scholarly journals Prediction of water erosion in a watershed located in southeastern Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Henrique Expedito Lense ◽  
Fernanda Almeida Bócoli ◽  
Rodrigo Santos Moreira ◽  
Ronaldo Luiz Mincato
Keyword(s):  
Soil Loss ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Hydroelectric Plant ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Maize Cultivation ◽  
Severe Erosion ◽  
Erosion Mitigation ◽  
Available Information

Water erosion modeling is a fast and accurate way to estimate erosion potential in watersheds. Among the models, we have the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) which has a simple structure, low implementation cost and can be used with readily available information, contributing to the planning of soil conservation practices. In this context, the objective of the work was to apply RUSLE to estimate water erosion in the Córrego da Laje watershed affluent directly from the reservoir of the Furnas Hydroelectric Plant, located in the south of Minas Gerais, a region of southeastern Brazil. In this region, water erosion is a serious problem that has caused the silting up of the hydroelectric reservoir and the depreciation of water quality. Soil losses were calculated in Geographic Information System based on topographic, edaphoclimatic characteristics, soil cover, and management practices. The average soil loss of the watershed was 26.80 Mg ha-1 year-1 with the predominance of highintensity erosive rates (> 15 Mg ha-1 year-1). Considering the basin use classes, sediment generation was higher in pasture areas (35.87 Mg ha-1 year-1), and in areas under maize cultivation (32.05 Mg ha-1 year-1). As areas with severe erosion are distributed throughout the watershed, a comprehensive water erosion mitigation plan should be adopted to reduce the environmental damage of the process.

scholarly journals Estimates of soil losses by the erosion potential method in tropical latosols

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Henrique Expedito Lense ◽  
Taya Cristo Parreiras ◽  
Rodrigo Santos Moreira ◽  
Junior Cesar Avanzi ◽  
Ronaldo Luiz Mincato
Keyword(s):  
Soil Loss ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Potential Method ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Tolerance Limits ◽  
Soil Loss Tolerance ◽  
Loss Tolerance ◽  
Coffee Cultivation ◽  
Soil Losses

ABSTRACT Water erosion is one of the main problems faced in coffee cultivation, as it promotes environmental degradation and crop yield decrease. Erosion estimates support the planning of conservation management practices and allowing determining the rates of soil losses. Thus, the objective of this paper was to estimate the soil loss by water erosion using the Erosion Potential Method in a sub-basin predominantly covered by coffee cultivation and then to compare the results with the Soil Loss Tolerance limits. The study area is the Coroado Stream Sub-basin, located at Alfenas Municipality, south of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The sub-basin presented an Erosion Coefficient of 0.272, indicating a predominance of low-intensity erosion. The total soil loss estimate was 1,772.01 Mg year-1 with an estimated average of 1.74 Mg ha-1 year-1. Soil Loss Tolerance limits range from 4.75 to 7.26 Mg ha-1 year-1 and, according to the Erosion Potential Method, only 1.0% of the sub-basin presented losses above the limits. The areas with the highest slopes and bare soil concentrated the highest losses rates and should be prioritized in the adoption of mitigation measures. The Erosion Potential Method estimated soil losses in tropical edaphoclimatic conditions in a fast, efficiently and at low cost, supporting the adoption of conservation management practices.

scholarly journals Estimation of sediments produced in a subbasin using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Henrique Expedito Lense ◽  
Rodrigo Santos Moreira ◽  
Fernanda Almeida Bócoli ◽  
Junior Cesar Avanzi ◽  
Alexandre Elias de Miranda Teodoro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Factor C

ABSTRACT Among the parameters considered by the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), the soil cover and management factor (C) is the main human influenced factor affecting the estimation of water erosion, and one of the most sensitive to spatiotemporal variations. Consequently, this study aims to compare the efficiency of C factor estimates obtained from the literature for each land-use class (Clit) and by calculation based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (CNDVI). We test the hypothesis that soil loss estimates based on CNDVI approach are more accurate than those based on Clit. Water erosion was estimated based on soil morphological, physical, and chemical properties in addition to climate, relief, management practices, and land use and cover. The modeling steps were realized with the help of the Geographic Information System. The results were validated using the data of total sediment transported with water discharge and daily runoff. RUSLE underestimated soil losses by 0.64 Mg ha-1 year-1 using Clit and 0.45 Mg ha-1 year-1 with CNDVI, which corresponds to errors of 21.05% and 14.80%, respectively. Therefore, the CNDVI factor results are more accurate. Both methodologies identified areas with high erosion rates where the adoption of mitigation measures should be prioritized.

