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.

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>

scholarly journals Estimation of soil loss using remote sensing and GIS-based universal soil loss equation in northern catchment of Lake Tana Sub-basin, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Northwest Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veera Narayana Balabathina ◽  
R. P. Raju ◽  
Wuletaw Mulualem ◽  
Gedefaw Tadele
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Erosion Rate ◽  
Soil Erodibility ◽  
Lake Tana ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Soil Loss Equation

Abstract Background Soil erosion is one of the major environmental challenges and has a significant impact on potential land productivity and food security in many highland regions of Ethiopia. Quantifying and identifying the spatial patterns of soil erosion is important for management. The present study aims to estimate soil erosion by water in the Northern catchment of Lake Tana basin in the NW highlands of Ethiopia. The estimations are based on available data through the application of the Universal Soil Loss Equation integrated with Geographic Information System and remote sensing technologies. The study further explored the effects of land use and land cover, topography, soil erodibility, and drainage density on soil erosion rate in the catchment. Results The total estimated soil loss in the catchment was 1,705,370 tons per year and the mean erosion rate was 37.89 t ha−1 year−1, with a standard deviation of 59.2 t ha−1 year−1. The average annual soil erosion rare for the sub-catchments Derma, Megech, Gumara, Garno, and Gabi Kura were estimated at 46.8, 40.9, 30.9, 30.0, and 29.7 t ha−1 year−1, respectively. Based on estimated erosion rates in the catchment, the grid cells were divided into five different erosion severity classes: very low, low, moderate, high and extreme. The soil erosion severity map showed about 58.9% of the area was in very low erosion potential (0–1 t ha−1 year−1) that contributes only 1.1% of the total soil loss, while 12.4% of the areas (36,617 ha) were in high and extreme erosion potential with erosion rates of 10 t ha−1 year−1 or more that contributed about 82.1% of the total soil loss in the catchment which should be a high priority. Areas with high to extreme erosion severity classes were mostly found in Megech, Gumero and Garno sub-catchments. Results of Multiple linear regression analysis showed a relationship between soil erosion rate (A) and USLE factors that soil erosion rate was most sensitive to the topographic factor (LS) followed by the support practice (P), soil erodibility (K), crop management (C) and rainfall erosivity factor (R). Barenland showed the most severe erosion, followed by croplands and plantation forests in the catchment. Conclusions Use of the erosion severity classes coupled with various individual factors can help to understand the primary processes affecting erosion and spatial patterns in the catchment. This could be used for the site-specific implementation of effective soil conservation practices and land use plans targeted in erosion-prone locations to control soil erosion.

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

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 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.

scholarly journals Global soil organic carbon removal by water erosion under climate change and land use change during AD 1850–2005

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (14) ◽  
pp. 4459-4480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Naipal ◽  
Philippe Ciais ◽  
Yilong Wang ◽  
Ronny Lauerwald ◽  
Bertrand Guenet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates

Abstract. Erosion is an Earth system process that transports carbon laterally across the land surface and is currently accelerated by anthropogenic activities. Anthropogenic land cover change has accelerated soil erosion rates by rainfall and runoff substantially, mobilizing vast quantities of soil organic carbon (SOC) globally. At timescales of decennia to millennia this mobilized SOC can significantly alter previously estimated carbon emissions from land use change (LUC). However, a full understanding of the impact of erosion on land–atmosphere carbon exchange is still missing. The aim of this study is to better constrain the terrestrial carbon fluxes by developing methods compatible with land surface models (LSMs) in order to explicitly represent the links between soil erosion by rainfall and runoff and carbon dynamics. For this we use an emulator that represents the carbon cycle of a LSM, in combination with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. We applied this modeling framework at the global scale to evaluate the effects of potential soil erosion (soil removal only) in the presence of other perturbations of the carbon cycle: elevated atmospheric CO2, climate variability, and LUC. We find that over the period AD 1850–2005 acceleration of soil erosion leads to a total potential SOC removal flux of 74±18 Pg C, of which 79 %–85 % occurs on agricultural land and grassland. Using our best estimates for soil erosion we find that including soil erosion in the SOC-dynamics scheme results in an increase of 62 % of the cumulative loss of SOC over 1850–2005 due to the combined effects of climate variability, increasing atmospheric CO2 and LUC. This additional erosional loss decreases the cumulative global carbon sink on land by 2 Pg of carbon for this specific period, with the largest effects found for the tropics, where deforestation and agricultural expansion increased soil erosion rates significantly. We conclude that the potential effect of soil erosion on the global SOC stock is comparable to the effects of climate or LUC. It is thus necessary to include soil erosion in assessments of LUC and evaluations of the terrestrial carbon cycle.

