scholarly journals Within-Storm Rainfall Distribution Effect on Soil Erosion Rate

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. I. Ahmed ◽  
R. P. Rudra ◽  
B. Gharabaghi ◽  
K. Mackenzie ◽  
W. T. Dickinson
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Erosion Rate ◽  
Rainfall Intensity ◽  
Silica Sand ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Rainfall Distribution ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
Loam Soil

This study investigates the effect of rainfall temporal distribution pattern within a storm event on soil erosion rate and the possibility of using rain power type model for rainfall erosivity. Various rainfall distribution patterns, simulated by rainfall simulator, were used on 1.0 m2 plot of silica sand and loam soil with a minimum of three replications. The results show that the soil erosion rates spiked following every sharp increase in rainfall intensity followed by a gradual decline to a steady erosion rate. Transient effects resulted in the soil erosion rates for an oscillatory rainfall distribution to be more than two fold higher than those obtained for a steady-state rainfall intensity event with same duration and same average rainfall intensity. The 3-parameter and 4-parameter rain power models were developed for a process-based measure of rainfall erosivity. The 4 parameter model yielded better match with the observed data and predicted soil erosion rates more accurately for silica sand under all rainfall distributions, and good results for loam soil under low intensity rainfall. More research is necessary to improve the accuracy of soil erosion prediction models for a wider range of rainfall distributions.

scholarly journals Assessment of soil erosion vulnerability in the heavily populated and ecologically fragile communities in Motozintla de Mendoza, Chiapas, Mexico

Solid Earth ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 745-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selene B. González-Morales ◽  
Alex Mayer ◽  
Neptalí Ramírez-Marcial
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Erosion Rate ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Sierra Madre Del Sur ◽  
Level Of Motivation

Abstract. Variability in physical rates and local knowledge of soil erosion was assessed across six rural communities in the Sierra Madre del Sur, Chiapas, Mexico. The average erosion rate estimated using the RUSLE model is 274 t ha−1 yr−1, with the estimated erosion rates ranging from 28 to 717 t ha−1 yr−1. These very high erosion rates are associated with high rainfall erosivity (17 000 MJ mm ha−1 h−1 yr−1) and steep slopes (mean slope  =  67 %). Many of the highest soil erosion rates are found in communities that are dominated by forestland, but where most of the tree cover has been removed. Conversely, lower erosion rates are often found where corn is cultivated for most of the year. According to the results of the soil erosion KAP (knowledge, attitude and practices) survey, awareness of the concept of soil erosion was reasonably high in all of the communities, but awareness of the causes of erosion was considerably lower. More than half of respondents believed that reforestation is a viable option for reducing soil erosion, but only a third of respondents were currently implementing reforestation practices. Another third of the respondents indicated that they were not following any soil conservation practices. Respondents indicated that adoption of government reforestation efforts have been hindered by the need to clear their land to sell forest products or cultivate corn. Respondents also mentioned the difficulties involved with obtaining favorable tree stocks for reforestation. The KAP results were used to assess the overall level of motivation to solve soil erosion problems by compiling negative responses. The relationship between the magnitude of the soil erosion problem and the capacity to reduce soil erosion is inconsistent across the communities. One community, Barrio Vicente Guerrero, had the highest average negative response rate and the second highest soil erosion rate, indicating that this community is particularly vulnerable.

scholarly journals Assessment of Soil Erosion at Multiple Spatial Scales Following Land Use Changes in 1980-2017 in the Black Soil Region, (NE) China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Fang ◽  
Zemeng Fan
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Erosion Rate ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate

