In-between forest expansion and cropland decline: A revised USLE model for soil erosion risk under land-use change in a Mediterranean region

The Mediterranean region is particularly prone to erosion. This is because it is subject to long dry periods followed by heavy bursts of erosive rainfall, falling on steep slopes with fragile soils, resulting in considerable amounts of erosion. In parts of the Mediterranean region, erosion has reached a stage of irreversibility and in some places erosion has practically ceased because there is no more soil left. With a very slow rate of soil formation, any soil loss of more than 1 t ha−1 yr−1 can be considered as irreversible within a time span of 50-100 years. The objectives of this study were i) to estimate the temporal and spatial distribution of soil erosion under climate change scenarios in study area ii) to assess the hydrological runoff processes. In this study, climate data, land use, topographic and physiographic properties were assembled for Egribuk Subcatchment at Seyhan River Basin in Turkey and used in a process-based Geographical Information System (GIS) to determine the hydrological sediment potential and quantify reservoir sedimentation. The estimated amount of sediment transported downstream is potentially large based on hydrological runoff processes using the Pan-European Soil Erosion Risk Assessment (PESERA) model. The detailed model inputs included 128 variables derived mainly from, soil, climate, land use/cover, topography data sets. The outcomes of this research were spatial and temporal distribution of erosion amount in t ha−1 yr−1 or month−1.

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Assessing the Impact of Floods Disaster on Soil Erosion Risk Based on the RUSLE-GloSEM Approach in Western Iran

10.21203/rs.3.rs-775510/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Morteza Akbari ◽

Ehsan Neamatollahi ◽

Hadi Memarian ◽

Mohammad Alizadeh Noughani

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Agricultural Development ◽

Erosion Risk ◽

Before And After ◽

Global Soil ◽

Major Floods ◽

The Impact

Abstract Floods cause great damage to ecosystems and are among the main agents of soil erosion. Given the importance of soils for the functioning of ecosystems and development and improvement of bio-economic conditions, the risk and rate of soil erosion was assessed using the RUSLE model in Iran’s Lorestan province before and after a period of major floods in late 2018 and early 2019. Furthermore, soil erosion was calculated for current and future conditions based on the Global Soil Erosion Modeling Database (GloSEM). The results showed that agricultural development and land use change are the main causes of land degradation in the southern and central parts of the study area. The impact of floods was also significant since our evaluations showed that soil erosion increased from 4.12 t ha-1 yr-1 before the floods to 10.93 t ha-1 yr-1 afterwards. Field surveying using 64 ground control points determined that erodibility varies from 0.17 to 0.49% in the study area. Orchards, farms, rangelands and forests with moderate or low vegetation cover were the most vulnerable land uses to soil erosion. The GloSEM modeling results revealed that climate change is the main cause of change in the rate of soil erosion. Combined land use change-climate change simulation showed that soil erosion will increase considerably in the future under SSP1-RCP2.6, SSP2-RCP4.5, and SSP5-RCP8.5 scenarios. In the study area, both natural factors, i.e. climate change and human factors such as agricultural development, population growth, and overgrazing are the main drivers of soil erosion.

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The Implication of Land-Use/Land-Cover Change for the Declining Soil Erosion Risk in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16101856 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (10) ◽

pp. 1856 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jinzhu Jiu ◽

Hongjuan Wu ◽

Sen Li

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Land Cover Change ◽

Natural Resource Management ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Three Gorges Reservoir ◽

Three Gorges ◽

Erosion Risk ◽

Soil Erosion Risk ◽

The Three Gorges

The Three Gorges Reservoir Region (TGRR) in China is an ecologically and politically important region experiencing rapid land use/cover changes and prone to many environment hazards related to soil erosion. In the present study, we: (1) estimated recent changes in the risk pattern of soil erosion in the TGRR, (2) analysed how the changes in soil erosion risks could be associated with land use and land cover change, and (3) examined whether the interactions between urbanisation and natural resource management practices may exert impacts on the risks. Our results indicated a declining trend of soil erosion risk from 14.7 × 106 t in 2000 to 1.10 × 106 t in 2015, with the most risky areas being in the central and north TGRR. Increase in the water surface of the Yangtze River (by 61.8%, as a consequence of water level rise following the construction of the Three Gorges Dam), was found to be negatively associated with soil erosion risk. Afforestation (with measured increase in forest extent by 690 km2 and improvement of NDVI by 8.2%) in the TGRR was associated with positive soil erosion risk mitigation. An interaction between urbanisation (urban extant increased by 300 km2) and vegetation diversification (decreased by 0.01) was identified, through which the effect of vegetation diversification on soil erosion risk was negative in areas having lower urbanisation rates only. Our results highlight the importance of prioritising cross-sectoral policies on soil conservation to balance the trade-offs between urbanisation and natural resource management.

