scholarly journals Using Soil Erosion as an Indicator for Integrated Water Resources Management: A Case Study of Ruiru Drinking Water Reservoir, Kenya

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann W. Kamamia ◽  
Cordula Vogel ◽  
Hosea M. Mwangi ◽  
Karl-heinz Feger ◽  
Joseph Sang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Water Reservoir ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Drinking Water Reservoir ◽  
Kriging Interpolation Method ◽  
Risk Maps

Abstract Functions and services provided by soils play an important role for numerous Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) involving mainly food supply and environmental health. In many regions of the earth, water erosion is a major threat to soil functions and is mostly related to land use change or poor agricultural management. Selecting proper soil management practice, requires site-specific indicators such as water erosion, which follow a spatio-temporal variation. In this study, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation—RUSLE—complemented with the cubist-kriging interpolation method was applied to develop monthly soil erosion risk maps for the data-scarce catchment of the Ruiru drinking water reservoir located in Kenya. An erodibility map created with digital soil mapping methods (R2 = 0.63) revealed that 46% of the soils in the catchment have medium to high erodibility. The monthly erosion rates showed two distinct potential peaks of soil loss over the course of the year, which are consistent with the bimodal rainy season experienced in central Kenya. A higher soil loss of 2.24 t/ha was estimated for long rains (March- May) as compared to 1.68 t/ha for short rains (October- December). Bare land and cropland are the major contributors to soil loss. Furthermore, the spatial maps reveal that areas around the indigenous forest on the western and southern parts of the catchment have the highest erosion risk. In conclusion, erosion risk maps can be decisive for developing spatially explicit, efficient and timely soil management strategies thus allowing continued multi-functional use of land within the soil-water-food nexus.

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 Soil loss by water erosion in areas under maize and jack beans intercropped and monocultures

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Luiz Terra Lima ◽  
Marx Leandro Naves Silva ◽  
Nilton Curi ◽  
John Quinton
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Water Runoff ◽  
Jack Bean ◽  
Favorable Conditions ◽  
Soil Losses

Adequate soil management can create favorable conditions to reduce erosion and water runoff, consequently increase water soil recharge. Among management systems intercropping is highly used, especially for medium and small farmers. It is a system where two or more crops with different architectures and vegetative cycles are explored simultaneously at the same location. This research investigated the effects of maize intercropped with jack bean on soil losses due to water erosion, estimate C factor of Universal Soil Losses Equation (USLE) and how it can be affected by soil coverage. The results obtained also contribute to database generation, important to model and estimate soil erosion. Total soil loss by erosion caused by natural rain, at Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil, were: 4.20, 1.86, 1.38 and 1.14 Mg ha-1, respectively, for bare soil, maize, jack bean and the intercropping of both species, during evaluated period. Values of C factor of USLE were: 0.039, 0.054 and 0.077 Mg ha Mg-1 ha-1 for maize, jack bean and intercropping between both crops, respectively. Maize presented lower vegetation cover index, followed by jack beans and consortium of the studied species. Intercropping between species showed greater potential on soil erosion control, since its cultivation resulted in lower soil losses than single crops cultivation, and this aspect is really important for small and medium farmers in the studied region.

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 Mapping erosion prone areas in the Bouhamdane watershed (Algeria) using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation through GIS

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamza Bouguerra ◽  
Abderrazak Bouanani ◽  
Kamel Khanchoul ◽  
Oussama Derdous ◽  
Salah Eddine Tachi
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Erosion Control ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Universal Soil Loss Equation ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Very High ◽  
Soil Loss Equation

