ESTIMATES OF SOIL EROSION AND DEPOSITION FOR SOME SASKATCHEWAN SOILS

1983 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 607-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. DE JONG ◽  
C. B. M. BEGG ◽  
R. G. KACHANOSKI

137Cs from the atmospheric testing of nuclear devices in the 1950s and 1960s was used to estimate soil erosion in eight small basins in hummocky topography. Three basins had not been cultivated since the 1950s and in these 137Cs showed little or no separation according to landscape position. In the cultivated basins, 137Cs increased from the top to the bottom of the slopes reflecting the simultaneous occurrence of soil erosion on the upper slopes and deposition on the lower slopes. The redistribution of 137Cs was least in a cultivated basin where water erosion was minimal. From the 137Cs it was estimated that over the past 20–25 yr the upper slopes in the cultivated basins had lost 20–60 kg soil/m2, whereas the lower slopes had gained 25–80 kg/m2. Some middle-slope positions lost soil, others gained. An attempt to construct 137Cs and soil balances for each of the cultivated basins was only partially successful. The inability to accurately delineate areas of erosion and areas of deposition is probably the major obstacle in calculating accurate balances for the basins. The 137Cs balances did show promise of being able to separate soil losses by wind and water erosion. Key words: Water erosion, wind erosion, 137Cs, deposition, universal soil loss equation

1988 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. DE JONG ◽  
R. G. KACHANOSKI

Twenty-six cultivated benchmark sites established in the mid-1960s were resampled in the early 1980s. Most of the sites were coarse textured and field observations indicated that these were subject to wind erosion. The original samples and the samples collected in the 1980s were analyzed for 137Cs and organic C. From these data soil erosion or deposition and organic C losses from the 0 to 0.15-m layer were calculated. Soil losses up to 10 kg m−2 yr−1 were calculated, but some sites showed deposition. Changes in organic C in the 0 to 0.15-m layer could be explained largely by erosion and deposition, indicating that at these sites (mainly on upper or middle slopes that had been cultivated since before the mid-1940s) erosion was the major factor responsible for the observed organic C loss. Key words: Organic carbon loss, erosion, mineralization


Geosciences ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Marzen ◽  
Thomas Iserloh ◽  
Wolfgang Fister ◽  
Manuel Seeger ◽  
Jesus Rodrigo-Comino ◽  
...  

The relative impact of water and wind on total erosion was investigated by means of an experimental-empirical study. Wind erosion and water erosion were measured at five different sites: (1) Mediterranean fallow, (2) Mediterranean orchard, (3) wheat field, (4) vineyard and (5) sand substrate. Mean erosion rates ranged from 1.55 to 618 g·m−2·h−1 for wind and from 0.09 to 133.90 g·m−2·h−1 for rain eroded material over all tested sites. Percentages (%) of eroded sediment for wind and rain, respectively, were found to be 2:98 on Mediterranean fallow, 11:89 on Mediterranean orchard, 3:97 on wheat field, 98:2 on vineyard and 99:1 on sand substrate. For the special case of soil surface crust destroyed by goat trampling, the measured values emphasize a strong potential impact of herding on total soil erosion. All sites produced erosion by wind and rain, and relations show that both erosive forces may have an impact on total soil erosion depending on site characteristics. The results indicate a strong need to focus on both wind and water erosion particularly concerning soils and substrates in vulnerable environments. Measured rates show a general potential erosion depending on recent developments of land use and climate change and may raise awareness of scientist, farmers and decision makers about potential impact of both erosive forces. Knowledge about exact relationship is key for an adapted land use management, which has great potential to mitigate degradation processes related to climate change.


2019 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 05036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bakhadir Mirzaev ◽  
Farmon Mamatov ◽  
Ikromjon Avazov ◽  
Sherzod Mardonov

This paper highlights the necessity of system modification of the main soil slopes processing by developing new technologies of processing eroded soils and technical means to protect a soil from wind and water erosion, reduce processing energy costs, improve moisture accumulation and preservation, and increase the aggregate productivity. An improved differentiated system of slopes soil tilling is proposed, including a crest-stepped ploughing with complete alternation (at 180° within the range of own furrow) and incomplete turnover of the layers and mouldboardless two-tier tilling. During the first year, a crest-stepped ploughing was carried out on slope fields affected by water and wind erosion. Thus, stratum’s subsurface layers are strip loosened. To implement this technology, an improved plough for crest-stepped ploughing developed on the basis of a stepped plough for furrowless smooth tillage is proposed. The rotation was carried out with mould boardless two-tier soil tilling by a ripper with inclined posts. Further, it is recommended to develop and implement combined machines able to simultaneously conduct mould boardless and mouldboard soil tilling, strip subsurface loosening, fertilizer application and other manipulations to prepare soil for sowing and the sowing per one passage of the unit to protect soil from wind and water erosion.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Luiz Terra Lima ◽  
Marx Leandro Naves Silva ◽  
Nilton Curi ◽  
John Quinton