scholarly journals Modeling of water erosion by the erosion potential method in a pilot subbasin in southern Minas Gerais

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 555 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Silva Tavares ◽  
Velibor Spalevic ◽  
Junior Cesar Avanzi ◽  
Denismar Alves Nogueira ◽  
Marx Leandro Naves Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Loss ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
Universal Soil Loss Equation ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Total Soil ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Soil Losses ◽  
Soil Loss Equation

Soil losses due to water erosion threaten the sustainability of agriculture and the food security of current and future generations. This study estimated potential soil losses and sediment production under different types of land uses in a subbasin in the Municipality of Alfenas, southern Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. The objective of this research was to evaluate the application of the Potential Erosion Method by the Intensity of Erosion and Drainage program and correlate the findings with the results obtained by the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation as well as geoprocessing techniques and statistical analyses. In the Potential Erosion Method, the coefficient indicating the mean erosion intensity was 0.37, which corresponded to erosion category IV and indicated weak laminar erosion processes, and the total soil loss was 649.31 Mg year-1 and the mean was 1.46 Mg ha-1 year-1. These results were consistent in magnitude with those obtained in the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, which estimated a mean soil loss of 1.52 Mg ha-1 year-1 and a total soil loss of 668.26 Mg year-1. The Potential Erosion Method suggests that 1.5% of the area presents potential soil losses above the soil loss tolerance limit, which ranged from 5.19 to 5.90 Mg ha-1 year-1, while the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation indicated that 7.3% of the area has potential soil losses above the limit. The maximum sediment discharge was 60 Mg year-1, meaning that 9.3% of the total soil loss reached the depositional areas of the river plains or watercourses. The Potential Erosion Method was efficient in the evaluation of water erosion in tropical soils, and the results were consistent with models widely employed in the estimation of soil losses. Thus, the model can support the evaluation of soil losses in Brazil and is a robust tool for evaluating the sustainability of agricultural activities.

scholarly journals Spatial distribution of water erosion risk in a watershed with eucalyptus and Atlantic Forest

2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 427-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junior Cesar Avanzi ◽  
Marx Leandro Naves Silva ◽  
Nilton Curi ◽  
Lloyd Darrell Norton ◽  
Samuel Beskow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Loss Tolerance ◽  
Loss Tolerance

The process of water erosion occurs in watersheds throughout the world and it is strongly affected by anthropogenic influences. Thus, the knowledge of these processes is extremely necessary for planning of conservation efforts. This study was performed in an experimental forested watershed in order to predict the average potential annual soil loss by water erosion using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and a Geographic Information System (GIS), and then compared with soil loss tolerance. All the USLE factors were generated in a distributed approach employing a GIS tool. The layers were multiplied in the GIS framework in order to predict soil erosion rates. Results showed that the average soil loss was 6.2 Mg ha-1 yr-1. Relative to soil loss tolerance, 83% of the area had an erosion rate lesser than the tolerable value. According to soil loss classes, 49% of the watershed had erosion less than 2.5 Mg ha-1 yr-1. However, about 8.7% of the watershed had erosion rates greater than 15 Mg ha-1 yr-1, being mainly related to Plinthosol soil class and roads, thus requiring special attention for the improvement of sustainable management practices for such areas. Eucalyptus cultivation was found to have soil loss greater than Atlantic Forest. Thus, an effort should be made to bring the erosion rates closer to the native forest. Implementation of the USLE model in a GIS framework was found to be a simple and useful tool for predicting the spatial variation of soil erosion risk and identifying critical areas for conservation efforts.

scholarly journals EFFECT OF SPATIAL-TEMPORAL VARIATION OF LAND USE AND LAND COVER ON SOIL EROSION

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-98
Author(s):  
GUILHERME HENRIQUE EXPEDITO LENSE ◽  
TAYA CRISTO PARREIRAS ◽  
RODRIGO SANTOS MOREIRA ◽  
JUNIOR CESAR AVANZI ◽  
RONALDO LUIZ MINCATO
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Land Cover Changes ◽  
Coffee Plantations ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Remote Sensing Techniques

