Past land use and soil erosion processes in central Europe

AbstractColluvial sediments originating from soil erosion on slopes have proven to constitute significant evidence for tracing past human impact on mountain landscapes. In the Central European Erzgebirge (Ore) Mountains, colluvial sediments are associated with specific landforms (footslopes, slope flattenings, dells) and cover a share of 11% (11,905 ha) of the regional soil landscape. Thirteen pedosedimentary sections with colluvial layers were investigated at five forested sites (520–730 m a.s.l.) within a context of mining archaeology, integrating data from pedology, archaeology, palaeobotany, and geochronology. The thickness of the gravel-bearing loamy, silty, and sandy colluvial layers is up to 70 cm, which are mostly located on top of the sections. The geochronological ages and archaeological data reveal a high to late medieval to post-medieval age of the colluvial sediments. Pollen data show a drastic decline of the mountain forests in the late twelfth to fifteenth centuries AD accompanied by an increase of pioneer trees and spruce at the expense of fir and beech. The primary cause of soil erosion and subsequent colluvial deposition at the sites investigated is medieval to post-medieval mining and other early industrial activities. A compilation of 395 radiocarbon and OSL ages, obtained from colluvial sediments at 197 upland sites in Central Europe, shows that anthropogenically initiated colluvial dynamics go as far back as the late Bronze Age to the early Iron Age. Most ages derive from the medieval to post-medieval period, corresponding to the general intensification of settlement and land-use activities including deforestation and widespread ore mining.

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Holocene evolution of closed depressions and its relation to landscape dynamics in the loess areas of Poland

The Holocene ◽

10.1177/0959683618824792 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 543-564 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Renata Kołodyńska-Gawrysiak

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Middle Ages ◽

Central Europe ◽

Iron Age ◽

Landscape Dynamics ◽

Early Iron Age ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

Atlantic Period

Past Pleistocene topography of the loess uplands is rich in local sinks (closed depressions (CDs)) influencing sediment fluxes. Soil-sediment sequences from CDs constituting geoarchives where landscape changes under natural and anthropogenic conditions have been recorded. Pedo-sedimentary archives from 10 CDs in the Polish loess belt and human settlements were analysed. Phases of the Holocene evolution of the CDs were correlated with landscape dynamics in loess areas in Poland and Central Europe. Phases of infilling of CDs occurring (2) from the late Boreal/early Atlantic Period until the (middle) late Bronze Age/early Iron Age and (4) since the early Middle Ages until today were documented. These were phases of long-term soil erosion and colluviation corresponding to the increasing agricultural land use of Polish loess uplands. Phases of soil formation related to geomorphic stabilization of CDs occurred (1) from the late Vistulian until the late Boreal/early Atlantic Period and (3) from the late Bronze Age/early Iron Age until the early/high Middle Ages. These were phases of decreased soil erosion and landform conservation in a considerable part of Poland’s loess areas. Pedo-sedimentary archives from the CDs have recorded soil erosion strongly related with human-induced land-use changes. The mean soil erosion rate in the catchment of CDs was 0.33 t·ha−1·yr−1 during prehistory and 4.0 t·ha−1·yr−1 during the last approximately 1000 years. Phases of CD evolution are representative for the main phases of sediment and landscape dynamics in Poland’s loess areas recorded in various archives, and are not synchronous with some of these phases in Central Europe.

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Estimating Human Impacts on Soil Erosion Considering Different Hillslope Inclinations and Land Uses in the Coastal Region of Syria

Water ◽

10.3390/w12102786 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 2786 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Safwan Mohammed ◽

Hazem G. Abdo ◽

Szilard Szabo ◽

Quoc Bao Pham ◽

Imre J. Holb ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Land Cover ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Human Impacts ◽

