scholarly journals SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE MANAGEMENTS TO CONTROL SOIL EROSION

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Artemi Cerdà ◽  
Enric Terol
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Traditional Management ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Olive Groves ◽  
Simulated Rain ◽  
The Impact

High rates of soil erosion compromise sustainable agriculture. In rainfed agricultural fields, erosion rates several orders ofmagnitude higher than the erosion rates considered tolerable have been quantified. In Mediterranean rainfed crops suchas vineyards, almonds and olive groves, and in the new sloping citrus and persimmon plantations, the rates of soil lossmake it necessary to apply measures to reduce them to avoid collapse in agricultural production. Managements such asweeds, catch crops and mulches (straw and pruning remains) are viable options to achieve sustainability. This work appliesmeasurements through plots, simulated rainfall experiments and ISUM (Improved Stock-Unearhing method) to quantifythe loss of soil at different temporal and spatial scales in fields of traditional management (herbicide or tillage) and underalternative management (mulches and plant covers). The work carried out at the experimental station for the study of soilerosion in the Sierra de Enguera and those of Montesa and Les Alcusses provide information on erosion plots undernatural rain. Experiments carried out with simulated rain in fields of olive, almond, citrus, persimmon, vineyard and fruittrees report the hydrological and erosive response under low frequency and high intensity rains. And finally, the ISUMtopographic method report the impact of long-term management, from the plantation. The results indicate that the loss ofsoil is greater (x10-1000) in soils under traditional management (tillage and herbicide) due to the fact that they remain barefor most of the year. The use of straw mulch immediately reduces soil erosion by two orders of magnitude. Also mulchesfrom chipped pruned branches remains are very efficient but require more years to reduce soil loss. Weeds and catchcrops are very efficient in controlling erosion.

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.

Impact of vegetative cover and slope on runoff, erosion, and water quality for field plots on a range of soil and spoil materials on central Queensland coal mines

Soil Research ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 313 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Carroll ◽  
L. Merton ◽  
P. Burger
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Salt Content ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Rhodes Grass ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Mine Sites ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Field Plots

In 1993, a field study commenced to determine the impact of vegetative cover and slope on runoff, erosion, and water quality at 3 open-cut coal mine sites. Runoff, sediment, and water quality were measured on 0.01-ha field plots from 3 slope gradients (10, 20, 30%), with pasture and tree treatments imposed on soil and spoil material, and 2 soil and spoil plots left bare. The greatest soil erosion occurred before pasture cover established, when a large surface area of soil (>0.5 plot area) was exposed to rainfall and overland flow. Once buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) colonised soil plots, there were negligible differences in soil erosion between slope gradients. On spoil, Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) reduced in situ soluble salt content, and reduced runoff electrical conductivity to levels measured in surrounding creeks. Where spoil crusted there was poor vegetative growth and unacceptably large runoff and erosion rates throughout the study.

A multi-decade assessment of the impact of large fire events on sediment redistribution using LAPSUS - the Águeda catchment, north-central Portugal

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dante Föllmi ◽  
Jantiene Baartman ◽  
João Pedro Nunes ◽  
Akli Benali
Keyword(s):  
Soil Depth ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Sediment Dynamics ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Sediment Redistribution ◽  
Central Portugal ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Abstract&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wildfires have become an increasing threat for Mediterranean ecosystems, due to increasing climate change induced wildfire activity and changing land management practices. Apart from the initial risk, fire can alter the soil in various ways depending on different fire severities and thus post-fire erosion processes are an important component in assessing wildfires&amp;#8217; negative effects. Recent post-fire erosion (modelling) studies often focus on a short time window and lack the attention for sediment dynamics at larger spatial scales. Yet, these large spatial and temporal scales are fundamental for a better understanding of catchment sediment dynamics and long-term destructive effects of multiple fires on post-fire erosion processes. In this study the landscape evolution model LAPSUS was used to simulate erosion and deposition in the 404 km&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; &amp;#193;gueda catchment in northern-central Portugal over a 41 year (1979-2020) timespan. To include variation in fire severity and its impact on the soil four burnt severity classes, represented by the difference Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR), were parameterized. Although model calibration was difficult due to lack of spatial and temporal measured data, the results show that average post-fire net erosion rates were significantly higher in the wildfire scenarios (5.95 ton ha&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; yr&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;) compared to those of a non-wildfire scenario (0.58 ton ha&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; yr&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;). Furthermore, erosion values increased with a higher level of burnt severity and multiple fires increased the overall sediment build-up in the catchment, fostering an increase in background sediment yield. Simulated erosion patterns showed great spatial variability with large deposition and erosion rates inside streams. Due to this variability, it was difficult to identify land uses that were most sensitive for post-fire erosion, because some land-uses were located in more erosion-sensitive areas (e.g. streams, gullies) or were more affected by high burnt severity levels than others. Despite these limitations, LAPSUS performed well on addressing spatial sediment processes and has the ability to contribute to pre-fire management strategies. For instance, the percentage soil loss map (i.e. comparison of erosion and soil depth maps) could identify locations at risk.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Has erosion globally increased? Long-term erosion rates as a function of climate derived from the impact crater inventory

