Spatio-temporal effects of vegetated windbreaks on wind erosion and microclimate as basis for model development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Weninger ◽  
Simon Scheper ◽  
Nathan King ◽  
Karl Gartner ◽  
Barbara Kitzler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Wind Erosion ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Sediment Traps ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Regional Modelling ◽  
Erosion Rates

<p>Wind erosion of arable soil is considered a risk factor for Austrian fields, but direct measurements of soil loss are not available until now. Despite this uncertainty, vegetated windbreaks have been established to minimize adverse wind impacts on arable land. The study addresses these questions: i) How relevant is wind erosion as a factor of soil degradation? ii) How important is the protective effect of vegetated windbreaks? iii) Are systematic patterns of spatial and temporal variability of wind erosion rates detectable in response to weather conditions? </p><p>Two experimental fields adjacent to windbreaks were equipped with sediment traps, soil moisture sensors, and meteorological measurement equipment for microclimatic patterns. Sediment traps were arranged in high spatial resolution from next to the windbreak to a distance of ten times the windbreak height. Beginning in January 2020, the amount of trapped sediment was analyzed every three weeks. The highest wind erosion rates on bare soil were observed in June and July. For unprotected fields with bare soil, upscaled annual erosion rates were as high as 0.8 tons per hectare, and sediment trapped increased in a linear fashion with distance from the windbreak. Soil water content near the surface (5 cm depth) was three percent higher at a distance of two times the height of the windbreak than at a distance of six times the height. For the same respective distances from the windbreak, we observed 29 days of soil water contents below the wilting point compared with 60 days.</p><p>The preliminary outcomes confirmed the expected effects of windbreaks on soil erosion and microclimate in agricultural fields. Prospective results from multiple vegetation periods will be used in an upscaling approach to gain informations for the whole basin. That is meant to be done by a combination with a soil wind erosion model which was so far used for regional modelling of wind erosion susceptibility.</p>

Linking regional modelling with field measurements to evaluate effectiveness of living windbreaks as measures against wind erosion

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Weninger ◽  
Nathan King ◽  
Karl Gartner ◽  
Barbara Kitzler ◽  
Simon Scheper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Loss ◽  
Wind Erosion ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Sediment Traps ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Vegetation Density ◽  
Regional Modelling ◽  
Ground Truth Data

<p>The degrading impact of wind on agricultural soils has been observed throughout centuries in the Pannonian region of central Europe. Nevertheless, soil loss was not yet quantified and the extent or relevance of the problem are unknown for this agriculturally important region. Especially dry soil surface is highly prone to erosion and as drought periods are expected to become more frequent and severe with changing climate, the risk of wind erosion will increase accordingly. Living windbreaks and similar agro-forestry systems are supposed to be highly effective measures against wind erosion. In an extensive research project, multiple approaches are integrated to obtain a broad view onto the relevance of soil degradation by wind on plot scale and its regional distribution.</p><p>More in detail, case studies are conducted where the soil loss by wind erosion is measured in sediment traps. Data about driving and stabilizing factors like wind speed, soil moisture, vegetation density etc. are measured in high spatial and temporal resolution. The measurements started in December 2019. Besides, wind erosion risk is modelled and mapped on regional scale applying state-of-the-art model procedures. The measurement results are used in an attempt to down-scale the model application and thus create a link to ground-truth data. Information about spatial and temporal variability of the driving factors is used for implementation of stochastic calculation procedures in a sensitivity study which determines the most relevant factors for wind erosion mitigation.</p><p>The used modelling approach also includes the effects of wind shelters what enables a partly evaluation of the existing network of such elements in the Pannonian region. There, the Authority of Land Reform has been supporting and documenting the installation of wind shelters for more than 60 years. Incorporating this data base, quantitative and qualitative statements will be developed about the state of the shelter belts and their relevance concerning erosion rates. Additionally, the potential and actual value of living windbreaks will be determined with special regards to physiological and ecological characteristics, stability under future climate conditions and further ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes.</p>

