Supplementary material to "Deforestation effects on soil erosion rates and soil physicochemical properties in Iran: a case study of using fallout radionuclides in a Chernobyl contaminated area"

Abstract. Deforestation for farming and grazing purposes has become a global challenge. To study the impact of deforestation on soil erosion rates and soil physicochemical properties, Zarivar Lake watershed, Kurdestan Province, Iran, was selected. Converting the steep hillslopes naturally under oak forest to rainfed vineyards has been one of the most common land-use changes in the area. We used 137Cs and 210Pbex radionuclides and quantified the Chernobyl-derived 137Cs fallout with 239+240Pu. The soil samples were collected from two adjacent and similar hillslopes, one of which is under natural forest, while the other is under rainfed vineyard. Using 137Cs/239+240Pu rates and a simple unmixing of the 137Cs sources indicated that 50.2 ± 10.0 % of 137Cs was Chernobyl-derived. The mean reference inventory values of 137Cs, 210Pbex, and 239+240Pu were estimated to be at 6152 ± 1266, 6079 ± 1511, and 135 ± 31 Bq m−2, respectively. At the forested hillslope, net soil erosion rates based on 137Cs, and 210Pbex, techniques were estimated to be at 5.0 and 5.9 Mg ha−1 yr−1, respectively, resulting in Sediment Delivery Ratios (SDRs) of 96 and 70 %. However, at the vineyard hillslope, the net soil redistribution rates were at 25.9 and 32.5 Mg ha−1 yr−1 for 137Cs and 210Pbex, respectively, resulting in respective SDRs of around 95 and 92 %. Both 137Cs and 210Pbex indicated that as a result of deforestation, soil erosion has increased by approximately five times. Percolation Stabilities (PS) in forest and vineyard topsoil are about 309 and 160 gr H2O 600 s−1 classified as rapid and moderate PSs, respectively. Rapid PS in forest soil implies high aggregate stability, whereas moderate PS in vineyard soils indicates that they are generally weakly-structured. All in all, the results of the present study revealed that deforestation and converting natural vegetation to cropland prompted soil loss and deteriorated physicochemical properties of the soil.

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Tracing erosion rates in loess landscape of the Trzebnica Hills (Poland) over time using fallout and cosmogenic nuclides

Journal of Soils and Sediments ◽

10.1007/s11368-021-02996-x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Aleksandra Loba ◽

Jarosław Waroszewski ◽

Dmitry Tikhomirov ◽

Fancesca Calitri ◽

Marcus Christl ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Temporal Trends ◽

Short Term ◽

Undisturbed Soil ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

Erosion Processes ◽

Fallout Radionuclides ◽

Soil Erosion Rates

Abstract Purpose Loess landscapes are highly susceptible to soil erosion, which affects soil stability and productivity. Erosion is non-linear in time and space and determines whether soils form or degrade. While the spatial variability of erosion is often assessed by either modelling or on-site measurements, temporal trends over decades to millennia are very often lacking. In this study, we determined long- and short-term erosion rates to trace the dynamics of loess deposits in south-western Poland. Materials and methods We quantified long-term (millennial) erosion rates using cosmogenic (in situ 10Be) and short-term (decadal) rates with fallout radionuclides (239+240Pu). Erosion processes were studied in two slope-soil transects (12 soil pits) with variable erosion features. As a reference site, an undisturbed soil profile under natural forest was sampled. Results and discussion The long-term erosion rates ranged between 0.44 and 0.85 t ha−1 year−1, whereas the short-term erosion rates varied from 1.2 to 10.9 t ha−1 year−1 and seem to be reliable. The short-term erosion rates are up to 10 times higher than the long-term rates. The soil erosion rates are quite consistent with the terrain relief, with erosion increasing in the steeper slope sections and decreasing in the lower parts of the slope, while still maintaining high values. Conclusions Soil erosion rates have increased during the last few decades owing to agriculture intensification and probably climate change. The measured values lie far above tolerable erosion rates, and the soils were found to be strongly imbalanced and exhibit a drastic shallowing of the productive soils horizons.

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Soil erosion rates in tropical villages: A case study from Lake Victoria Basin, Uganda

CATENA ◽

10.1016/j.catena.2010.10.001 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 84 (3) ◽

pp. 89-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

A. De Meyer ◽

J. Poesen ◽

M. Isabirye ◽

J. Deckers ◽

D. Raes

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Lake Victoria ◽

Lake Victoria Basin ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

Soil Erosion Rates

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Quantification of soil erosion (using 239+240Pu) on periglacial chronosequences reveals the importance of vegetation cover in soil stabilisation

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-10832 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Alessandra Musso ◽