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Hergarten ◽  
Thomas Kenkmann
Keyword(s):  
Time Scale ◽  
Impact Crater ◽  
Regional Effect ◽  
Tropical Zone ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
River Loads ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Worldwide erosion rates seem to have increased strongly since the beginning of the Quaternary, but there is still discussion about the role of glaciation as a potential driver and even whether the increase is real at all or an artefact due to losses in the long-term sedimentary record. In this study we derive estimates of average erosion rates on the time scale of some tens of million years from the terrestrial impact crater inventory. This approach is completely independent from all other methods to infer erosion rates such as river loads, preserved sediments, cosmogenic nuclides and thermochronometry. Our approach yields average erosion rates as a function of present-day topography and climate. The results confirm that topography accounts for the main part of the huge variation of erosion on Earth, but also identifies a significant systematic dependence on climate in contrast to several previous studies. We found a fivefold increase in erosional efficacy from the cold regimes to the tropical zone and that temperate and arid climates are very similar in this context. Combining our results to a worldwide mean erosion rate we found that erosion rates on the time scale of some tens of million years are at least as high as present-day rates and suggest that glaciation has a rather regional effect with a limited impact at the continental scale.

How spatial vegetation distribution affects soil erosion and sediment transport

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malte Kuegler ◽  
Thomas Hoffmann ◽  
Jana Eichel ◽  
Lothar Schrott ◽  
Juergen Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Vegetation Pattern ◽  
Vegetation Coverage ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Vegetation Patterns ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Catchment Areas ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;There are a multitude of factors that affect soil erosion and the process of sediment movement. One particular factor known to have a considerable impact is vegetation coverage within catchment areas.&amp;#160; Previous studies have examined the impact of vegetation cover on erosion.&amp;#160;However, there is a lack of research on how the spatial distribution of vegetation influences erosion rates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A greater understanding of hillslope erosion is fundamental in modelling previous and future topographic changes under various climate conditions. Here, the physical based erosion model EROSION 3D &amp;#169; is used to evaluate the impact of a variety of vegetation patterns and degrees of vegetation cover on sediment erosion and transport. The model was applied on a natural catchment in La Campana (Central Chile). For this purpose, three different vegetation patterns were created: (i) random distribution, (ii) water-dependent distribution (TWIR) and (iii) banded vegetation pattern distribution. Additional to this, the areas covered by vegetation generated in the first step were expanded by steps of 10% [0...100%]. The Erosion3D &amp;#169; model then was applied on all vegetation patterns and degrees of cover.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our results show an initial increase of soil erosion with increasing plant coverage within the catchment up to a certain cover threshold ranging between 10 and 40%. At larger vegetation cover soil erosion rates decline. The strength of increase and decline, as well as the cover-threshold is strongly conditioned by the spatial vegetation pattern. In the light of this, future research should pay particular attention to the properties of the plants and their distribution, not solely on the amount of biomass within catchment areas.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Long-term erosion rates as a function of climate derived from the impact crater inventory

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 459-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Hergarten ◽  
Thomas Kenkmann
Keyword(s):  
Impact Crater ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Regional Effect ◽  
Tropical Zone ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
River Loads ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Worldwide erosion rates seem to have increased strongly since the beginning of the Quaternary, but there is still discussion about the role of glaciation as a potential driver and even whether the increase is real at all or an artifact due to losses in the long-term sedimentary record. In this study we derive estimates of average erosion rates on the timescale of some tens of millions of years from the terrestrial impact crater inventory. This approach is completely independent from all other methods to infer erosion rates such as river loads, preserved sediments, cosmogenic nuclides, and thermochronometry. Our approach yields average erosion rates as a function of present-day topography and climate. The results confirm that topography accounts for the main part of the huge variation in erosion on Earth, but also identifies a significant systematic dependence on climate in contrast to several previous studies. We found a 5-fold increase in erosional efficacy from the cold regimes to the tropical zone and that temperate and arid climates are very similar in this context. Combining our results into a worldwide mean erosion rate, we found that erosion rates on the timescale of some tens of millions of years are at least as high as present-day rates and suggest that glaciation has a rather regional effect with a limited impact at the continental scale.

scholarly journals Applying the RUSLE and ISUM in the Tierra de Barros Vineyards (Extremadura, Spain) to Estimate Soil Mobilisation Rates