ABSTRACT Land use and land cover changes are the main factors of human influence on the erosive process. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the effect of land use and land cover changes over 30 years on water erosion in a tropical subbasin in southeastern Brazil. The hypothesis was tested that the expansion of coffee and reforestation areas decreased soil losses due to water erosion. The Potential Erosion Method (EPM) was used to estimate water erosion in 1988, 1998, 2008 and 2018. In the first two decades, the predominant land use in the subbasin was corn, while in 2008 and 2018, coffee and reforestation areas became the main land use class in the area. The acquisition of EPM input parameters and data analysis was performed using remote sensing techniques and the Geographic Information System. Between 1988 and 1998, the total soil loss increased by 50.36 Mg year-1 due to the conversion of pasturelands to coffee plantations and the increase of deforestation. However, between 1998 and 2018, there was a soil loss reduction of 660.21 Mg year-1 (-37.46%), once the conversion of pasture and corn areas to coffee with the adoption of conservation practices, and the expansion of reforestation areas among 1988 - 2018, contributed to the decrease of soil erosion rates.

scholarly journals Soil erosion by snow gliding – a first quantification attempt in a subalpine area in Switzerland

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 3763-3775 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Meusburger ◽  
G. Leitinger ◽  
L. Mabit ◽  
M. H. Mueller ◽  
A. Walter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Snow Gliding

Abstract. Snow processes might be one important driver of soil erosion in Alpine grasslands and thus the unknown variable when erosion modelling is attempted. The aim of this study is to assess the importance of snow gliding as a soil erosion agent for four different land use/land cover types in a subalpine area in Switzerland. We used three different approaches to estimate soil erosion rates: sediment yield measurements in snow glide depositions, the fallout radionuclide 137Cs and modelling with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). RUSLE permits the evaluation of soil loss by water erosion, the 137Cs method integrates soil loss due to all erosion agents involved, and the measurement of snow glide deposition sediment yield can be directly related to snow-glide-induced erosion. Further, cumulative snow glide distance was measured for the sites in the winter of 2009/2010 and modelled for the surrounding area and long-term average winter precipitation (1959–2010) with the spatial snow glide model (SSGM). Measured snow glide distance confirmed the presence of snow gliding and ranged from 2 to 189 cm, with lower values on the north-facing slopes. We observed a reduction of snow glide distance with increasing surface roughness of the vegetation, which is an important information with respect to conservation planning and expected and ongoing land use changes in the Alps. Snow glide erosion estimated from the snow glide depositions was highly variable with values ranging from 0.03 to 22.9 t ha−1 yr−1 in the winter of 2012/2013. For sites affected by snow glide deposition, a mean erosion rate of 8.4 t ha−1 yr−1 was found. The difference in long-term erosion rates determined with RUSLE and 137Cs confirms the constant influence of snow-glide-induced erosion, since a large difference (lower proportion of water erosion compared to total net erosion) was observed for sites with high snow glide rates and vice versa. Moreover, the difference between RUSLE and 137Cs erosion rates was related to the measured snow glide distance (R2 = 0.64; p < 0.005) and to the snow deposition sediment yields (R2 = 0.39; p = 0.13). The SSGM reproduced the relative difference of the measured snow glide values under different land uses and land cover types. The resulting map highlighted the relevance of snow gliding for large parts of the investigated area. Based on these results, we conclude that snow gliding appears to be a crucial and non-negligible process impacting soil erosion patterns and magnitude in subalpine areas with similar topographic and climatic conditions.

scholarly journals Analysis of Ownership Data from Consolidated Land Threatened by Water Erosion in the Vlára Basin, Slovakia

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Alexandra Pagáč Mokrá ◽  
Jakub Pagáč ◽  
Zlatica Muchová ◽  
František Petrovič
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Land Consolidation ◽  
Land Fragmentation ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Soil Loss Equation

Water erosion is a phenomenon that significantly damages agricultural land. The current land fragmentation in Slovakia and the complete ambiguity of who owns it leads to a lack of responsibility to care for the land in its current condition, which could affect its sustainability in the future. The reason so much soil has eroded is obvious when looking at current land management, with large fields, a lack of windbreaks between them, and no barriers to prevent soil runoff. Land consolidation might be the solution. This paper seeks to evaluate redistributed land and, based on modeling by the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) method, to assess the degree of soil erosion risk. Ownership data provided information on how many owners and what amount of area to consider, while taking into account new conditions regarding water erosion. The results indicate that 2488 plots of 1607 owners which represent 12% of the model area are still endangered by water erosion, even after the completion of the land consolidation project. The results also presented a way of evaluating the territory and aims to trigger a discussion regarding an unambiguous definition of responsibility in the relationship between owner and user.

