long plots with a western aspect compared with the long plots with a northern aspect was 1.4 and 2.5 times higher in the control and phosphogypsum treatments, respectively. The length of the plots has no effect on the runoff, however, soil loss was 6.4 times higher in the longer plots. High correlations were found between the amount of erosion and the erosivity index or the runoff amount.

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The effectiveness of jute and coir erosion control blankets in different field and laboratory conditions

10.5194/se-2016-8 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

J. Kalibová ◽

L. Jačka ◽

J. Petrů

Keyword(s):

Soil Loss ◽

Peak Discharge ◽

Slope Gradient ◽

Laboratory Conditions ◽

Discharge Ratio ◽

Steep Slopes ◽

Runoff And Soil Loss ◽

Field And Laboratory Conditions ◽

The Impact

Abstract. A vegetation cover is found to be an ideal solution to most problems with erosion on steep slopes. Biodegradable geotextiles (GTX) have been proved to provide a sufficient protection against soil loss in the period before the vegetation reaches maturity. In this study, 500 g.m−2 jute (J500), 400 g.m−2 (C400), and 700 g.m−2 coir (C700) GTX were installed firstly on 9° slope in “no-inf iltration” laboratory conditions, secondly on 27° slope in natural field conditions. The impact of GTX on runoff and soil loss was investigated to compare the performance of GTX in different conditions. Laboratory runoff ratio (percentage portion of control plot) equaled 78 %, 83 % and 91 % and peak discharge ratio equaled 83 %, 91 % and 97 % for J500, C700 and C400, respectively. In the field, a runoff ratio of 31 %, 62 % and 79 % and peak discharge ratio of 37 %, 74 % and 87 % were recorded for C700, J500 and C400, respectively. All tested GTX significantly decreased soil erosion. The highest soil loss reduction in the field was observed for J500 (by 99.4%) followed by C700 (by 97.9%) and C400 (by 93.8%). Irrespective of slope gradient or experiment condition, C400 provided lower runoff volume and peak discharge control than J500 and C700. The performance ranking of J500 and C700 in the laboratory differed from the field, which may be explained by different slope gradient and also by the role of soil, which was not included in the laboratory experiment.

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