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús Barrena-González ◽  
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino ◽  
Yeboah Gyasi-Agyei ◽  
Manuel Pulido Fernández ◽  
Artemi Cerdà
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Tillage Practices ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
La Mancha ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Depletion ◽  
Mapping Techniques

Spain is one of the largest wine producers in the world, with Extremadura (south-west Spain) being its second-largest producing region after Castilla La Mancha. Within Extremadura, the most traditional and productive viticulture region is the Tierra de Barros, which boasts an annual production of 3×106 litres. However, no soil erosion assessment has been undertaken in any vineyard in the region to ascertain environmental sustainability. Therefore, the Improved Stock Unearthing Method (ISUM) and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) were applied to assess the long-term soil erosion rates. Both methods were applied using an experimental plot (2.8 m × 148.5 m) encompassing 99 paired vines in a 20-year-old vineyard under a tillage management system and on bare soils throughout the year. The ISUM and RUSLE found total soil mobilization values of 45.7 Mg ha−1 yr−1 and 17.4 Mg ha−1 yr−1, respectively, a difference of about 5 times. Mapping techniques showed that soil surface declined to an average of −6.2 cm, with maximum values of −28 cm. The highest values of soil depletion were mainly observed in the upper part and the form of linear features following the hillslope direction. On the other hand, under the vines, the soil surface level showed accumulations of up to +2.37 cm due to tillage practices. Our study demonstrated the potential of high soil erosion rates occurring in conventional vineyards managed with tillage in the inter-row areas and herbicides under the vines within the Tierra de Barros. Also, we demonstrated the elevated differences in soil mobilisation rates using the ISUM and RUSLE. Therefore, further research must be conducted in other vineyards to determine the suitability of the models for assessing soil erosion rates. Undoubtedly, soil conservation measures must be designed and applied immediately due to high erosion rates.

Assessment of long-term Holocene soil erosion rates in Polish loess areas using sedimentary archives from closed depressions

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 978-1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Kołodyńska-Gawrysiak ◽  
Jean Poesen ◽  
Leszek Gawrysiak
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates

Generation of Low-Frequency Spiciness Variability in the Thermocline*

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 365-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Kilpatrick ◽  
Niklas Schneider ◽  
Emanuele Di Lorenzo
Keyword(s):  
Markov Model ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Passive Tracer ◽  
Wind Stress Curl ◽  
Frequency Spectra ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Geostrophic Advection

Abstract The generation of variance by anomalous advection of a passive tracer in the thermocline is investigated using the example of density-compensated temperature and salinity anomalies, or spiciness. A coupled Markov model is developed in which wind stress curl forces the large-scale baroclinic ocean pressure that in turn controls the anomalous geostrophic advection of spiciness. The “double integration” of white noise atmospheric forcing by this Markov model results in a frequency (ω) spectrum of large-scale spiciness proportional to ω−4, so that spiciness variability is concentrated at low frequencies. An eddy-permitting regional model hindcast of the northeast Pacific (1950–2007) confirms that time series of large-scale spiciness variability are exceptionally smooth, with frequency spectra ∝ ω−4 for frequencies greater than 0.2 cpy. At shorter spatial scales (wavelengths less than ∼500 km), the spiciness frequency spectrum is whitened by mesoscale eddies, but this eddy-forced variability can be filtered out by spatially averaging. Large-scale and long-term measurements are needed to observe the variance of spiciness or any other passive tracer subject to anomalous advection in the thermocline.

scholarly journals Impact of soil erosion on production in cropping systems .I. Development and validation of a simulation model

Soil Research ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 757 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Littleboy ◽  
DM Silburn ◽  
DM Freebairn ◽  
DR Woodruff ◽  
GL Hammer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Simulation Model ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Crop Growth ◽  
Potential Range ◽  
Computer Simulation Model ◽  
Small Catchment ◽  
The Impact

A computer simulation model to analyse risks of soil erosion to long-term crop production is described. The model, called PERFECT, simulates interactions between soil type, climate, fallow management strategy and crop sequence. It contains six main modules; data input, water balance, crop growth, crop residue, erosion and model output. Modules are arranged in a framework that allows alternative modules to be used as required for the potential range of applications. The model contains dynamic crop growth models for wheat, sorghum and sunflower. Validation of PERFECT against small catchment and contour bay data collected throughout Queensland showed that PERFECT explained up to 84% of the variation in total available soil water, 89% of the variation in daily runoff, and up to 75% of the variation in grain yield. Average annual soil erosion was accurately predicted but daily erosion totals were less accurate due to the exclusion of rainfall intensity in erosion prediction. Variability in climate dominates agricultural production in the subtropical region of Australia. The validated model can be coupled with long-term climate and soils databases to simulate probabilities of production and erosion risks due to climatic variability. It provides a method to determine the impact of soil erosion on long-term productivity.

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