scholarly journals Prioritization of Sub-Watersheds to Sediment Yield and Evaluation of Best Management Practices in Highland Ethiopia, Finchaa Catchment

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 650
Author(s):  
Wakjira Takala Dibaba ◽  
Tamene Adugna Demissie ◽  
Konrad Miegel
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Sediment Yields ◽  
Soil And Water

Excessive soil loss and sediment yield in the highlands of Ethiopia are the primary factors that accelerate the decline of land productivity, water resources, operation and function of existing water infrastructure, as well as soil and water management practices. This study was conducted at Finchaa catchment in the Upper Blue Nile basin of Ethiopia to estimate the rate of soil erosion and sediment loss and prioritize the most sensitive sub-watersheds using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The SWAT model was calibrated and validated using the observed streamflow and sediment data. The average annual sediment yield (SY) in Finchaa catchment for the period 1990–2015 was 36.47 ton ha−1 yr−1 with the annual yield varying from negligible to about 107.2 ton ha−1 yr−1. Five sub-basins which account for about 24.83% of the area were predicted to suffer severely from soil erosion risks, with SY in excess of 50 ton ha−1 yr−1. Only 15.05% of the area within the tolerable rate of loss (below 11 ton ha−1yr−1) was considered as the least prioritized areas for maintenance of crop production. Despite the reasonable reduction of sediment yields by the management scenarios, the reduction by contour farming, slope terracing, zero free grazing and reforestation were still above the tolerable soil loss. Vegetative contour strips and soil bund were significant in reducing SY below the tolerable soil loss, which is equivalent to 63.9% and 64.8% reduction, respectively. In general, effective and sustainable soil erosion management requires not only prioritizations of the erosion hotspots but also prioritizations of the most effective management practices. We believe that the results provided new and updated insights that enable a proactive approach to preserve the soil and reduce land degradation risks that could allow resource regeneration.

scholarly journals Effects of land management practices and land cover types on soil loss and crop productivity in Ethiopia: A review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gizaw Desta Gessesse ◽  
Lulseged Tamene ◽  
Wuletawu Abera ◽  
Tilahun Amede ◽  
Anthony Whitbread
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Land Cover Types

scholarly journals Effect of Soil Management on Erosion in Mountain Vineyards (N-W Italy)

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1991
Author(s):  
Silvia Stanchi ◽  
Odoardo Zecca ◽  
Csilla Hudek ◽  
Emanuele Pintaldi ◽  
Davide Viglietti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Buffer Strips ◽  
Total N ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Ecosystem Services ◽  
Erosion Mitigation ◽  
Management Approaches

We studied the effects of three soil management approaches (permanent grassing, chemical weeding, and buffer strips), and the additional impact of tractor passage on soil erosion in a sloping vineyard located in the inner part of Aosta Valley (N-W Italian Alps). The vineyard rows were equipped with a sediment collection system with channels and barrel tanks. A total of 12 events with sediment production were observed across 6 years, and the collected sediments were weighted and analyzed. Average erosion rates ranged from negligible (mainly in grassed rows) to 1.1 t ha−1 per event (after weeding). The most erosive event occurred in July 2015, with a total rainfall of 32.2 mm, of which 20.1 were recorded in 1 h. Despite the limited number of erosive events observed, and the low measured erosion rates, permanent grassing reduced soil erosion considerably with respect to weeding; buffering had a comparable effect to grassing. The tractor passage, independent of the soil management approaches adopted, visibly accelerated the erosion process. The collected sediments were highly enriched in organic C, total N, and fine size fractions, indicating a potential loss of fertility over time. Despite the measured erosion rates being low over the experiment’s duration, more severe events are well documented in the recent past, and the number of intense storms is likely to increase due to climate change. Thus, the potential effects of erosion in the medium and long term need to be limited to a minimum rate of soil loss. Our experiment helped to compare soil losses by erosion under different soil management practices, including permanent grassing, i.e., a nature-based erosion mitigation measure. The results of the research can provide useful indications for planners and practitioners in similar regions, for sustainable, cross-sectoral soil management, and the enhancement of soil ecosystem services.

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