The effect of land use on runoff and soil erosion rates under Mediterranean conditions

CATENA ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Kosmas ◽  
N. Danalatos ◽  
L.H. Cammeraat ◽  
M. Chabart ◽  
J. Diamantopoulos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
Mediterranean Conditions

scholarly journals Estimation of soil erosion and sediment yield concentration across the Kolleru Lake catchment using GIS

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meena Kumari Kolli ◽  
Christian Opp ◽  
Michael Groll
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Texture ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Delivery Ratio ◽  
Lake Basin ◽  
Lake Catchment

AbstractFlat lakes with a large catchment area are especially affected by sediment inputs. The Kolleru Lake catchment (south-eastern India) with a surface area of approximately 6121 km2 belongs to such types of lake basins. The study’s main objective was the assessment of both soil erosion and sediment yield concentration rate of the Kolleru catchment. The study was conducted using the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) model due to its simple and good applicability for soil erosion estimation. Data such as rainfall, soil texture, topography, crop cover management, and support practice factor were integrated into the modeling using RUSLE and ArcGIS. Field data were used both to analyze the soil texture and the slope length factor. The results showed that average annual soil loss was estimated with 13.6 t/ha/year, classifying the Kolleru Lake Basin under a very high erosion rate category. About 38% of the catchment area has encountered slight soil loss. Areas covered with moderate, strong, severe, very severe erosion potential zones are 29%, 17%, 9%, and 5.5%, respectively. This study identified that upland areas with less vegetation cover exported high potential erosion rates. Unlike the soil loss, the sediment delivery ratio values for the catchment were not affected by land use, while it showed a strong relationship with the catchment drainage system. Whereas, the average annual sediment yield was determined with 7.61 t/ha/year, had identified with the same pattern of the soil erosion. Catchment topography, vegetation, drainage system, soil properties, and land use cover played a major role in exporting the highest sedimentation. The outcome of these studies can be used among others to identify critical erosion areas on a pixel basis for the planning of erosion management practices.

Global-scale quantification of organic and inorganic carbon mobilisation via wind- and water-driven erosion 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Turnbull-Lloyd ◽  
John Wainwright
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Soil Degradation ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Land Use Systems ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates

<p>Soil carbon content is greatly affected by soil degradation – in particular erosional processes – which cannot be ignored in the context of the global C cycle. Soil degradation, driven largely by wind and water erosion, affects up to 66% of Earth’s terrestrial surface. Understanding how soil degradation affects soil organic carbon (OC) and soil inorganic carbon (IC) stocks is an essential component of understanding global C cycling and global C budgets, and is essential for improved C management and climate-change mitigation policies.</p><p>In this study, we quantify the distribution of soil OC and soil IC (using Harmonized World Soil Database v1.2), and estimate the amount of OC and IC that is mobilised by wind- and water-driven erosion.  For water-driven erosion, we estimate spatially variable water-driven erosion rates for different land-use systems (using the Land Use Systems of the World database) and degradation severities (using the GLASOD map of soil degradation), using values obtained from a meta-analysis of soil erosion rates. We account for potential uncertainty in our estimates of soil erosion rates by undertaking stochastic simulations. For wind-driven soil erosion rates we use modelled dust emission rates from AeroCom Phase III model experiments for the 2010 reference year, for 15 participating models. Global surface soil stocks of carbon (in the top 1-m of soil) are 1218 Pg OC and 452 Pg IC, and of this, 651 Pg OC and 306 Pg IC is located in degrading soils. We estimate that global water-driven soil erosion is 217.54 Pg yr<sup>-1</sup> which results in the mobilisation of 4.82 Pg OC yr<sup>-1</sup>. A minimum estimate of soil IC mobilisation by water erosion is 0.45 Pg IC yr<sup>-1</sup>. AeroCom model ensemble results indicate that 1.58 Pg dust (ensemble mean) is emitted for the 2010 AeroCom reference year, containing 0.0082 Pg OC and 0.0121 Pg IC.  We found that patterns of wind- and water-driven mobilisation of OC and IC are completely different. The total amount of soil OC and soil IC mobilised by water-driven erosion is much greater than wind-driven erosion, and whereas mobilisation of OC dominates carbon mobilisation via water-driven erosion, IC dominates carbon mobilisation in dust emissions. Across all land-use types, water-driven carbon mobilisation is higher than wind. In particular, water-driven SOC mobilisation is highest in cropland (4.30 Pg OC yr<sup>-1</sup>) where high erosion rates coincide with average SOC content of 68.4 tonnes ha<sup>-1</sup>. SIC mobilisation follows the same pattern in relation to land use, with highest water-driven mobilisation in cropland (0.33 Pg IC yr<sup>-1</sup>).  Future land-use change has great potential to affect global soil carbon stocks further, especially with increases in the severity of soil degradation and consequential mobilisation of OC and IC by wind-and water-driven erosion as human pressures on agricultural systems increase.</p><p> </p>

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