Soil water repellency under dry and wet antecedent weather conditions for selected land-cover types in the coastal zone of central Portugal

Soil Research ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 297 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Keizer ◽  
C. O. A. Coelho ◽  
M. J. S. Matias ◽  
C. S. P. Domingues ◽  
A. J. D. Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Water Repellency ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Soil Water Repellency ◽  
Land Cover Types

This paper reports on the first systematic inventory of soil water repellency in Portuguese coastal dune sand areas. Since water repellency is widely associated with certain vegetation types or individual plant species, this inventory concerned arable land as well as 6 natural and semi-natural land-cover types representative for the vegetation zonation in the study area. Since water repellency further is a feature that commonly varies through time, disappearing when soils become wet, initial sampling was carried out during late summer 2000 and later repeated, at 1 of the 2 sites per land-cover type, during early spring 2001. Water repellency was principally measured in the field using the Molarity of an Ethanol Droplet (MED) test. Under the dry summer conditions, water repellency was a widespread phenomenon at and immediately below, the soil surface and numerous significant differences in ethanol classes existed between the land-cover types. The transient nature of water repellency was confirmed by many instances of significantly lower spring than summer ethanol classes. These significant differences were in general accompanied by a significant negative correlation of the summer and spring ethanol classes with volumetric soil moisture content. The sites’ overall repellency levels under dry antecedent weather conditions were significantly correlated with their overall levels of soil organic matter.

scholarly journals Estimation of Soil Material Transportation by Wind Based on in Situ Wind Tunnel Experiments

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 13-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Farsang ◽  
Rainer Duttmann ◽  
Máté Bartus ◽  
József Szatmári ◽  
Károly Barta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Wind Erosion ◽  
Soil Aggregates ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Wind Tunnel Experiments ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Short Time

Abstract 25% and 40% of territory of Hungary is moderate to highly vulnerable to deflation. However, precise estimates about the soil loss and related losses of organic matter and nutrients due to wind erosion are missing in most cases. In order to determine magnitudes of nutrient masses removed at wind velocities that frequently occur in SE Hungary, in-situ experiments using a portable wind tunnel have been conducted on small test plots with an erosional length of 5.6 m and a width of 0.65 m. The wind tunnel experiments have been carried through on a Chernozem which is typical for this region. In order to compare the effects of soil coverage on the masses of blown soil sediment and adsorbed nutrients, two soil surface types have been tested under similar soil moisture und atmospheric conditions: (1) bare soil (dead fallow) and (2) bare soil surface interrupted by a row of maize plants directed downwind along the center line of the test plots. The results of our experiments clearly show that a constant wind velocity of 15 m s-1 (at a height of 0.3 m) lasting over a short time period of 10 minutes can already cause noticeable changes in the composition and size of soil aggregates at the top of the soil surface. Due to the grain size selectivity of the erosive forces the relative share of soil aggregates comprising diameters > 1 mm increased by 5-10% compared with the unaffected soil. Moreover it has shown that short time wind erosion events as simulated in this study can result in erosion rates between 100 and 120 g m-2, where the erosion rates measured for bare soils are only slightly, but not significantly higher than those of the loosely vegetated ones. Soil samples taken from sediment traps mounted in different heights close to the outlet of the wind tunnel point to an enrichment of organic matter (OM) of about 0.6 to 1 % by mass referred to the control samples. From these findings has been calculated that the relocation of organic matter within short term wind erosion events can amount to 4.5 to 5.0 g OM m-2. With the help of portable field wind tunnel experiments we can conclude that our valuable, high quality chernozems are struck by wind erosion mainly in drought periods.

scholarly journals Microbes: Food for the Future

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 971
Author(s):  
Matilde Ciani ◽  
Antonio Lippolis ◽  
Federico Fava ◽  
Liliana Rodolfi ◽  
Alberto Niccolai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Negative Externalities ◽  
Agriculture Soil ◽  
Global Concern ◽  
Food Commodities ◽  
Hydrogen Oxidizing Bacteria

