Historical TOC concentration minima during peak sulfur deposition in two Swedish lakes

Abstract. Decadal-scale variations in total organic carbon (TOC) concentration in lake water since AD 1200 in two small lakes in southern Sweden were reconstructed based on visible–near-infrared spectroscopy (VNIRS) of their recent sediment successions. In order to assess the impacts of local land-use changes, regional variations in sulfur, and nitrogen deposition and climate variations on the inferred changes in TOC concentration, the same sediment records were subjected to multi-proxy palaeolimnological analyses. Changes in lake-water pH were inferred from diatom analysis, whereas pollen-based land-use reconstructions (Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm) together with geochemical records provided information on catchment-scale environmental changes, and comparisons were made with available records of climate and population density. Our long-term reconstructions reveal that inferred lake-water TOC concentrations were generally high prior to AD 1900, with additional variability coupled mainly to changes in forest cover and agricultural land-use intensity. The last century showed significant changes, and unusually low TOC concentrations were inferred at AD 1930–1990, followed by a recent increase, largely consistent with monitoring data. Variations in sulfur emissions, with an increase in the early 1900s to a peak around AD 1980 and a subsequent decrease, were identified as an important driver of these dynamics at both sites, while processes related to the introduction of modern forestry and recent increases in precipitation and temperature may have contributed, but the effects differed between the sites. The increase in lake-water TOC concentration from around AD 1980 may therefore reflect a recovery process. Given that the effects of sulfur deposition now subside and that the recovery of lake-water TOC concentrations has reached pre-industrial levels, other forcing mechanisms related to land management and climate change may become the main drivers of TOC concentration changes in boreal lake waters in the future.

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Forcing mechanisms behind variations in total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of lake waters during the past eight centuries – palaeolimnological evidence from southern Sweden

Biogeosciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/bgd-10-19969-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 19969-20003 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

P. Bragée ◽

F. Mazier ◽

P. Rosén ◽

D. Fredh ◽

A. Broström ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Total Organic Carbon ◽

Lake Water ◽

Recent Sediment ◽

Southern Sweden ◽

Decadal Scale ◽

Concentration Changes ◽

Forcing Mechanisms ◽

Lake Waters

Abstract. Decadal-scale variations in total organic carbon (TOC) concentration in lake water since AD 1200 in two small lakes in southern Sweden were reconstructed based on visible-near infrared spectroscopy (VNIRS) of their recent sediment successions. In order to assess the impacts of local land-use changes and regional variations in sulphur deposition and climate on the inferred changes in TOC concentration, the same sediment records were subjected to multi-proxy palaeolimnological analyses. Changes in lake-water pH were inferred from diatom analysis, whereas pollen-based land-use reconstructions (Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm) together with geochemical records provided information on catchment-scale environmental changes, and comparisons were made with available records of climate and population density. Our long-term reconstructions reveal that TOC concentrations were generally high prior to AD 1900, with second-order variations coupled mainly to changes in agricultural land-use intensity. The last century showed significant changes, and unusually low TOC concentrations were recorded in 1930–1990, followed by a recent increase. Variations in sulphur emissions, with an increase in the early 1900s to a peak around AD 1980 and a subsequent decrease, were most likely the main driver of these dynamics, although processes related to the introduction of modern forestry and recent increases in precipitation and temperature may have contributed. The increase in lake-water TOC concentration from around AD 1980 may therefore reflect a recovery process. Given that the effects of sulphate deposition now subside, other forcing mechanisms related to land management and climate change will possibly become the main drivers of TOC concentration changes in boreal lake waters in the future.