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 562-571
Author(s):  
А. A. Svetlitchnyi ◽  
A. V. Piatkova

In connection with the wide and ever increasing spread of erosion degradation of agricultural lands in Ukraine, the task of developing mathematical models and methods for calculating water erosion of soils corresponding to the current level of erosion study and the demands of soil protection practices is becoming increasingly important. The article is devoted to the development of a spatially distributed GIS-implemented mathematical model of rainstorm soil erosion, which accounts for most of the annual soil losses (in the Steppe zone, for example, about 90 %). The development of the model is based on the most theoretically and informationally grounded model for the Steppe and Forest-Steppe of Ukraine , “the logical-mathematical model of rainstorm soil outwash” developed by H. I. Shvebs (1974, 1981), as well as the results of theoretical and field studies and mathematical modeling of the slope runoff and water erosion of soil, carried out at the Department of Physical Geography and Environmental Management of Odessa I. I. Mechnikov National University in the 1990s - 2010s, and also the possibilities of modern geoinformation technologies. For the spatial implementation of the model, a raster model of spatial data and operators of the PCRaster GIS-package (University of Utrecht, the Netherlands) were used, integrated with the Basic programming language into a single system that provides an implementation of the computational algorithm. The developed physical-statistical model of soil erosion-sedimentation takes into account the peculiarities of the formation of slope runoff and soil outwash in conditions of excessive nonstationarity of heavy rainfall, as well as spatial heterogeneity of all major natural and economic factors of water erosion on a slope, including slope steepness, exposure, longitudinal and transverse forms of slopes, soil erodibility, structure of sown areas and anti-erosion measures. Checking the adequacy of the mathematical model was performed using observational data of four experimental catchments ; two runoff plots of the Moldavan water-balance station with total area of 0.08 ha, the Ploska catchment with area of 8.5 ha (Boguslav field experimental base of Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute) and the Sukha catchment with area of 63 ha (Veliko-Anadol water-balance station) with observation periods of 17-31 years. Comparison of the calculated average over the catchment area of mean annual values of rainstorm soil losses, with the corresponding values obtained from measurements on these catchments, made on the basis of Nash-Sutcliff efficiency criterion (NS), allowed us to evaluate the quality of the model as good (NS = 0.72).


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1124
Author(s):  
Salman A. H. Selmy ◽  
Salah H. Abd Al-Aziz ◽  
Raimundo Jiménez-Ballesta ◽  
Francisco Jesús García-Navarro ◽  
Mohamed E. Fadl

Soil erosion modeling is becoming more significant in the development and implementation of soil management and conservation policies. For a better understanding of the geographical distribution of soil erosion, spatial-based models of soil erosion are required. The current study proposed a spatial-based model that integrated geographic information systems (GIS) techniques with both the universal soil loss equation (USLE) model and the Index of Land Susceptibility to Wind Erosion (ILSWE). The proposed Spatial Soil Loss Model (SSLM) was designed to generate the potential soil erosion maps based on water erosion and wind erosion by integrating factors of the USLE and ILSWE models into the GIS environment. Hence, the main objective of this study is to predict, quantify, and assess the soil erosion hazards using the SSLM in the Dakhla Oasis as a case study. The water soil loss values were computed by overlaying the values of five factors: the rainfall factor (R-Factor), soil erodibility (K-Factor), topography (LS-Factor), crop types (C-Factor), and conservation practice (P-Factor). The severity of wind-driven soil loss was calculated by overlaying the values of five factors: climatic erosivity (CE-Factor), soil erodibility (E-Factor), soil crust (SC-Factor), vegetation cover (VC-Factor), and surface roughness (SR-Factor). The proposed model was statistically validated by comparing its outputs to the results of USLE and ILSWE models. Soil loss values based on USLE and SSLM varied from 0.26 to 3.51 t ha−1 yr−1 with an average of 1.30 t ha−1 yr−1 and from 0.26 to 3.09 t ha−1 yr−1 with a mean of 1.33 t ha−1 yr−1, respectively. As a result, and according to the assessment of both the USLE and the SSLM, one soil erosion class, the very low class (<6.7 t ha−1 yr−1), has been reported to be the prevalent erosion class in the study area. These findings indicate that the Dakhla Oasis is slightly eroded and more tolerable against water erosion factors under current management conditions. Furthermore, the study area was classified into four classes of wind erosion severity: very slight, slight, moderate, and high, representing 1.0%, 25.2%, 41.5%, and 32.3% of the total study area, respectively, based on the ILSWE model and 0.9%, 25.4%, 43.9%, and 29.9%, respectively, according to the SSLM. Consequently, the Dakhla Oasis is qualified as a promising area for sustainable agriculture when appropriate management is applied. The USLE and ILSWE model rates had a strong positive correlation (r = 0.97 and 0.98, respectively), with the SSLM rates, as well as a strong relationship based on the average linear regression (R2 = 0.94 and 0.97, respectively). The present study is an attempt to adopt a spatial-based model to compute and map the potential soil erosion. It also pointed out that designing soil erosion spatial models using available data sources and the integration of USLE and ILSWE with GIS techniques is a viable option for calculating soil loss rates. Therefore, the proposed soil erosion spatial model is fit for calculating and assessing soil loss rates under this study and is valid for use in other studies under arid regions with the same conditions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (No. 11) ◽  
pp. 529-538
Author(s):  
Jana Podhrázská ◽  
Jan Szturc ◽  
Petr Karásek ◽  
Josef Kučera ◽  
Jana Konečná