Impact of land use and land cover (LULC) change on soil erosion is still imperfectly understood, especially in northeastern China (NEC). Based on the Revised Universal Loss Equation (RUSLE), the variability of soil erosion at different spatial scales following land use changes in1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2017 was analyzed. The regionally spatial patterns of soil loss coincided with the topography, rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, and use patterns, and around 45% soil loss came from arable land. Regionally, soil erosion rates increased from 1980 to 2010 and decreased from 2010 to 2017, ranging from 3.91 to 4.45 t ha-1 yr-1 with an average of 4.22 t ha-1 yr-1 in 1980-2017. The rates of soil erosion less than 1.41 t ha-1 yr-1 decreased from 1980 to 2010, and increased from 2010 to 2017, and opposite changing patterns occurred in higher erosion classes (i.e., above 5 t ha-1 yr-1). At a provincial scale, Liaoning Province experienced the highest soil erosion rate of 9.43 t ha-1 yr-1, followed by Jilin Province, the east Inner Mongolia, and Heilongjing Province. Arable land continuously increased at the expense of forest in the high-elevation and steep-slope areas from 1980 to 2010, and decreased from 2010 to 2017, resulting in increased areas with erosion rates higher than 7.05 t ha-1 yr-1. At a county scale, around 75% of the countries had soil erosion rate higher than its tolerance level. The county numbers with higher erosion rate increased in 1980-2010 and decreased in 2010- 2017, resulting from the sprawl and withdrawal of arable land. The results indicate that appropriate policies can control soil loss through limiting arable land sprawl in areas of unfavorable regions in the NEC.

scholarly journals Assessment of Soil Erosion Vulnerability in the Heavily Populated and Ecologically Fragile Communities in Motozintla De Mendoza, Chiapas, Mexico

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selene B. González-Morales ◽  
Alex Mayer ◽  
Neptalí Ramírez-Marcial
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Erosion Rate ◽  
Negative Response ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Kap Survey ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
Steep Slopes ◽  
Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

Abstract. The physical aspects and knowledge of soil erosion in six communities in rural Chiapas, Mexico were assessed. Average erosion rates estimated with the RUSLE model ranged from 200 to 1,200 ha−1 yr−1. Most erosion rates are relatively high due to steep slopes, sandy soils and bare land cover. The lowest rates occur where corn is cultivated for much of the year and slopes are relatively low. The results of a knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) survey showed that two-thirds of respondents believed that the major cause of soil erosion was hurricanes or rainfall and only 14 % of respondents identified human activities as causes of erosion. Forty-two percent of respondents indicated that the responsibility for solving soil erosion problems lies with government, as opposed to 26 % indicating that the community is responsible. More than half of respondents believed that reforestation is a viable option for reducing soil erosion, but only a third of respondents were currently applying reforestation practices and another one-third indicated that they were not following any conservation practices. The KAP results were used to assess the overall level of knowledge and interest in soil erosion problems and their solutions by compiling negative responses. The community of Barrio Vicente Guerrero may be most vulnerable to soil erosion, since it had the highest average negative response and the second highest soil erosion rate. However, Poblado Cambil had the highest estimated soil erosion rate and a relatively low average negative response rate, suggesting that soil conservation efforts should be prioritized for this community. We conclude that as long as the economic and productive needs of the communities are not solved simultaneously, the risk of soil erosion will increase in the future, which threatens the survival of these communities.

scholarly journals Estimation of soil loss using remote sensing and GIS-based universal soil loss equation in northern catchment of Lake Tana Sub-basin, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Northwest Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veera Narayana Balabathina ◽  
R. P. Raju ◽  
Wuletaw Mulualem ◽  
Gedefaw Tadele
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Erosion Rate ◽  
Soil Erodibility ◽  
Lake Tana ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Soil Loss Equation