Coastal Region ◽

Water Erosion ◽

Land Uses ◽

Erosion Processes

Soils in the coastal region of Syria (CRoS) are one of the most fragile components of natural ecosystems. However, they are adversely affected by water erosion processes after extreme land cover modifications such as wildfires or intensive agricultural activities. The main goal of this research was to clarify the dynamic interaction between erosion processes and different ecosystem components (inclination, land cover/land use, and rainy storms) along with the vulnerable territory of the CRoS. Experiments were carried out in five different locations using a total of 15 erosion plots. Soil loss and runoff were quantified in each experimental plot, considering different inclinations and land uses (agricultural land (AG), burnt forest (BF), forest/control plot (F)). Observed runoff and soil loss varied greatly according to both inclination and land cover after 750 mm of rainfall (26 events). In the cultivated areas, the average soil water erosion ranged between 0.14 ± 0.07 and 0.74 ± 0.33 kg/m2; in the BF plots, mean soil erosion ranged between 0.03 ± 0.01 and 0.24 ± 0.10 kg/m2. The lowest amount of erosion was recorded in the F plots where the erosion ranged between 0.1 ± 0.001 and 0.07 ± 0.03 kg/m2. Interestingly, the General Linear Model revealed that all factors (i.e., inclination, rainfall and land use) had a significant (p < 0.001) effect on the soil loss. We concluded that human activities greatly influenced soil erosion rates, being higher in the AG lands, followed by BF and F. Therefore, the current study could be very useful to policymakers and planners for proposing immediate conservation or restoration plans in a less studied area which has been shown to be vulnerable to soil erosion processes.

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Identifying Soil Erosion Processes in Alpine Grasslands on Aerial Imagery with a U-Net Convolutional Neural Network

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12244149 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (24) ◽

pp. 4149

Author(s):

Maxim Samarin ◽

Lauren Zweifel ◽

Volker Roth ◽

Christine Alewell

Keyword(s):

Neural Network ◽

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Convolutional Neural Network ◽

Temporal Trends ◽

Aerial Imagery ◽

Aerial Images ◽

Quality Data ◽

Alpine Grasslands ◽

Erosion Processes

Erosion in alpine grasslands is a major threat to ecosystem services of alpine soils. Natural causes for the occurrence of soil erosion are steep topography and prevailing climate conditions in combination with soil fragility. To increase our understanding of ongoing erosion processes and support sustainable land-use management, there is a need to acquire detailed information on spatial occurrence and temporal trends. Existing approaches to identify these trends are typically laborious, have lack of transferability to other regions, and are consequently only applicable to smaller regions. In order to overcome these limitations and create a sophisticated erosion monitoring tool capable of large-scale analysis, we developed a model based on U-Net, a fully convolutional neural network, to map different erosion processes on high-resolution aerial images (RGB, 0.25–0.5 m). U-Net was trained on a high-quality data set consisting of labeled erosion sites mapped with object-based image analysis (OBIA) for the Urseren Valley (Central Swiss Alps) for five aerial images (16 year period). We used the U-Net model to map the same study area and conduct quality assessments based on a held-out test region and a temporal transferability test on new images. Erosion classes are assigned according to their type (shallow landslide and sites with reduced vegetation affected by sheet erosion) or land-use impacts (livestock trails and larger management affected areas). We show that results obtained by OBIA and U-Net follow similar linear trends for the 16 year study period, exhibiting increases in total degraded area of 167% and 201%, respectively. Segmentations of eroded sites are generally in good agreement, but also display method-specific differences, which lead to an overall precision of 73%, a recall of 84%, and a F1-score of 78%. Our results show that U-Net is transferable to spatially (within our study area) and temporally unseen data (data from new years) and is therefore a method suitable to efficiently and successfully capture the temporal trends and spatial heterogeneity of degradation in alpine grasslands. Additionally, U-Net is a powerful and robust tool to map erosion sites in a predictive manner utilising large amounts of new aerial imagery.

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Identification of Soil Erosion in Alpine Grasslands on High-Resolution Aerial Images: Switching from Object-based Image Analysis to Deep Learning?

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-2328 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lauren Zweifel ◽

Maxim Samarin ◽

Katrin Meusburger ◽

Volker Roth ◽

Christine Alewell

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Image Analysis ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Degradation ◽