Abstract Soil erosion by water is a major problem that the Northern part of Algeria witnesses nowadays; it reduces: the productivity of agricultural areas due to the loss of lands, and leads to the loss of storage capacity in reservoirs, the deterioration of water quality etc. The aim of this study is to evaluate the soil losses due to water erosion, and to identify the sectors which are potentially sensitive to water erosion in the Bouhamdane watershed, that is located in the northeastern part of Algeria. To this end, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used. The application of this equation takes into account five parameters, namely the rainfall erosivity, topography, soil erodibility, vegetative cover and erosion control practices. The product of these parameters under GIS using the RUSLE mathematical equation has enabled evaluating an annual average erosion rate for the Bouhamdane watershed of 11.18 t·ha-1·y-1. Based on the estimates of soil loss in each grid cell, a soil erosion risk map with five risk classes was elaborated. The spatial distribution of risk classes was 16% very low, 41% low, 28% moderate, 12% high and 3% very high. Most areas showing high and very high erosion risk occurred in the lower Bouhamdane watershed around Hammam Debagh dam. These areas require adequate erosion control practices to be implemented on a priority basis in order to conserve soil resources and reduce siltation in the reservoir.

Inspecting the Uninspectable: a 40-year-old force main beneath a drinking water reservoir. Failure is not an option

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (6) ◽  
pp. 4586-4604
Author(s):  
Ari Elden ◽  
Gary Skipper ◽  
Don Gordon ◽  
Ernesto Fernandez ◽  
Chris Garrett
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Reservoir ◽  
Drinking Water Reservoir

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.

Identification of MIB producers and odor risk assessment using routine data: A case study of an estuary drinking water reservoir

2021 ◽  
Vol 192 ◽  
pp. 116848
Author(s):  
Ming Su ◽  
Yiping Zhu ◽  
Zeyu Jia ◽  
Tingting Liu ◽  
Jianwei Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Reservoir ◽  
Routine Data ◽  
Drinking Water Reservoir

scholarly journals Effect of hydrogen peroxide on natural phytoplankton and bacterioplankton in a drinking water reservoir: Mesocosm-scale study

2021 ◽  
pp. 117069
Author(s):  
Allan A. Santos ◽  
Dayvson O. Guedes ◽  
Mário U.G. Barros ◽  
Samylla Oliveira ◽  
Ana B.F. Pacheco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogen Peroxide ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Reservoir ◽  
Drinking Water Reservoir ◽  
Natural Phytoplankton

scholarly journals Evaluating of the spatial heterogeneity of soil loss tolerance and its effects on erosion risk in the carbonate areas of southern China

Solid Earth ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 661-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Li ◽  
Xiao Yong Bai ◽  
Shi Jie Wang ◽  
Luo Yi Qin ◽  
Yi Chao Tian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Spatial Heterogeneity ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Carbonate Rock ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Clastic Rock ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Soil Loss Tolerance ◽  
Loss Tolerance ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Soil loss tolerance (T value) is one of the criteria in determining the necessity of erosion control measures and ecological restoration strategy. However, the validity of this criterion in subtropical karst regions is strongly disputed. In this study, T value is calculated based on soil formation rate by using a digital distribution map of carbonate rock assemblage types. Results indicated a spatial heterogeneity and diversity in soil loss tolerance. Instead of only one criterion, a minimum of three criteria should be considered when investigating the carbonate areas of southern China because the one region, one T value concept may not be applicable to this region. T value is proportionate to the amount of argillaceous material, which determines the surface soil thickness of the formations in homogenous carbonate rock areas. Homogenous carbonate rock, carbonate rock intercalated with clastic rock areas and carbonate/clastic rock alternation areas have T values of 20, 50 and 100 t/(km2 a), and they are extremely, severely and moderately sensitive to soil erosion. Karst rocky desertification (KRD) is defined as extreme soil erosion and reflects the risks of erosion. Thus, the relationship between T value and erosion risk is determined using KRD as a parameter. The existence of KRD land is unrelated to the T value, although this parameter indicates erosion sensitivity. Erosion risk is strongly dependent on the relationship between real soil loss (RL) and T value rather than on either erosion intensity or the T value itself. If RL > > T, then the erosion risk is high despite of a low RL. Conversely, if T > > RL, then the soil is safe although RL is high. Overall, these findings may clarify the heterogeneity of T value and its effect on erosion risk in a karst environment.

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