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Plateau dunes are unique landforms which formed as erosion relicts in blow-out areas in Late Pleistocene sandy deposits. They are negative forms in contrast to normal dunes where sand is accumulated (positive form). Plateau dunes are located in the European Aeolian Sand Belt in the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark and they are flat-topped features with a bog in the central part often covered by a thin aeolian sand layer. A conceptual model of formation and further development of plateau dunes in time are presented in detail, using 14C dates of buried peat layers and OSL dates of sandy sediments. Special focus is on the influence of climate factors, pedology, and human activity on the formation of plateau dunes.

Although road erosion represents a threat to downstream water resources in many geographical and land use settings, limited evidence exists on the importance of road cutslopes in actively cultivated tropical areas. This study monitored erosion rates from untreated cutslopes and those treated by slope reduction and coir erosion control blankets within the coffee-growing area of western Puerto Rico. Cutslope erosion was inversely related to vegetation cover and averaged 175 Mg ha−1 yr−1, which is up to almost three times greater than unpaved roadbed erosion previously documented for the area. Road density within the study farm is high (44 km km−2) and cutslopes represent almost as much erodible surface area as roadbeds (each ∼14% of the entire actively cultivated farm area). Cutslopes account for 22 – 39% of the 15 – 27 Mg ha−1 yr−1 sediment production rate at the farm scale and induce a net loss of 0.35 ha of potentially cultivable surface area every 25 years. The implemented erosion control practices proved to be very effective and reduced erosion to only ∼3% of untreated conditions. Application of mitigation methods to 13% of the existing cutslopes reduced farm-scale erosion rates to ∼70% of pre-mitigation levels. These findings highlight the need to attend road cutslope erosion in any attempts to reduce the impacts of marginal agricultural lands on soil erosion and water resources in Puerto Rico and elsewhere.

Soil erosion can cause a progressive degradation of hillslopes, especially in steep-slope agricultural landscapes. In this study, the formation of spatial erosion patterns was evaluated in three typical steep-slope vineyard cultivation practices in northern Italy: dry-stone wall terraces, earth bank terraces and vertical cultivation (Italian: rittochino). UAV surveys in three vineyards provided high-resolution data on topography and land use serving as input for two GIS-based erosion models: the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and SIMulated Water Erosion model (SIMWE). Annual RUSLE simulations showed how the two terracing practices (i.e. dry-stone walls and earth banks) effectively safeguarded large areas from soil loss, whereas the non-terraced vertical cultivation produced widely distributed soil loss with increasing severity according to slope length and steepness. In intense single-event conditions simulated by SIMWE, all three practices showed the formation of critical preferential surface flow patterns, corresponding to several field-observed erosion patterns (piping of stone walls, landslides on earth banks, and rill erosion in the non-terraced vineyard), while also in this case showing the highest erosion rates for the non-terraced vertical cultivation. Simulated flow concentration was strongly determined by the spatial organisation of the hillslope, roads and vines, and several strategies were discussed for erosion mitigation (including drainage systems or enhanced soil cover). Furthermore, the results indicated that SIMWE is an optimal approach for the recognition of soil erosion processes occurring during intense rainfall conditions. This study provides an example of high-resolution erosion risk evaluation, which should play a crucial role in the design and management of steep-slope vineyards.

We investigated the effects of land use planning on reduction of soil erosion rate in the Gharesoo River Basin, Golestan Province, Iran. For this, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used in conjunction with Geographic Information System (GIS) to model potential soil erosion. The average potential soil erosion in the river basin was 18.65 t ha−1 yr−1, with a standard deviation of 33.88 t ha−1 yr−1. The severe and very severe erosion classes comprised 8% and 4% of the river basin, respectively. We found that all areas with severe and very severe erosion were located in agricultural land. Assessing the impacts of land use and slope confirmed importance of interaction between these factors in increasing soil erosion, especially in agricultural areas with steep slopes. We applied a land use planning to control and reduce soil erosion rate, with a specific focus on agricultural areas. For this purpose, the Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) and Multi-Objective Land Allocation (MOLA) were implemented for agriculture, urban and industrial development, and afforestation. We used the output land use map from MOLA in the RUSLE model. The results showed a significant reduction of average potential soil erosion equal to 25.6% (from 18.65 t ha−1 yr−1 to 13.86 t ha−1 yr−1) when the MOLA land use plan was followed. Also, the area impacted by severe and very severe erosion classes were reduced by 25.50% and 42.59%, respectively. The results of this research emphasized that implementation of land use planning in the Gharesoo River Basin is helpful in controlling soil erosion. The method presented in this study can be a basis for sustainable and comprehensive management of river basins.