Aerial Images ◽

Alpine Grasslands ◽

Object Based Image Analysis ◽

Erosion Processes ◽

Object Based ◽

Land Use Practices

Soil erosion in Alpine grassland areas is an ecological threat caused by the extreme topography, prevailing climate conditions and land-use practices but enhanced by climate change (e.g., heavy precipitation events, changing snow dynamics) in combination with changing land-use practices (e.g, more intensely used pastures). To increase our understanding of ongoing soil erosion processes in Alpine grasslands, there is a need to acquire detailed information on spatial extension and temporal trends.In the past, we have successfully applied a semi-automatic method using an object-based image analysis (OBIA) framework with high-resolution aerial images (0.25-0.5m) and a digital terrain model (2m) to map erosion features in the Central Swiss Alps (Urseren Valley, Canton Uri, Switzerland). Degraded sites are classified according to the major erosion process (shallow landslides; sites with reduced vegetation cover affected by sheet erosion) or triggering factors (trampling by livestock; management effects) (Zweifel et al. 2019). We now aim to apply a deep learning (DL) model with the purpose of fast and efficient spatial upscaling(e.g., alpine-wide analysis). While OBIA yields high quality results, there are multiple constraints, such as labor-intensive steps and the requirement of expert knowledge, which make the method unsuitable for larger scale applications. The results of OBIA are used as a training dataset for our DL model. The DL approach uses fully-convolutional networks with the U-Net architecture and is capable of rapid segmentation and classification to identify areas with reduced vegetation cover and bare soil sites.Results for the Urseren Valley (Canton Uri, Switzerland) show an increase in total area affected by soil degradation of 156 &#177;18% during a 16-year observation period (2000-2016). A comparison of the two methods (OBIA and DL) shows that DL results for the Urseren Valley follow similar trends for the 16-year period and that the segmentations of eroded sites are in good agreement (IoU = 0.83). First transferability tests to other valleys not considered during training of the DL model are very promising, confirming that DL is a well-suited and efficient method for future projects to map and assess soil erosion processes in grassland areas at regional scales.&#160;ReferencesL. Zweifel, K. Meusburger, and C. Alewell. Spatio-temporal pattern of soil degradation in a Swiss Alpine grassland catchment. Remote Sensing of Environment, 235, 2019.

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Impact of Land Use/Cover Changes on Soil Erosion in Western Kenya

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12229740 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (22) ◽

pp. 9740

Author(s):

Benjamin Kipkemboi Kogo ◽

Lalit Kumar ◽

Richard Koech

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Crop Production ◽

Western Kenya ◽

Useful Knowledge ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

Erosion Processes ◽

Multi Temporal ◽

The Impact

This study examined the impact of land use/cover changes on soil erosion in western Kenya in the years 1995 and 2017. The study used the GIS-based Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) modelling approach and remote sensing assessment. The results showed that the average soil loss through sheet, rill and inter-rill soil erosion processes was 0.3 t/ha/y and 0.5 t/ha/y, in the years 1995 and 2017, respectively. Of the total soil loss, farms contributed more than 50%, both in 1995 and 2017 followed by grass/shrub (7.9% in 1995 and 11.9% in 2017), forest (16% in 1995 and 11.4% in 2017), and the least in built-up areas. The highest soil erosion rates were observed in farms cleared from forests (0.84 tons/ha) followed by those converted from grass/shrub areas (0.52 tons/ha). The rate of soil erosion was observed to increase with slope due to high velocity and erosivity of the runoff. Areas with high erodibility in the region are found primarily in slopes of more than 30 degrees, especially in Mt. Elgon, Chereng’anyi hills and Elgeyo escarpments. This study forms the first multi-temporal assessment to explore the extent of soil erosion and seeks to provide a useful knowledge base to support decision-makers in developing strategies to mitigate soil erosion for sustainable crop production.

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Assessment of soil erosion processes as influenced by different land-use systems on hilly rolling landscape of Western Lithuania

Zemdirbyste-Agriculture ◽

10.13080/z-a.2016.103.043 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 103 (4) ◽

pp. 339-346 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Irena Kinderiene ◽

Danute Karcauskiene

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Land Use Systems ◽

Erosion Processes

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Erosion, flooding and channel management in Mediterranean environments of southern Europe

Progress in Physical Geography Earth and Environment ◽

10.1177/030913339702100201 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 157-199 ◽

Cited By ~ 239

Author(s):