Abstract Background Soil erosion is one of the major environmental challenges and has a significant impact on potential land productivity and food security in many highland regions of Ethiopia. Quantifying and identifying the spatial patterns of soil erosion is important for management. The present study aims to estimate soil erosion by water in the Northern catchment of Lake Tana basin in the NW highlands of Ethiopia. The estimations are based on available data through the application of the Universal Soil Loss Equation integrated with Geographic Information System and remote sensing technologies. The study further explored the effects of land use and land cover, topography, soil erodibility, and drainage density on soil erosion rate in the catchment. Results The total estimated soil loss in the catchment was 1,705,370 tons per year and the mean erosion rate was 37.89 t ha−1 year−1, with a standard deviation of 59.2 t ha−1 year−1. The average annual soil erosion rare for the sub-catchments Derma, Megech, Gumara, Garno, and Gabi Kura were estimated at 46.8, 40.9, 30.9, 30.0, and 29.7 t ha−1 year−1, respectively. Based on estimated erosion rates in the catchment, the grid cells were divided into five different erosion severity classes: very low, low, moderate, high and extreme. The soil erosion severity map showed about 58.9% of the area was in very low erosion potential (0–1 t ha−1 year−1) that contributes only 1.1% of the total soil loss, while 12.4% of the areas (36,617 ha) were in high and extreme erosion potential with erosion rates of 10 t ha−1 year−1 or more that contributed about 82.1% of the total soil loss in the catchment which should be a high priority. Areas with high to extreme erosion severity classes were mostly found in Megech, Gumero and Garno sub-catchments. Results of Multiple linear regression analysis showed a relationship between soil erosion rate (A) and USLE factors that soil erosion rate was most sensitive to the topographic factor (LS) followed by the support practice (P), soil erodibility (K), crop management (C) and rainfall erosivity factor (R). Barenland showed the most severe erosion, followed by croplands and plantation forests in the catchment. Conclusions Use of the erosion severity classes coupled with various individual factors can help to understand the primary processes affecting erosion and spatial patterns in the catchment. This could be used for the site-specific implementation of effective soil conservation practices and land use plans targeted in erosion-prone locations to control soil erosion.

Evaluation of changes in soil erosion rates in Andalucia between 1990 and 2018

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filippo Milazzo ◽  
Tom Vanwalleghem ◽  
Pilar Fernández, Rebollo ◽  
Jesus Fernández-Habas
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
Management Changes ◽  
Soil Erosion By Water

<p>Land use and land management changes impact significantly on soil erosion rates. The Mediterranean, and in particular Southern Spain, has been affected by important shifts in the last decades. This area is currently identified as a hotspot for soil erosion by water. In the effort to achieve the SDG Target 15, we aim to show the effect of land management change, assessing soil erosion rate based on historical data. We analyzed the evolution of land use from historical aerial photographs between 1990 and 2018. We then calculated soil erosion with RUSLE. For this, we first determined the distribution frequency of cover-management factors for each land use class, comparing current land use maps with the European Soil Erosion Map (Panagos et al., 2015). Past C factors where then assigned using a Monte Carlo approach, based on the obtained frequency distributions. </p>

scholarly journals Soil erosion risk assessment: a case study of the Jos Plateau, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
pp. 109-117
Author(s):  
Ayodele Owonubi
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Vegetation Coverage ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Entire Area ◽  
Jos Plateau ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates

Soil erosion is a treat to global food security. The objective of this study was to evaluate factors influencing erosion on the arable lands of the Jos Plateau; and to estimate the extent of soil erosion in the area. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model was used to evaluate soil erosion processes in the study area. This was facilitated with the aid of Geographic Information System Both for Interpolation and Geospatial analysis. Soil data from field survey was the primary source of data for analysis of soil erodibility. Topographic factor was determined from 90-meter elevation data. Rainfall erosivity was determined from rainfall data at 1 kilometer resolution. Whereas vegetation cover factor was determined from Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. Results of the study indicate that rainfall erosivity values were remarkably high and have mean values of 5117MJ.mm/ ha.h.y. Analysis of percent areal coverage indicate that the entire area had 52, 34, 7, and 7% low, moderate, high and very high topographic factors respectively. Further analysis indicate that anthropogenic factors had severely affected vegetation coverage of the Jos plateau, especially on the arable lands. Furthermore, during this research, the mean annual actual and potential soil erosion rates were estimated spatially over the Jos Plateau area. Soil erosion rates were far more than tolerable rates thereby affecting soil fertility and productivity.

scholarly journals Investigation of the effect of anthropogenic land use on the Pănăzii Lake (Romania) catchment area using Cs-137 and Pb-210 radionuclides

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0251603
Author(s):  
Robert-Csaba Begy ◽  
Codrin F. Savin ◽  
Szabolcs Kelemen ◽  
Daniel Veres ◽  
Octavian-Liviu Muntean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Sedimentation Rate ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Gamma Spectroscopy ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
Lake Catchment