Erosion, flood, and overflow events are frequently experienced due to changes in the land use in watersheds where human impacts are intensive. It is important to understand the effects of land use types on erosion at a watershed scale. This knowledge can then be used to manage soil and water resources in watersheds better. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of different land uses/covers on the surface runoff and soil loss by using a rainfall simulator in natural land conditions in the Niğde Akkaya Dam watershed with semi-arid conditions. For this purpose, 5 cultivated lands with different product patterns with similar conditions (apple orchard (A), potato cultivation area (P), bean cultivation area (B), clover cultivated land (CL), abandoned cultivated land (AB), plantation areas (cedar (C) and almond (AL)), and pasturelands covered with Thymus sp. (T), Agropyron sp. (AG) and Stipa sp. (S) were selected for the applications. The applications were carried out in two repetitions on circular test parcels of 0.28 m2 established in these lands. During the land applications, the characteristics of surface runoff (ponding time, surface runoff start time, average surface runoff rate, runoff coefficient) and the average sediment concentration in the surface runoff water were determined. The data obtained were evaluated by using the ANOVA, Duncan's test, and Pearson correlation analysis test and SPSS statistical program. The results of the study revealed that the surface runoff occurred in the abandoned cultivation area, bean cultivation area, potato cultivation area, and thyme-covered pastureland in a short time. The runoff coefficient values by the land cover are sorted from high to low as B > T > P > A > AB > AL > C > CL > S > AG. The sediment concentration in the runoff water is sorted from high to low as T > P > B > AB > AL > A > C > S. When the situation was evaluated in terms of the soil loss (erosion), it was concluded that the sorting is as P > T > A > AB > B > AL > C > S > CL. © 2017 Elsevier B.V., This study was financially supported by Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University Scientific Research Institute . Project Number is FEB2013/21 .

In South-Central Chile, slopes degraded by former erosion have been afforested with exotic tree species since the 1950s for erosion protection. From 1975 on, primary and secondary forests have increasingly been replaced by tree plantations. This practice is often justified by claiming plantations would similarly protect the soil from erosion, even on areas which used to be natural forest. We assessed if plantations offer a comparable level of erosion protection as the natural forests. A six-year-old Eucalyptus globulus (Labill.) plantation was compared to an adjacent secondary forest using soil profiles and erosion proxies, i.e. topsoil parameters linked to erosion and 137Cs inventories. These pointed to higher erosion in the plantation: the mean bulk density of the plantation was 22% higher compared to the forest site, the gravel content in the plantation was 61% higher, the organic matter content was 20% lower, the mean thickness of the litter layer was 2.2 cm lower and the total sand content was 20% higher. The soil loss of the plantation was estimated to be between 4.8 cm (mean profile truncation) and 6 cm (137Cs approach). These results clearly hint to the conclusion, that the tree plantations in South-Central Chile might promote soil erosion instead of preventing it. Thus, current land use management practices seem to impose erosion risks on Chilean soils raising concern about the sustainable development within the study site.

The effect of land use on erosion over space and time is relevant. In this study, two types of land-use management practices, the gully land consolidation (GLC) project and the land consolidation (LC) project, were applied on the Loess Plateau. Based on the soil erosion that occurred from 2010 to 2019, the spatial distribution, spatiotemporal evolution and susceptibility map of soil erosion were analyzed by geospatial analysis, statistical methods and frequency ratio (FR) models. The results showed that the implementation of the GLC project can have two effects on soil erosion. Firstly, a large amount of slope erosion was caused by slope excavation in the GLC watershed; secondly, the amount and scale of gully erosion were effectively controlled by hydraulic engineering. In addition, the unreasonable hydraulic engineering of the LC project can cause large areas of soil erosion. The influencing factors of gully erosion can be ranked as follows: reservoir > elevation > dam land > flow length > geology > LS. Three aspects of engineering optimization measures for the GLC project were proposed: 1. Slope excavation should be reduced, and diverse slope protections should be implemented in this project, especially for the bottom of the slope, which should adopt different measures than the top of the slope. 2. For trenches within 1.2 km of the gully head, more attention should focus on soil and water conservation measures than on land leveling. 3. Hydraulic engineering and irrigation and drainage engineering should effectively cooperate with leveling projects and adjust the applied measures to the local conditions and the natural shape of the original rivers. As a new land-use management approach, our results highlight that little is known about the effect of the GLC project on soil erosion, and our results can provide specific guidance for the next step of project implementation.