To analyse the potential changes in soil characteristics and associated impacts on the land price, the region of South Moravia was selected, strongly threatened by erosion and by claiming the most valuable land in suburban territories due to industrial and housing expansion. For the detailed analysis of the impacts of erosion and land appropriation in the region of South Moravia, the model territories of Brno surroundings with the municipality of Dolní Heršpice and Hustopeče surroundings with the municipality of Starovice were selected. The price of land degraded by potential erosion in the South Moravian region fluctuates between 88 and 2 400 EUR/ha. In the past 180 years, 148 ha of agricultural land in the total value of 822 815 EUR have been used for construction in the location under study in Dolní Heršpice. Further growth of the municipality should involve additional appropriation of agricultural land in the value of 411 000 EUR. In the studied land block of 100.5 ha, located in the Starovice municipality area, water erosion caused degradation in the total value of 92 000 EUR in the period 1978–2013. Extensive losses of fertile agricultural land are to be expected in the future. Their main causes are continuing land appropriation and degradation processes – soil erosion.


Earth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-302
Author(s):  
Hasan Mozaffari ◽  
Mahrooz Rezaei ◽  
Yaser Ostovari

Land degradation by soil erosion is one of the most severe environmental issues that is greatly dependent on land use management. In this study, the effects of long-term land use management (including annual cultivated field (ACF), fallow field (FF), rangeland (R), and orchard field (OF)), soil depth (0–10 and 10–20 cm), and soil organic matter content (SOM) on wind- and water-erosion indices were investigated in calcareous soils of southern Iran. Soil samples were collected from four above-mentioned land-use types, and some soil properties and erosion indices were measured. Results showed that the most of soil aggregates stability indices in the surface layer (0–10 cm) of OF were higher than those in ACF, FF, and R, respectively, by nearly 39%, 32%, and 47% for dry mean weight diameter of aggregates (MWDdry); 10%, 10%, and 48% for dry geometric mean weight diameter of aggregates (GMDdry); 21%, 17%, and 15% for water-stable aggregates (WSA); and 11%, 16%, and 31% for aggregate stability index (ASI). Moreover, the mean of the soil wind erosion indicators in OF (0–10 cm) were lower than those in ACF, FF, and R, respectively, by nearly 18%, 24%, and 26%, for wind-erodible fraction (EF); 43%, 38%, and 49% for soil erodibility to wind erosion (K); and 36%, 32%, and 41% for wind erosion rate (ER). In ACF, despite the high clay content, some aggregate stability indices such as MWøDdry and WSA were the lowest among studied land-use types which showed the negative effects of conventional tillage practices. Depth factor had only a significant effect on dust emission potential (DEP) in ACF, FF, and OF. In addition, there were significant and strong correlations between SOM and MWDdry (r = 0.79), WSA (r = 0.77), EF (r = −0.85), K (r = 0.74), and ER (r = 0.74) in all datasets.


2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1405-1420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas P. Webb ◽  
Jeffrey E. Herrick ◽  
Michael C. Duniway

Author(s):  
S. Bouhlassa ◽  
N. Bouhsane

Abstract. Soil erosion by water is a major environmental problem in the Mediterranean areas. It results in land degradation and soil losses, decreases soil structural stability, and increases soil erodibility. Hence, the need for reliable scientific methods for obtaining soil erosion data becomes crucial. The study aims to estimate soil loss in the Moroccan watershed using two soil erosion estimation models and to discuss the differences between those models. The first model used in this study is the improved tillage homogenization model (T-H) which permits to predict the magnetic susceptibility values after erosion, the second one is the empirical model based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation RUSLE. The results showed that: i) higher soil losses using tillage homogenization (T-H) model have occurred in the upper and lower slopes in the cultivated transect, and in the middleslopes and lower slopes in the forested transect; ii) the average of annual soil loss obtained by RUSLE model is about 20.21 t/ha/yr; iii) T-H model allows us to estimate the total cumulative soil erosion during the past and, while RUSLE model is designed for predicting annual soil loss resulting from sheet erosion under given conditions.


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