The problem of soil degradation has accentuated over recent decades. Aspects related to soil erosion and its relation to changes in land use as well as anthropogenic influence constitute a topic of great interest. The current study is focused on a soil erosion assessment in relation to land use activities in the Pănăzii Lake catchment area. Fallout radionuclides were used to provide information on soil erosion as well as redistribution rates and patterns. Variations in the sedimentation rate of the lake were also investigated as these reflect periods in which massive erosion events occurred in the lake catchment area. The novelty of this study is the construction of a timescale with regard to the soil erosion events to better understand the relationship between soil erosion and land use activities. In this study, 10 soil profiles and one sediment core from the lake were taken. Soil parameters were determined for each sample. The activities of 210Pb, 137Cs and 226Ra were measured by gamma spectroscopy. For low 210Pb activities, measurements via 210Po using an alpha spectrometer were performed. Soil erosion rates were determined by the 137Cs method and the sedimentation rate calculated by the Constant Rate of Supply (CRS) model. A soil erosion rate of 13.5 t·ha-1·yr-1 was obtained. Three distinct periods could be observed in the evolution of the sedimentation rate. For the first period, between 1880 and 1958, the average deposition rate was 9.2 tons/year, followed by a high deposition period (1960–1991) of 29.6 tons/year and a third period, consisting of the last 30 years, during which the sedimentation rate was 15.7 tons/year. These sedimentation rates fluctuated depending on the main land use activity, which can also be seen in the soil erosion rates that had almost doubled by the time agricultural activities were performed in the area.

scholarly journals Soil aggregation, erodibility and erosion rates in mountain soils (NW-Alps, Italy)

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-212
Author(s):  
S. Stanchi ◽  
G. Falsone ◽  
E. Bonifacio
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Erosion Rate ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Soil Erodibility ◽  
Stability Parameters ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Relevant Effect ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
Aggregate Loss

Abstract. Erosion is a relevant soil degradation factor in mountain agrosilvopastoral ecosystems, and can be enhanced by the abandonment of agricultural land and pastures, then left to natural evolution. The on-site and off-site consequences of soil erosion at the catchment and landscape scale are particularly relevant and may affect settlements at the interface with mountain ecosystems. RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) estimates of soil erosion consider, among others, the soil erodibility factor (K), which depends on properties involved in structure and aggregation. A relationship between soil erodibility and aggregation is therefore expected. Erosion is however expected to limit the development of soil structure, hence aggregates should not only be related to erodibility but also mirror soil erosion rates. We investigated the relationships between aggregate stability and the RUSLE erodibility and erosion rate in a mountain watershed at the interface with settlements, characterized by two different land use types (pasture and forest). Soil erodibility was in agreement with the aggregate stability parameters, i.e. the most erodible soils in terms of K values also displayed weaker aggregation. However, estimating K from aggregate loss showed that forest soils always had negative residuals, while the opposite happened for pastures. A good relationship between RUSLE soil erosion rates and aggregate stability occurred in pastures, while no relationship was visible in forests. Several hypotheses for this behavior were discussed. A relevant effect of the physical protection of the organic matter by the aggregates that cannot be considered in K computation was finally hypothesized in the case of pastures, while in forests soil erodibility seemed to keep trace of past erosion and depletion of finer particles. In addition, in forests, the erosion rate estimate was particularly problematic likely because of a high spatial variability of litter properties. Considering the relevance and extension of agrosilvopastoral ecosystems partly left to natural colonization, further studies might improve the understanding of the relationship among erosion, erodibility and structure.

Spatial variability of 137Cs-drived total soil erosion rate and its driving factors at regional scale: a meta-analysis in China’s Loess Plateau

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Hu ◽  
Yihe Lü ◽  
Bojie Fu ◽  
Alexis J Comber ◽  
Lianhai Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Profile ◽  
Erosion Rate ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Profile Distribution ◽  
Tracing Method