This paper addresses the timing of accelerated soil erosion and landscape degradation in central Mexico. It shows data on erosion sequences in the Valley of Teotihuacan, an area where agricultural dates back to at least since 1100 BCE, and an ideal setting to test ideas on the effect of preconquest versus post-conquest anthropogenic impacts on the environment. The methods include stratigraphy, detailed description of soil profiles and soil micromorphology, along with analysis of pottery sherds and radiocarbon dating. A chronology of events for two catenas, focusing on periods of landscape stability and change, establish the sequence of erosion events from pre-Hispanic to modern times. Six erosion phases are recognized over the last 2000 years in Teotihuacan. Although results suggest that the most intense erosion occurred after Spanish conquest, in the 16th century, several erosion phases took place during pre-Hispanic times and also in the postcolonial period, including the 20th century. Probable causes for these impacts are related to settlement dynamics, population variability, and land use changes. Thus, it provides new information for the discussion on the timing and causes of erosion, sedimentation and landscape modification in the central Mexican Highlands during the late Holocene.

Land area is dwindling due to degradation, both natural and anthropogenic, therefore, it is reasonable to save this important resource and put focus on achieving land degradation neutrality (LDN). An Investigation was taken to know the impact of erosion on soil physico-chemical and biological properties both in fertilized and unfertilized conditions in four phases of erosion viz., slightly eroded (0.5% slope), moderately eroded (2.5% slope), severely eroded (4.5% slope) and very severely eroded (9.5% slope). Productivity index (PI), vulnerability curve, soil loss tolerance limits (STL), soil quality index (SQI) and relative soil quality index (RSQI) were estimated for all phases of erosion. As the severity of erosion increases the soil quality and productivity index (PI) decreases. Very severely eroded soils have lower PI, SQI and RSQI as compared to slightly eroded soils. However, land use under fertilized condition have better soil quality with SQI value of 143.00 and 118.00 in slightly eroded and very severely eroded soils, respectively, compared to 126.00 and 106.00 in non-fertilized condition. Similarly, the productivity index ranged 0.748 in slightly eroded phase to 0.651 in severely eroded phase under fertilized condition. Compared to slightly eroded soil, severely and very severely eroded soils have lower microbial biomass carbon (MBC), CO2 evolution and dehydrogenase activities. Assessment of soil loss tolerance limit based on PI revealed that it ranged from 6.67 to 12.92 Mg ha−1 year−1 which implies that land degradation took place in the more eroded soils which needs higher priority in order to bringing these eroded land to degradation neutrality (LDN), and also requires suitable soil conservation interventions in different phases of erosion.

Changes in land use can result in soil erosion and the loss of soil organic carbon (SOC). However, the individual contribution of different land use types on SOC variability as well as the combined impacts of land use and soil erosion are still unclear. The aims of the present study were to: (1) evaluate soil erosion and SOC contents under different land use types, (2) identify the influences of soil depth and land use on SOC content, and (3) determine the contribution of land use and soil erosion on SOC variability. We assessed the SOC and total soil nitrogen (TSN) contents under three types of land use in the dry-hot valley in southern China. Caesium-137 (137Cs) and excess lead-210 (210Pbex) contents were also measured to determine soil-erosion rates. Land use was found to significantly affect soil erosion, and erosion rates were higher in orchard land (OL) relative to farmland (FL), which is in contrast with previous study results. SOC and TSN contents varied significantly between the three land use types, with highest values in forest land (FRL) and lowest values in OL. SOC was found to decrease with decreasing soil depth; the highest rate of reduction occurred in the reference site (RS), followed by FRL and FL. The interaction between soil erosion and land use significantly impacted SOC in the soil surface layer (0–12 cm); the direct impact of soil erosion accounted for 1.5% of the SOC variability, and the direct or indirect effects of land use accounted for the remainder of the variability. SOC content in deep soil was mainly affected by factors related to land uses (89.0%). This quantitative study furthers our understanding on the interactive mechanisms of land use and soil erosion on changes in soil organic carbon.