Michael E. Ketterer ◽

Konrad Greinwald ◽

Clemens Geitner ◽

Markus Egli

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Vegetation Cover ◽

Swiss Alps ◽

Vegetation Coverage ◽

Vegetation Development ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

Fallout Radionuclides ◽

Soil Stabilisation ◽

Soil Erosion Rates ◽

Chemical Soil

High mountainous areas are are strongly shaped by redistribution processes of sediments and soils. Due to the projected climate warming and the continued retreat of glaciers in the 21st century, we can expect the area of newly exposed, highly erodible sediments and soils to increase. While soil and vegetation development is increasingly well understood and quantified, it has rarely been coupled to soil erosion. The aim of this study was to assess how soil erosion rates change with surface age. We investigated two moraine chronosequences in the Swiss Alps which were situated in a siliceous and calcareous lithology and spanned over 30 &#8211; 10&#8217;000 yrs and 110 &#8211; 13&#8217;500 yrs, respectively. We used 239+240Pu fallout radionuclides to quantify the average soil erosion rates over the last 60 years and compared them to physico&#8722;chemical soil properties and the vegetation coverage. At both chronosequences, the erosion rates were highest in the young soils. The erosion rates decreased markedly after 3&#8722;5 ka of soil development to reach a more or less stable situation after 10&#8722;14 ka. This decrease &#160;goes hand in hand with the development of a closed vegetation cover. We conclude that depending on the relief and vegetational development, it takes up to at least 10 ka to reach soil stability. The establishment of a closed vegetation cover with dense root networks appears to be the controlling factor in the reduction of soil erodibility in periglacial areas.

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Plough marks as a tool to assess soil erosion rates: A case study in Axum (Ethiopia)

CATENA ◽

10.1016/j.catena.2008.04.005 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 75 (1) ◽

pp. 18-27 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

R. Ciampalini ◽

P. Billi ◽

G. Ferrari ◽

L. Borselli

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

Soil Erosion Rates

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Geospatial technology for prioritization of Koyna River basin of India based on soil erosion rates using different approaches

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-021-13155-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tarate Suryakant Bajirao ◽

Pravendra Kumar

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

River Basin ◽

Geospatial Technology ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

Soil Erosion Rates

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The application of137Cs and210Pbexmethods in soil erosion research of Titel loess plateau, Vojvodina, Northern Serbia

Open Geosciences ◽

10.1515/geo-2020-0002 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 11-24

Author(s):

Kristina S. Kalkan ◽

Sofija Forkapić ◽

Slobodan B. Marković ◽

Kristina Bikit ◽

Milivoj B. Gavrilov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Loess Plateau ◽

Alternative Methods ◽

Delivery Ratio ◽

Undisturbed Soil ◽

Migration Model ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

Soil Erosion Rates ◽

Profile Distribution ◽

And Migration

AbstractSoil erosion is one of the largest global problems of environmental protection and sustainable development, causing serious land degradation and environmental deterioration. The need for fast and accurate soil rate assessment of erosion and deposition favors the application of alternative methods based on the radionuclide measurement technique contrary to long-term conventional methods. In this paper, we used gamma spectrometry measurements of 137Cs and unsupported 210Pbex in order to quantify the erosion on the Titel Loess Plateau near the Tisa (Tisza) River in the Vojvodina province of Serbia. Along the slope of the study area and in the immediate vicinity eight representative soil depth profiles were taken and the radioactivity content in 1 cm thick soil layers was analyzed. Soil erosion rates were estimated according to the profile distribution model and the diffusion and migration model for undisturbed soil. The net soil erosion rates, estimated by 137Cs method range from −2.3 t ha−1 yr−1 to −2.7 t ha−1 yr−1, related to the used conversion model which is comparable to published results of similar studies of soil erosion in the region. Vertical distribution of natural radionuclides in soil profiles was also discussed and compared with the profile distribution of unsupported 210Pbex measurements. The use of diffusion and migration model to convert the results of 210Pbex activities to soil redistribution rates indicates a slightly higher net erosion of −3.7 t ha−1 yr−1 with 98% of the sediment delivery ratio.

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Assessing Changes in Soil Erosion Rates: A Markov Chain Analysis

Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics ◽

10.1017/s1074070800008877 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 611-622 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rhonda Skaggs ◽

Soumen Ghosh

Keyword(s):

Markov Chain ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Great Plains ◽

Markov Chain Analysis ◽

Conservation Policies ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

National Resources Inventory ◽

Long Run ◽

Chain Analysis ◽

Soil Erosion Rates

AbstractMarkov chain analysis (one-step and long-run) is applied to the National Resources Inventory (NRI) database to evaluate changes in wind-based soil erosion rates over time. The research compares changes in soil erosion rates between NRI sample sites with and without applied conservation practices for a random sample of Great Plains counties. No significant differences between sites are found for half of the counties evaluated. The effectiveness and efficiency of conservation policies are thus questioned in light of these research results.

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