<p>Soil erosion, contributing to land degradation, was identified as an essential driving factor for the evolution of Earth’s critical zone. Although runoff plots along the slope and weirs on river valleys are often used to monitor short-term soil and water loss, it is usually difficult to evaluate the long-term soil loss rates across spatial scales. The <sup>137</sup>Cs tracer can effectively measure the long-term soil erosion rates but its capability to quantify regional soil erosion characteristics and the driving mechanisms remains a big challenge. To deal with this gap, we integrated and synthesized 61 peer-reviewed articles of soil erosion research by using <sup>137</sup>Cs tracer methods in the Loess Plateau of China to reveal the regional variability of soil erosion and the effects of land uses on (a) reference <sup>137</sup>Cs inventory, (b) <sup>137</sup>Cs soil profile distribution and (c) <sup>137</sup>Cs-derived total measured erosion rate. The results showed that reference <sup>137</sup>Cs inventory range from 900 to 1750 Bq/m<sup>2</sup> with a mean value of 1351 Bq/m<sup>2</sup>. The reference <sup>137</sup>Cs inventory decreased significantly with the increase of latitude and longitude (p<0.001), while it didn’t change obviously with the mean annual precipitation and temperature. The assumption of <sup>137</sup>Cs tracing method was supported by <sup>137</sup>Cs soil profile distribution under tillage and un-disturbed land. Tillage land was considered to have uniform distribution in soil profile and a similar exponential distribution of <sup>137</sup>Cs content can be found in terrace and no-tillage land. Furthermore, <sup>137</sup>Cs loss percent had a significant positive relationship with soil erosion rate (p<0.001). Average long-term soil erosion rate of cropland was more than 15000 t/(km<sup>2</sup>·a) and significantly higher than no-tillage land (5462.52 t/(km<sup>2</sup>·a) including that of grassland (3890.86 t/(km<sup>2</sup>·a)), forest (>6000 t/(km<sup>2</sup>·a)), and terrace (<5000 t/(km<sup>2</sup>·a)) (p<0.001). The average long-term soil erosion rate of cropland presented high spatial variability and loess hill and gully region had significantly higher average long-term soil erosion rate on cropland due to the coupling effects between heavy rainfall and steep slope. Appropriate reference sites and soil erosion conversion models were important factors for accurately quantifying the long-term soil erosion while the variation of climate, land uses, and geomorphic types had significant impacts on the spatial distribution of erosion rates. Our study can facilitate the understanding of the <sup>137</sup>Cs tracing method for long-term soil erosion rate and its spatial pattern, which can be supportive for soil and water conservation planning and relevant policy-making.</p>

scholarly journals Improving the global applicability of the RUSLE model – adjustment of the topographical and rainfall erosivity factors

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 2893-2913 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Naipal ◽  
C. Reick ◽  
J. Pongratz ◽  
K. Van Oost
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Large Spatial Scale ◽  
Rusle Model ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Coarse Resolution ◽  
Soil Erosion Rates ◽  
The Usa

Abstract. Large uncertainties exist in estimated rates and the extent of soil erosion by surface runoff on a global scale. This limits our understanding of the global impact that soil erosion might have on agriculture and climate. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model is, due to its simple structure and empirical basis, a frequently used tool in estimating average annual soil erosion rates at regional to global scales. However, large spatial-scale applications often rely on coarse data input, which is not compatible with the local scale on which the model is parameterized. Our study aims at providing the first steps in improving the global applicability of the RUSLE model in order to derive more accurate global soil erosion rates. We adjusted the topographical and rainfall erosivity factors of the RUSLE model and compared the resulting erosion rates to extensive empirical databases from the USA and Europe. By scaling the slope according to the fractal method to adjust the topographical factor, we managed to improve the topographical detail in a coarse resolution global digital elevation model. Applying the linear multiple regression method to adjust rainfall erosivity for various climate zones resulted in values that compared well to high resolution erosivity data for different regions. However, this method needs to be extended to tropical climates, for which erosivity is biased due to the lack of high resolution erosivity data. After applying the adjusted and the unadjusted versions of the RUSLE model on a global scale we find that the adjusted version shows a global higher mean erosion rate and more variability in the erosion rates. Comparison to empirical data sets of the USA and Europe shows that the adjusted RUSLE model is able to decrease the very high erosion rates in hilly regions that are observed in the unadjusted RUSLE model results. Although there are still some regional differences with the empirical databases, the results indicate that the methods used here seem to be a promising tool in improving the applicability of the RUSLE model at coarse resolution on a global scale.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document