Current projections estimate that in 2050 about 10 billion people will inhabit the earth and food production will need to increase by more than 60%. Food security will therefore represent a matter of global concern not easily tackled with current agriculture practices and curbed by the increasing scarcity of natural resources and climate change. Disrupting technologies are urgently needed to improve the efficiency of the food production system and to reduce the negative externalities of agriculture (soil erosion, desertification, air pollution, water and soil contamination, biodiversity loss, etc.). Among the most innovative technologies, the production of microbial protein (MP) in controlled and intensive systems called “bioreactors” is receiving increasing attention from research and industry. MP has low arable land requirements, does not directly compete with crop-based food commodities, and uses fertilizers with an almost 100% efficiency. This review considers the potential and limitations of four MP sources currently tested at pilot level or sold as food or feed ingredients: hydrogen oxidizing bacteria (HOB), methanotrophs, fungi, and microalgae (cyanobacteria). The environmental impacts (energy, land, water use, and GHG emissions) of these MP sources are compared with those of plant, animal, insect, and cultured meat-based proteins. Prices are reported to address whether MP may compete with traditional protein sources. Microalgae cultivation under artificial light is discussed as a strategy to ensure independence from weather conditions, continuous operation over the year, as well as high-quality biomass. The main challenges to the spreading of MP use are discussed.

Wind blown sediment mass budget of Sahelian village land units in Niger

2001 ◽  
Vol 172 (5) ◽  
pp. 523-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Louis Rajot
Keyword(s):  
Wind Erosion ◽  
Size Range ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Complete Disappearance ◽  
Mass Budget ◽  
Sediment Mass ◽  
Aeolian Sediments ◽  
Average Annual Rainfall ◽  
The Village

Abstract To assess the mass budget of aeolian sediments transported by wind (erosion vs. deposition) at the scale of village land units (25 kmX25 km), measurements were carried out during 3 years (from 1996 to 1998) in a cultivated field and in a fallow area simultaneously. These were located in the Sahelian zone of Niger with an average annual rainfall of 560 mm. The vertical upward fluxes of particles <20 mu m exported from the study area were estimated from the horizontal sediment fluxes measured using BSNE sand catchers. This mass of exported dust was compared with the vertical downward fluxes of particles of the same size range (<20 mu m) measured using passive CAPYR collectors. Values of deposition recorded in the field and in the fallow were similar. In the field, wind erosion reached its maximum in May and June when the vegetation cover was minimal. In the fallow area, wind erosion was always very low in comparison with the field. It occurred during the strongest storms when the grass cover was minimal. Nevertheless, the net balance between deposition and erosion was highly positive in the fallow areas. These results have been extrapolated at the scale of the village land units based on the current land use. At this scale, the balance was positive for the arable land, indicating a net deposition of aeolian sediments of +0.36 t ha (super -1) yr (super -1) . However, the complete disappearance of fallow land would result in a balanced budget for the arable land.

Straw mulch impact on soil properties and initial soil erosion processes in the maize field

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Dugan ◽  
Leon Josip Telak ◽  
Iva Hrelja ◽  
Ivica Kisić ◽  
Igor Bogunović
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Straw Mulch ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Maize Field ◽  
Sediment Loss ◽  
Initial Soil