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Implication of Socio-economic Factors on Land Use and Forest Cover Changes in and Around Magamba Nature Reserve in Tanzania

Advanced Journal of Social Science ◽

10.21467/ajss.5.1.108-117 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 108-117

Author(s):

Solomon Jeremiah Sembosi

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Nature Reserve ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Population Pressure ◽

Economic Factors ◽

Rural Settlements ◽

Mountainous Regions ◽

Use Of Resources ◽

Socio Economic Factors

Rural settlements in mountainous regions are a typical process that occurs in many places around the world and have a number of implications on the landscape. Among them is a threat it possesses to the conservation and management of Afromontane ecosystems. This study assessed the socio-economic factors that drive the changes in land use and forest cover and the extent of land use and vegetation cover in and around Magamba Nature Reserve. Focus group discussion, direct field observation and household survey were used to acquire socio-economic information that impacts land use and forest cover. Through the use of Remote Sensing and GIS methods Landsat satellite images of 1995, 2008 and 2015 were employed to identify the extent of the changes in land use and forest cover. The perceived factors for the changes include education level, unemployment, landless/limited, landholding, population pressure, expansion of built-up areas and agricultural land at the expense of other land covers. This study revealed the transformation of natural forest and associated vegetation from one form to another. There was a decrease in natural vegetation from 61.06% in 1995 to 26.02% in 2015 and increase in built-up areas by 6.69% and agricultural areas by 4.70%. This study recommends conservation monitoring and strong law enforcement relating to natural resources so as to promote sustainable use of resources to rescue the diminishing ecosystem services.

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Agricultural Land Abandonment and Farmers’ Perceptions of Land Use Change in the Indus Plains of Pakistan: A Case Study of Sindh Province

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11174663 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (17) ◽

pp. 4663

Author(s):

Habibullah Rajpar ◽

Anlu Zhang ◽

Amar Razzaq ◽

Khalid Mehmood ◽

Maula Bux Pirzado ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Survey Data ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Land Abandonment ◽

Agricultural Lands ◽

Sindh Province ◽

The Government

Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy. However, it has been noticed that farmers are increasingly giving up agriculture in favor of non-agricultural activities. This study was conducted in the Khairpur district of Sindh province, which is part of the Indus Plains in Pakistan. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the current and future land use change (LUC) trends and to study farmers’ perceptions of the causes and consequences of LUC and agricultural land abandonment (ALA) in the study area. The study used field survey data and secondary data obtained from the government sources. The results show that agricultural land in the region has decreased by about 9% in the past two decades. Survey data analysis confirms this because more than 80% of farmers believe that agricultural land in the area has declined over time. In addition, farmers believe that socioeconomic and environmental changes are the main reasons for LUC and ALA. We used a logistic regression model to determine the factors that influence farmers’ decisions to sell agricultural land for other uses. The results show that the age, income, land ownership, farm inheritance by successors, social networks and lack of basic facilities in the study area are the main determinants of farmers’ decisions to sell agricultural lands. In particular, farmers’ integration into the social network and their belief that the farm will be inherited by heirs reduces the possibility of selling land. As for the consequences of LUC and ALA, the results indicate that farmland prices, weeds infestation, urban diffusion, and pressure on existing infrastructure have increased in the study area. In addition, the results show that the prospects of farming in the area remain grim as most farmers indicated that they were willing to abandon agricultural lands in favor of other revenue generation activities. The study suggests that policymakers should pay close attention to controlling rapid LUC and ALA to keep lands green.

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Sustainable Management of Bannerghatta National Park, India, with the Insights in Land Cover Dynamics

FIIB Business Review ◽

10.1177/2319714519828462 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 118-131 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