Land degradation and soil erosion are key environmental problems in Mediterranean mountains characterized by both a long history of human occupation, and strong seasonality of hydrological regimes. Experimental monitored catchments have identified main controlling factors on erosion dynamics, but because of the short time span of the instrumental measurements they do not integrate the complete temporal and spatial variability of these environments. To obtain some long-term series of Mediterranean landscape evolution we propose a novel strategy based on multi-proxy analyses of lake sediments aimed to quantify sediment delivery and erosion dynamics. Karstic lakes in the Iberian Range (Central Spain) provide an opportunity to reconstruct the depositional evolution of the watersheds and to evaluate the response to both, the variable anthropogenic impacts and climate forcings during the last 1000. years.The most significant periods of increased sediment delivery (26-483Tkm yr-1) in the Iberian Range sites took place during the 15th-16th and 18th-19th centuries as a result of large land use changes and land clearing. Positive synergies between increasing human population and more humid periods led to peaks in sediment deliver during some phases of the Little Ice Age. Recent changes associated with the rural exodus and land abandonment during mid-20th century are more clearly shown in larger watersheds by decreased sediment delivery to the lakes due to the re-vegetation of the landscape (6-200Tkm yr-1).This new integrated approach based on long-term lake sequences provides a longer perspective of erosion processes in Mediterranean watersheds and validates the main factors identified in monitoring surveys (land cover and surface formations erodibility). In both settings, lakes and experimental catchments, most sediment delivery occurs during flooding events. Measured and reconstructed values show comparable large ranges, underlying the punctuated nature of sediment dynamics in Mediterranean landscapes at decadal and centennial scales. © 2016 Elsevier B.V., This research was supported by the GLOBALKARST (CGL2009-08415) project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and by the I-LINK program (I-LINK0510) funded by the CSIC. F. Barreiro-Lostres acknowledges the ‘JAE-PreDoc’ predoctoral contract co-funded by C.S.I.C. and the European Social Fund.

Anthropogenic changes during the past 2000 years in the Teotihuacan Valley imply that intensity of soil degradation varies depending on the land management practices and the intensity of soil use. As a part of a broader effort to reconstruct erosion dynamics in the Teotihuacan Valley through geoarchaeological approaches, our study applies a process-based watershed hydrology and upland erosion model, the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP). The Geo-spatial interface for WEPP (GeoWEPP) was used to characterize locations of soil detachment and sediment deposition predicted in the watershed through time, based on current and reconstructed conditions in the valley. Climate, topography, soil and land use were used as inputs to WEPP to estimate surface runoff and soil loss rates for periods with different environmental and anthropogenic conditions: the Teotihuacan period (1–650 CE), the Aztec period (1325–1521 CE) and for modern times (after 1970 CE). Over a simulated and established timeframe for those periods, surface runoff and rate of soil loss were estimated to be higher during the Aztec period, when the area devoted to agriculture dominated the landscape. Land use change had a major impact on soil erosion. Comparison of the pre-Hispanic periods with current conditions shows that WEPP is useful in showing the roles of management and climate in environmental degradation. The results contribute to the scientific debate about the antiquity and causes of erosion in central Mexico. The research shows that land use is one of the foremost factors affecting soil erosion, both in ancient and modern periods, with particular impact during the Aztec period.

The aim of the study is to calculate and evaluate the changes in spatial distribution of soil erosion rates related to land use/cover changes and climate changes in the Sudetes Mts. within the last 150 years. Various methods were used, including GIS analysis of historical and contemporary land use/cover and climate data, spatial analysis of soil erosion modeling using RUSLE. Changes in spatial distribution of precipitation sums were estimated based on spatial deterministic-stochastic models (regression-kriging) applied to the measurement data from the entire Sudetes region in both analyzed periods. There was a pronounced increase in the area of forests and grasslands at the expenses of arable grounds due to depopulation and consequent land abandonment. These changes started already in the 1880s but they were intensified after World War II. On average soil erosion in the study area decreased by 76.2% (from 4.03 t ha− 1 y− 1 in the 19th century to present 0.96 t ha− 1 y− 1). However, the changes in erosion are highly diverse locally in the studied region with the maximum decrease of 8–16 t ha− 1 y− 1 on steep and higher slopes, which were transformed from arable grounds to forests and grasslands. While both land use and climate changes took place in the study area, changes in land use/cover have a much larger impact on calculated soil erosion rate than climate change. The abandonment of land and the development of spontaneous succession of vegetation limited soil erosion in a very effective way. The values obtained by RUSLE modeling were compared with other values of soil erosion from various field measurements in the Sudetes Mountains in order to evaluate the model. The measurements were based on the experimental plots and sediments stored within the agricultural terraces and in the water reservoirs of various sizes. While the specific sites show large differences in denudation rates, the mean contemporary erosion calculated from our model (0.06 mm y− 1) corresponds with the average rate of denudation, which was calculated for the entire Sudetes: 0.05–0.01 mm y− 1 (Jahn 1968).