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Predicting the Impact of Future Land Use and Climate Change on Potential Soil Erosion Risk in an Urban District of the Harare Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13214360 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (21) ◽

pp. 4360

Author(s):

Andrew K. Marondedze ◽

Brigitta Schütt

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Rainfall Erosivity ◽

Climate Scenarios ◽

Residential Areas ◽

Erosion Risk ◽

Soil Erosion Risk ◽

Loss Rates

Monitoring urban area expansion through multispectral remotely sensed data and other geomatics techniques is fundamental for sustainable urban planning. Forecasting of future land use land cover (LULC) change for the years 2034 and 2050 was performed using the Cellular Automata Markov model for the current fast-growing Epworth district of the Harare Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe. The stochastic CA–Markov modelling procedure validation yielded kappa statistics above 80%, ascertaining good agreement. The spatial distribution of the LULC classes CBD/Industrial area, water and irrigated croplands as projected for 2034 and 2050 show slight notable changes. For projected scenarios in 2034 and 2050, low–medium-density residential areas are predicted to increase from 11.1 km2 to 12.3 km2 between 2018 and 2050. Similarly, high-density residential areas are predicted to increase from 18.6 km2 to 22.4 km2 between 2018 and 2050. Assessment of the effects of future climate change on potential soil erosion risk for Epworth district were undertaken by applying the representative concentration pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) climate scenarios, and model ensemble averages from multiple general circulation models (GCMs) were used to derive the rainfall erosivity factor for the RUSLE model. Average soil loss rates for both climate scenarios, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, were predicted to be high in 2034 due to the large spatial area extent of croplands and disturbed green spaces exposed to soil erosion processes, therefore increasing potential soil erosion risk, with RCP4.5 having more impact than RCP8.5 due to a higher applied rainfall erosivity. For 2050, the predicted wide area average soil loss rates declined for both climate scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, following the predicted decline in rainfall erosivity and vulnerable areas that are erodible. Overall, high potential soil erosion risk was predicted along the flanks of the drainage network for both RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios in 2050.

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Terrain Characterization and Soil Erosion Risk Assessment for Watershed Prioritization Using Remote Sensing and GIS (A case study of Nawagaon Maskara Rao Watershed, Saharanpur, India)

Forum Geografi ◽

10.23917/forgeo.v23i1.5001 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 86

Author(s):

Beny Harjadi

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Risk Assessment ◽

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Conservation ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Remote Sensing And Gis ◽

Erosion Risk ◽

Soil Erosion Risk ◽

Conservation Measures

Soil erosion is crucial problem in India where more than 70% of land in degraded. This study is to establish conservation priorities of the sub watersheds across the entire terrain, and suggest suitable conservation measures. Soil conservation practices are not only from erosion data both qualitative SES (Soil Erosion Status) model and quantitative MMF (Morgan, Morgan and Finney) model erosion, but we have to consider LCC (Land Capability Classification) and LULC (Land Use Land Cover). Study demonstrated the use of RS (Remote Sensing) and GIS (Geographic Information System) in soil erosion risk assessment by deriving soil and vegetation parameters in the erosion models. Sub-watersheds were prioritized based on average soil loss and the area falls under various erosion risk classes for conservation planning. The annual rate of soil loss based on MMF model was classified into five soil erosion risk classes for soil conservation measures. From 11 sub watersheds, for the first priority of the watershed is catchment with the small area and the steep slope. Recommendation for steep areas (classes VI, VII, and VIII) land use allocation should be made to maintain forest functions.

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Effect of Land Use and Land Cover Change on Soil Erosion in Erer Sub-Basin, Northeast Wabi Shebelle Basin, Ethiopia

10.20944/preprints201908.0072.v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Gezahegn Weldu ◽

Arus Edo

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Land Cover ◽

Land Cover Change ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Erosion Risk ◽

Priority Areas ◽

Soil Erosion Risk ◽

Soil And Water ◽

Loss Rates

Land use and land cover change (LULCC) is a critical factor for enhancing the soil erosion risk and land degradation process in the Wabi Shebelle Basin. Up-to-date spatial and statistical data on basin-wide erosion rates can provide an important basis for planning and conservation of soil and water ecosystems. The objectives of this study were to examine the magnitude of LULCC and consequent changes in the spatial extent of soil erosion risk, and identify priority areas for Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) in the Erer Sub-Basin, Wabi Shebelle Basin, Ethiopia. The soil loss rates were estimated using an empirical prediction model of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) outlined in the ArcGIS environment. The estimated total annual actual soil loss at the sub-basin level was 1.01 million tons in 2000 and 1.52 million tons in 2018 with a mean erosion rate of 75.85 t ha–1 y–1 and 107.07 t ha–1 y–1, respectively. The most extensive soil loss rates were estimated in croplands and bare land cover, with a mean soil loss rate of 37.60 t ha–1 y–1 and 15.78 t ha−1 y−1, respectively. The soil erosion risk has increased by 18.28% of the total area, and decreased by 15.93%, showing that the overall soil erosion situation is worsening in the study area. We determined SWC priority areas using the Multi-Criteria Decision Rule (MCDR) approach, indicates that the top three levels identified for intense SWC account for about 2.50%, 2.38%, and 2.14%, respectively. These priority levels are typically situated along the steep slopes in Babile, Fedis, Fik, Gursum, Gola Oda, Haramaya, Jarso, and Kombolcha districts that need emergency SWC measures.