T. V. Ramachandra ◽

Bharath Setturu

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Cover ◽

National Parks ◽

Sustainable Management ◽

National Park ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Buffer Zone ◽

Change Analysis ◽

Rapid Economic Growth

The ecosystem of health and natural resource management is influenced by the social, political, economic system and institutional framework in a region. Rapid economic growth in Bangalore and its environs in recent decades has resulted in environmental changes in Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) and its buffer (of 5 km). Land use land cover (LULC) change analysis with a modelling technique such as cellular automata (CA)-Markov was used for quantitatively exploring forest cover transitions. The analysis of LULC dynamics has revealed loss of vegetation cover from 85.78 per cent to 66.37 per cent (1973–2015) and severe environmental stress. The region has lost moist deciduous cover, from 26.1 per cent to 13.8 per cent, and witnessed an increase in horticulture, from 8.5 per cent to 11 per cent (1973–2015). The visualization of likely land use in 2027 indicates the loss of forest cover from 41.38 per cent to 35.59 per cent with an increase in urban area from 4.49 per cent to 9.62 per cent (with new residential and commercial layouts in the buffer zone of BNP in violation of the eco-sensitive zone norms as per Section 5(1) of Environment Protection Act 1986). The study provides insights for developing an appropriate planning framework towards conservation and the sustainable management of ecologically sensitive national parks.

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Change in agricultural land use constrains adaptation of national wildlife refuges to climate change

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892914000174 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 12-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

CHRISTOPHER M. HAMILTON ◽

WAYNE E. THOGMARTIN ◽

VOLKER C. RADELOFF ◽

ANDREW J. PLANTINGA ◽

PATRICIA J. HEGLUND ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Global Climate ◽

Urban Land Use ◽

Management Options ◽

Ecological Processes ◽

Species Invasions ◽

Business As Usual

SUMMARYLand-use change around protected areas limits their ability to conserve biodiversity by altering ecological processes such as natural hydrologic and disturbance regimes, facilitating species invasions, and interfering with dispersal of organisms. This paper informs USA National Wildlife Refuge System conservation planning by predicting future land-use change on lands within 25 km distance of 461 refuges in the USA using an econometric model. The model contained two differing policy scenarios, namely a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario and a ‘pro-agriculture’ scenario. Regardless of scenario, by 2051, forest cover and urban land use were predicted to increase around refuges, while the extent of range and pasture was predicted to decrease; cropland use decreased under the business-as-usual scenario, but increased under the pro-agriculture scenario. Increasing agricultural land value under the pro-agriculture scenario slowed an expected increase in forest around refuges, and doubled the rate of range and pasture loss. Intensity of land-use change on lands surrounding refuges differed by regions. Regional differences among scenarios revealed that an understanding of regional and local land-use dynamics and management options was an essential requirement to effectively manage these conserved lands. Such knowledge is particularly important given the predicted need to adapt to a changing global climate.

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Assessing the Impact of land-use types on the groundwater quality: a case study of Mid River Njoro Catchment, Kenya

Acque Sotterranee-Italian Journal of Groundwater ◽

10.7343/as-2020-350 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Halake Guyo Rendilicha ◽

Patrick Home ◽

James M. Raude ◽

Charles M. M’Erimba ◽

Stellamaris Muthoka

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Groundwater Quality ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Settlement Area ◽

Mixed Area ◽

Land Use Types ◽

The Mean ◽

The Impact

The study assessed the impact of land-use types on the groundwater quality of the mid River Njoro catchment, Kenya. Groundwater samples were collected from eight boreholes between the period of October 2017 to February 2018 and analyzed for pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, ammonium, and total phosphorus. These parameters were used to calculate the Groundwater Quality Index (GQI) value of the study area. The concentration maps (“primary maps I”) were constructed using Kriging interpolation of ArcGIS software from the seven groundwater quality parameters. The “primary maps I” were standardized with the KEBS and WHO standards to the “primary maps II” for ease of integration into a GIS environment. The “primary maps II” were then rated and weighted using a polynomial function to generate “rank maps” before calculating the GQI using spatial analyst tools of ArcGIS software. The land use map was prepared from a high-resolution Google earth satellite imagery of 2015. The mean GQI values for the different land use polygons were calculated and compared using GIS techniques. The GQI ranged from 68.38 to 70.92, indicating a high groundwater quality of mid River Njoro catchment. The major land-use types identified include settlement area, forest cover, agricultural land and mixed area. The agricultural land dominated the study area, followed by settlement area, forest cover and finally mixed area. The mean GQI value in each land use type varied minimally and this could be because of the diffuse nature of the land use types of the study area. Settlement area had low GQI, followed by agricultural land, mixed area and the forest cover had the highest mean GQI value, which corresponds to good quality of groundwater. Even though the variation is insignificant in this particular study, it somehow indicates the adverse effects of different land use on the quality of groundwater.