J.W.A. Poesen ◽

J.M. Hooke

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Erosion ◽

Channel Management ◽

Stream Channel ◽

Channel Changes ◽

Erosion Processes ◽

Mediterranean Environments ◽

Mediterranean Landscapes ◽

Wide Range

Soil erosion by water is one of the most important land degradation processes in Mediterranean environments. This process is strongly linked to problems of flooding and channel management. This article reviews existing knowledge on these topics and defines research gaps. In the framework of environmental change studies it is important to consider soil erosion at various spatial and temporal scales. Most field measurements and modelling efforts have hitherto concentrated on water erosion processes operating at the runoff plot scale. Soil erosion processes operating at other spatial scales have received much less attention in the literature. Yet, there are indications that gully and channel erosion are probably the dominant sediment sources in a variety of Mediterranean environments. Beside water erosion, other erosion processes operating within catchments, such as tillage erosion, land reshaping for land preparation (e.g., terracing) or soil quarrying can have significant impacts on soil profile truncation. Land use changes strongly affect the intensity of these processes. The conditions, position and connectivity of the runoff and sediment generating areas within catchments have a profound effect on flood characteristics within the main channels but the dynamics are not well understood. Some research has taken place into meteorological conditions producing catastrophic flooding and into development of hydrological models using catchment variables. Much less is known of the properties and effects of flood waves within channels, partly because of lack of records of these infrequent events. It is not only water but also sediment which causes destruction in floods, yet sediment is frequently ignored in channel management. The extreme conditions associated with floods in the region, the variability of flows and of flood zones, the mobility of the channels and the high sediment loads create particular challenges for channel management. Trends in land use and channel management are tending to exacerbate these problems. From this review it can be concluded that there is still an important need for process-based understanding and modelling of key soil erosion processes operating at a range of scales: i.e., from plots over hillslopes, catchments to regions. In particular, more research is needed on the linkages between upland areas which produce large volumes of runoff and sediment and channels on the other hand. Such linkages are through gullies and sedimentation zones. Monitoring and experi mental data on key soil erosion and channel processes operating within Mediterranean landscapes are crucial for the improvement of soil erosion and channel models for a range of scales. In particular, long-term monitoring of soil erosion processes and stream channel changes seems to be essential to observe the effects of infrequent torrential rain events on severe erosion, flooding and stream channel changes as well as on the transient response of Mediterranean landscapes to changes in land use and climate. Systematic collation of historical evidence of changes would be valuable. Implications of land and water use need to be examined in detail. A wide range of alternative strategies and techniques of channel and basin management must be explored and modelled. A holistic approach to management of the fluvial system is recommended.

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Responses of storm-based soil erosion processes to land use changes in the upper Huaihe River basin, China

Environmental Earth Sciences ◽

10.1007/s12665-020-09116-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (15) ◽

Author(s):

Qiongfang Li ◽

Guobin Lu ◽

Xingye Han ◽

Zhengmo Zhou ◽

Tianshan Zeng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

River Basin ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Huaihe River Basin ◽

Huaihe River ◽

Erosion Processes

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Impacts of climate and land use changes on the erosion processes in a Mediterranean agricultural catchment (Northern Morocco)

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7387 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hamza Briak ◽

Rachid Moussadek ◽

Khadija Aboumaria ◽

Fassil Kebede ◽

Rachid Mrabet

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Best Management Practices ◽

Sediment Yield ◽

Soil Conservation ◽

Management Practices ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Swat Model ◽

Baseline Scenario ◽

Erosion Processes

Recent studies on vulnerability to climate and land use change show a trend towards increased aridity accelerating soil erosion which is the primary factor to be considered by decision makers in the environmental field. Furthermore, to reduce the soil erosion intensity, it is required to clarify the sources zones of sediment yield where soil conservation works have to focus on. The model selected for this work is the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) which is one of many models widely used to assess soil erosion risk and simulate conservation measures efficiency. In fact, the objective of this work is to evaluate the effects of different agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) on sediments using SWAT model in the Kalaya river basin located in the North of Morocco in order to recommend the most appropriate one. The model was calibrated and validated using observed data of flow and sediment concentration; the performance of the model was evaluated using statistical methods and the total soil erosion rate was estimated by this model in the study area. However, we concentrated on the representation of three interesting and most usable practices by the SWAT model: contouring, strip-cropping and terracing. The general parameters of the model have been modified to reflect the implementation of four different BMPs. The modification of these parameters was based on previous research and modeling efforts conducted in watersheds. Resulting sediment yield were compared with the result of simulation of the baseline scenario (existing conditions). In fact, effective measures to reduce sediment losses at the watershed level are organized according to their effectiveness, and these are terracing (28% reduction and the value is 15t/ha/y) followed by strip-cropping (9% reduction and the value is 5t/ha/y). On the other hand, measurements performed by the contouring are inappropriate for the study area because they have contributed to increasing the soil erosion (more than 31% of losses and the value is 17t/ha/y more than existing conditions). The mean annual values of sediment yields obtained for scenarios with and without BMPs were compared to assess the effectiveness of BMPs. Among all other practices, terracing was the most effective BMPs for reducing sediments which is perfectly recommended in the Mediterranean regions in general to avoid the risk of damage during intense rainfall. These results indicates that the use of terracing on agricultural land can potentially make improvements marked the control and limitation of soil erosion, and it also affords useful information for involved stakeholders in water and soil conservation activities for targeted management.

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