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Effect of Land Use and Land Cover Change on Soil Erosion in Erer Sub-Basin, Northeast Wabi Shebelle Basin, Ethiopia

Land ◽

10.3390/land9040111 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 111

Author(s):

Gezahegn Weldu Woldemariam ◽

Arus Edo Harka

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Land Cover ◽

Land Cover Change ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Erosion Risk ◽

Priority Areas ◽

Soil Erosion Risk ◽

Soil And Water ◽

Loss Rates

Land use and land cover change (LULCC) is a critical factor for enhancing the soil erosion risk and land degradation process in the Wabi Shebelle Basin. Up-to-date spatial and statistical data on basin-wide erosion rates can provide an important basis for planning and conservation of soil and water ecosystems. The objectives of this study were to examine the magnitude of LULCC and consequent changes in the spatial extent of soil erosion risk, and identify priority areas for Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) in the Erer Sub-Basin, Wabi Shebelle Basin, Ethiopia. The soil loss rates were estimated using an empirical prediction model of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) outlined in the ArcGIS environment. The estimated total annual actual soil loss at the sub-basin level was 1.01 million tons in 2000 and 1.52 million tons in 2018 with a mean erosion rate of 75.85 t ha−1 y−1 and 107.07 t ha−1 y−1, respectively. The most extensive soil loss rates were estimated in croplands and bare land cover, with a mean soil loss rate of 37.60 t ha−1 y−1 and 15.78 t ha−1 y−1, respectively. The soil erosion risk has increased by 18.28% of the total area, and decreased by 15.93%, showing that the overall soil erosion situation is worsening in the study area. We determined SWC priority areas using a Multi Criteria Decision Rule (MCDR) approach, indicating that the top three levels identified for intense SWC account for about 2.50%, 2.38%, and 2.14%, respectively. These priority levels are typically situated along the steep slopes in Babile, Fedis, Fik, Gursum, Gola Oda, Haramaya, Jarso, and Kombolcha districts that need emergency SWC measures.

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Assessment of Soil Erosion Using the RUSLE Model for the Epworth District of the Harare Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12208531 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (20) ◽

pp. 8531

Author(s):

Andrew K. Marondedze ◽

Brigitta Schütt

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Urban Expansion ◽

Control Measures ◽

Rusle Model ◽

Erosion Risk ◽

Landscape Degradation ◽

Soil Erosion Risk ◽

Potential Soil Loss

Urban development without adequate soil erosion control measures is becoming a major environmental concern in developing urban areas across Africa. These environmental disturbances encompass rampart Land Use and Land Cover changes (LULC) due to a high population growth rate and increased economic activities. To understand the influence of accelerated LULC changes and urban expansion as major drivers in landscape degradation in the Epworth district of the Harare Metropolitan Province, the RUSLE model was employed. This considers land use, soil, climate and topography as input parameters in the assessment of the extent and impact of these drivers on soil erosion. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used to predict the potential erosion between 1984 and 2018 and soil erosion risk for the years 2000 and 2018. The mean rate of the predicted potential soil erosion was 13.2 t ha−1 yr−1 (1984–2018); areas especially vulnerable to erosion were predicted for foot slope areas with direct tributaries to the major streams and steep sloping zones. The average soil erosion risk was estimated at 1.31 t ha−1 yr−1 for the year 2000 and 1.12 t ha−1 yr−1 for 2018. While the overall potential soil loss decreased between 2000 and 2018, the potential soil loss was observed to increase tremendously in residential areas, which doubled in extent between 2000 and 2018. The findings reveal that about 40% of the Epworth district was threatened by unsustainable soil loss resulting from increased soil erosion risk within the built-up areas.

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Comprehensive assessment of soil erosion risk for better land use planning in river basins: Case study of the Upper Blue Nile River

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.019 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 574 ◽

pp. 95-108 ◽

Cited By ~ 98

Author(s):

Nigussie Haregeweyn ◽

Atsushi Tsunekawa ◽

Jean Poesen ◽

Mitsuru Tsubo ◽

Derege Tsegaye Meshesha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Land Use Planning ◽

River Basins ◽

Comprehensive Assessment ◽

Nile River ◽

Blue Nile ◽

Erosion Risk ◽

Soil Erosion Risk

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Estimation and Assessment of Soil Erosion Risk of Nun Watershed Using Remote Sensing and GIS

Journal of Geography Environment and Earth Science International ◽

10.9734/jgeesi/2019/v19i130078 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

V. B. Kale

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Remote Sensing And Gis ◽

Hilly Terrain ◽

Major Objective ◽

Degraded Soil ◽

Erosion Risk ◽

Soil Erosion Risk

This study aims to investigate the soil erosion from selected watershed from Dehradun area having hilly terrain and human’s development activities The remote sensing based model was decided to perform the estimations and assessment of soil eroded from watershed. The Nun river watershed was selected for study. From the estimated quantity of soil eroded we can predict the risk due degraded soil in terms of decreasing crop productivity. The present study assists to decide the optimum land use for specific purpose at the Nun watershed in Deharadun, Uttarakhand. The major objective of the study is to assess the soil erosion risk in the study area.

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