<p><strong>Straw mulch impact on soil properties and initial soil erosion processes in the maize field</strong></p><p>Ivan Dugan*, Leon Josip Telak, Iva Hrelja, Ivica Kisic, Igor Bogunovic</p><p>University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of General Agronomy, Zagreb, Croatia</p><p>(*correspondence to Ivan Dugan: [email protected])</p><p>Soil erosion by water is the most important cause of land degradation. Previous studies reveal high soil loss in conventionally managed croplands, with recorded soil losses high as 30 t ha<sup>-1</sup> under wide row cover crop like maize (Kisic et al., 2017; Bogunovic et al., 2018). Therefore, it is necessary to test environmentally-friendly soil conservation practices to mitigate soil erosion. This research aims to define the impacts of mulch and bare soil on soil water erosion in the maize (Zea mays L.) field in Blagorodovac, Croatia (45°33’N; 17°01’E; 132 m a.s.l.). For this research, two treatments on conventionally tilled silty clay loam Stagnosols were established, one was straw mulch (2 t ha<sup>-1</sup>), while other was bare soil. For purpose of research, ten rainfall simulations and ten sampling points were conducted per each treatment. Simulations were carried out with a rainfall simulator, simulating a rainfall at an intensity of 58 mm h<sup>-1</sup>, for 30 min, over 0.785 m<sup>2</sup> plots, to determine runoff and sediment loss. Soil core samples and undisturbed samples were taken in the close vicinity of each plot. The results showed that straw mulch mitigated water runoff (by 192%), sediment loss (by 288%), and sediment concentration (by 560%) in addition to bare treatment. The bare treatment showed a 55% lower infiltration rate. Ponding time was higher (p < 0.05) on mulched plots (102 sec), compared to bare (35 sec), despite the fact that bulk density, water-stable aggregates, water holding capacity, and mean weight diameter did not show any difference (p > 0.05) between treatments. The study results indicate that straw mulch mitigates soil water erosion, because it immediately reduces runoff, and enhances infiltration. On the other side, soil water erosion on bare soil under simulated rainstorms could be high as 5.07 t ha<sup>-1</sup>, when extrapolated, reached as high as 5.07 t ha<sup>-1 </sup>in this study. The conventional tillage, without residue cover, was proven as unsustainable agro-technical practice in the study area.</p><p><strong>Key words: straw mulch, </strong>rainfall simulation, soil water erosion</p><p><strong>Acknowledgment</strong></p><p>This work was supported by Croatian Science Foundation through the project "Soil erosion and degradation in Croatia" (UIP-2017-05-7834) (SEDCRO).</p><p><strong>Literature</strong></p><p>Bogunovic, I., Pereira, P., Kisic, I., Sajko, K., Sraka, M. (2018). Tillage management impacts on soil compaction, erosion and crop yield in Stagnosols (Croatia). Catena, 160, 376-384.</p><p>Kisic, I., Bogunovic, I., Birkás, M., Jurisic, A., Spalevic, V. (2017). The role of tillage and crops on a soil loss of an arable Stagnic Luvisol. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science, 63(3), 403-413.</p>

scholarly journals Assessment of pedotransfer functions for estimating soil water retention curves for the amazon region

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 730-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Carlos Medeiros ◽  
Miguel Cooper ◽  
Jaqueline Dalla Rosa ◽  
Michel Grimaldi ◽  
Yves Coquet
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Direct Determination ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Pedotransfer Functions ◽  
Water Retention Curve ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Soil Water Retention Curve ◽  
Soil Water Retention

Knowledge of the soil water retention curve (SWRC) is essential for understanding and modeling hydraulic processes in the soil. However, direct determination of the SWRC is time consuming and costly. In addition, it requires a large number of samples, due to the high spatial and temporal variability of soil hydraulic properties. An alternative is the use of models, called pedotransfer functions (PTFs), which estimate the SWRC from easy-to-measure properties. The aim of this paper was to test the accuracy of 16 point or parametric PTFs reported in the literature on different soils from the south and southeast of the State of Pará, Brazil. The PTFs tested were proposed by Pidgeon (1972), Lal (1979), Aina & Periaswamy (1985), Arruda et al. (1987), Dijkerman (1988), Vereecken et al. (1989), Batjes (1996), van den Berg et al. (1997), Tomasella et al. (2000), Hodnett & Tomasella (2002), Oliveira et al. (2002), and Barros (2010). We used a database that includes soil texture (sand, silt, and clay), bulk density, soil organic carbon, soil pH, cation exchange capacity, and the SWRC. Most of the PTFs tested did not show good performance in estimating the SWRC. The parametric PTFs, however, performed better than the point PTFs in assessing the SWRC in the tested region. Among the parametric PTFs, those proposed by Tomasella et al. (2000) achieved the best accuracy in estimating the empirical parameters of the van Genuchten (1980) model, especially when tested in the top soil layer.

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