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Conversion of agricultural soils in Austria—a case study for a community in Upper Austria

Die Bodenkultur Journal of Land Management Food and Environment ◽

10.2478/boku-2020-0007 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 71 (2) ◽

pp. 69-76

Author(s):

Günther Aust ◽

Franz Heinrich ◽

Daniel Horvath ◽

André Musil ◽

Cecilie Foldal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Agricultural Soils ◽

Local Population ◽

Soil Survey ◽

Settlement Area ◽

Soil Sealing ◽

Upper Austria

SummaryWe have analyzed the loss of agricultural land in a case study of the community Eggelsberg in the Innviertel in Upper Austria. The trigger for the project was the attribution of Austria as Europe’s leader in soil sealing. We compared the results of the Austrian agricultural soil survey of the 1970s with the actual land use and quantified the land use change. Within half a century, 15% of the agricultural area was converted to settlement area or to other forms of infrastructure. According to the original soil assessment, 96 ha of high-quality cropland, 1,220 ha of medium-quality cropland, 121 ha of low-quality cropland, and 409 ha of grassland were converted. The forest cover remained stable. The highest share of soil sealing was owed to the expansion of the settlement area and the construction of a successful enterprise. Minor contributions were expansions of farm buildings. The loss of agricultural land was reasonable and reflected the needs of the local population. A special protection status because of the future relevance of the agricultural land was not communicated to land managers and is not reflected in the market prices of agricultural products. The relevance of the agricultural land beyond the regional level is not fully recognized.

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Intensity and Driving Forces of Land Abandonment in Eastern Poland

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10103500 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 3500 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wojciech Zgłobicki ◽

Kamil Karczmarczuk ◽

Bogusława Baran-Zgłobicka

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Agricultural Production ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Arable Land ◽

Land Abandonment ◽

Farm Size ◽

Study Objective

Agricultural land is an important natural resource and forms the basis for food production. Global and local socio-economic and environmental changes are often the driving forces of changes in land cover and land use. Land abandonment in rural areas is one of the processes observed in Europe today and usually leads to increased afforestation. The intensity of this process in Central Europe is linked to the political and economic changes that took place at the end of the 20th century. The study objective was to identify the natural and socio-economic factors of this process in Lublin Province—a major region of agricultural production in Poland. From 1990 to 2018, over 130,000 ha were excluded from agricultural use, which represents 7% of the arable land in 1990. Land abandonment showed considerable spatial differences when comparing different counties: its magnitude ranged from 4% to 13% of the county area. At the same time, due to the specific type of land use in the province (small farm holdings divided into several fields), the intensity of land abandonment was underestimated when based on overview data (CORINE). It was observed that the intensity of this process was correlated with the natural conditions (topography, soils) for agricultural production and the socio-economic characteristics (area of arable land, forest cover changes, farm size) of the counties as well as the absorption of Common Agricultural Policy funds.

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Globale Walderhaltung und -bewirtschaftung und ihre Finanzierung: eine Bestandesaufnahme | Global forest conservation and management and its financing: an appraisal

Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen ◽

10.3188/szf.2011.0107 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 162 (4) ◽

pp. 107-116

Author(s):

Jürgen Blaser ◽

Christian Küchli

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Developing Countries ◽

Forest Management ◽

Land Use Planning ◽

Forest Conservation ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

Forest Products ◽

Forest Protection

Around one third of the earth's surface is under forest cover which is distributed more or less equally between industrialised and developing countries. Whereas forest areas in the temperate and boreal climate zones are more or less stable or on the increase, the scale of deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics remains dramatic. This situation is likely to continue in the decades to come because the world's ever-growing population needs new agricultural land and the pressure on resources (forest products, land, water, minerals) continues to increase as a result of globalisation and global change. Moreover, sustainable forest management has not yet become standard practice in many southern countries because forest management can rarely compete with other forms of land use in terms of economic returns. The protection and sustainable management of forest resources is basically the responsibility of each individual country and cannot be regulated and financed globally. However, enormous financial resources, i.e. on a scale of tens of billions of Swiss francs per year, are required for the introduction of comprehensive land-use planning in developing countries incorporating suitable protection of natural forests and sustainable forest management. New approaches for the valorisation of services provided by forests such as carbon sinks (e.g. REDD+) offer significant potential for improving forest protection and sustainable forest management. It augurs well that the economic internalisation of the forest and its services is in full swing at global level and that, based on the REDD+ resolutions passed at the last climate conference in Cancún, many countries have opted for the path of forest conservation and sustainable forest management.

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Effect of Land tenure change on Land use in Machakos County, Kenya

Abstracts of the ICA ◽

10.5194/ica-abs-1-19-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 1-3

Author(s):

Mary Wamuyu Baaru ◽

Charles K. K. Gachene

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Change Detection ◽

Land Tenure ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Cultivated Land ◽

Land Use Patterns ◽

Development Agenda ◽

Bare Land

Abstract. Land tenure is considered an important issue of development agenda and this has led to land allocation and titling in developing countries across continents. As a result, a massive transfer of land rights. Land tenure has been considered as one of the key factors that define patterns and changes in land use system. Due to challenges in collective ownership, Kenya has embraced this idea shifted away to individual land tenure system. This paper examines how land tenure change has influenced land use patterns in Katheka-kai Location, Machakos County for 21 years (1988- 2009), Kenya. The study area was until 1995 a ranching scheme but transformed to individual farms, providing a niche in studying land use change. Six classes identified as forests, cultivated land, savannah grassland, water bodies, built-up land, rocky areas, and bare land was used for change detection. Thematic change detection for Landsat TM and Landsat ETM+ was established using ENVI EX. This was done by selecting two images of the same scene, with same number of classes and same names at different times. During the period of 1988&ndash;2009, the major land use/cover was savannah grassland, bare land, rocky areas, and forest. Cultivated land, built-up areas, and water bodies had the least land cover. The land use/cover change has been dynamic with about 68.6% land changing from one land use to another between 1988 and 2009 (Figure 1 and 2). The 24.4% increase recorded in savanna grassland was at the expense of rocky areas, forest cover, bare land and water bodies that lost 18.7, 2.9, 2.1 and 0.7% respectively (Table 1). Despite the loss, forest cover still recorded 2.7% increase between 1988 and 2009 mostly from rocky areas (1.6%) and bare land (1.2%). Apart from becoming savanna grassland, most of the bare land was converted to rocky areas (7.6%), cultivated land (1.8%) and forests (1.2%) and this explains the 7.4% decrease in area under bare land. Cultivated land witnessed a 1.8% increase between 1988 and 2009 and was due to conversion of bare land (1.8%) and forest cover (0.6%) into cultivated land. Increase in percentage area under built-up areas (0.5%) was as result of conversion of bare land (0.2%), rocky areas (0.2%) and savanna grassland (0.1%). Water bodies changed to become savanna grassland (0.7%) and rocky areas (0.4%) and this led to 0.5% decline in land under water bodies. Savanna grassland, bare land and rocky areas are the dominating land uses/justified by the fact that the area is a rangeland initially hosting a range of wildlife animals. Increased population leads to high demand for food and housing and this explains the increase cultivation land and built-up areas. A study carried out by Gathaara et. al. (2010) in the same area reported that most of the farmers resulted in agricultural activities to meet increasing food demand as well as for economic gains. Similarly, Mundia and Muranyan (2009) reported that changing land tenure policy resulted in expansion of agricultural land. Furthermore, after subdivision and issuance of title deeds to individual members, the owner gets the rights to make land use decisions based on benefits.

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