Characteristics of soil erosion under extreme rainfall conditions are indicators of the ecological restoration measures as well as the rationality of land use patterns in the region. To this end, 12 dam-controlled catchments were selected for investigation after an extreme rainstorm event in the northern Shaanxi Province on 25–26 July 2017 (known as the “7.26” rainstorm). Soil erosion intensities in the 12 catchments were obtained by excavations of sedimentation profiles and sedimentation area measurements. Digital orthophoto maps and digital terrain models by unmanned aerial vehicle were generated to characterise land use types and areas, slope gradients, and the distance from the land to the boundary of dam-land along the flow accumulation path. Stepwise regression analysis was used to determine the main factors affecting catchment erosion intensity. Results showed that the average sedimentation thickness and overall soil erosion intensity across the 12 catchments ranged from 0.16 to 1.67 m and 10295–49227 t km−2, respectively. Soil erosion caused by the extreme rainstorm was 10–50 times of the soil loss tolerance on the Loess Plateau (1000 t km−2 year−1). Stepwise regression analysis revealed that the more similar the shape of a catchment to a circle, the closer the distance between the slope-cropland and dam-land, the larger the erosion modulus within the catchment. Furthermore, the presence of a cement road along the valley shoulder greatly reduced the modulus of soil erosion. These findings indicate that the existing ecological conditions in the dam-controlled catchments were not able to effectively resist erosion under the extreme rainfall conditions of this event. Thus, optimising the distribution of land use types within catchments should be a focus for soil erosion control.

Prolonged and intensive agricultural exploitation in the European territory of Russia has resulted in extensive soil erosion, which has led to anthropogenically induced degradation of arable land. The extensive agricultural development of the region stems from the presence of plains suitable for plowing, which feature fertile chernozem (Luvic Chernozems) and grey forest (Luvisols) soils. The majority of the land in the small river basins (70–80%) are plowed. In addition, this macroregion of Russia is the main agricultural territory that provides food for the entire country. The total arable area comprises approximately 600,000 km2. Approximately 95 million people, the majority of the population of Russia, live in this region. This research aims to provide a quantitative assessment of the soil lost by erosion in the arable lands of the macroregion using an USLE empirical mathematical model modified to suit the harsh climatic conditions of Russia. The calculation was performed using a raster model of the data that includes a model of the slope angle, slope length, soil erodibility, rainfall erosivity factor, water content of the snow, annual distribution of precipitation, and types of land use. The location of arable lands of the territory were determined by remote sensing measurements and the TerraNorteRLCv.3 (2014) map compiled by the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Science. For the first time, the intensity of soil erosion over periods of snowmelt and storm runoff, as well as the total annual soil loss, were determined for this territory at a regional scale (1:500,000). The results of these calculations were generalized for small river basins. For this generalization, we used a grid we had previously designed that features over 50,000 river basins.. The average soil erosion in the territory studied amounts to 4.04 t ha−1 year−1, considering the soil-protective coefficients of agricultural vegetation. In the annual soil loss by erosion, storm runoff erosion prevails at 3.78 t ha−1 year−1 and the erosion by snowmelt is considerably lower at only 0.26 t ha−1 year−1. As expected, due to the higher values of the relief (length-slope) factor, soil erosion increases from the lowland plains (3.65 t ha−1 year−1) to the high plains (5.38 t ha−1 year−1), peaking in the mountains (12.88 t ha−1 year−1). The rate of soil erosion of arable lands consistently decreases from the taiga and forest landscape subzone to the steppes. An east–west trending zone featuring the highest soil erosion was distinguished. This zone of high soil erosion coincides with the mixed and broad-leaved forests subzone, which is highly used for plowing. Moreover, a western longitudinal sector of high soil erosion that includes the forest and forest-steppe landscape zones was also determined.

We investigated the genesis and local response of soils in mountain sites of the Sila Massif (Calabria, southern Italy), reforested ca. 60 years ago, and their relationships with geomorphic dynamics and forest stand structure. A multidisciplinary approach is proposed, focused on an often neglected soil profile scale and horizon-wise sampling strategy, and including pedological field observations, physical, chemical, mineralogical analyses, isotope geochemistry including fallout radionuclides (137Cs and 210Pbex), geomorphology, historical documentation of anthropogenic land cover changes, forestry and dendrometric measurements. Reforestation was carried out following extreme land degradation, which took place after forest clearance and field cultivation. Different tree species and soil preparation techniques were used according to site conditions. We focused on the main properties of selected soil profiles and the distribution of some radionuclides, in order to understand the effects of forest stands on hampering soil erosion and promoting novel soil formation, and to evaluate the potential hazard of natural gamma radiation. A comparison with soil profiles developed under naturally regenerated forest and field crops was achieved. The soil profiles in reforested sites showed a poor degree of development and a complex history of reworking processes alternated with soil-formation processes, in line with modern to historical radiocarbon dates increasing downprofile, the presence of buried horizons and 137Cs in the topsoils. Inventory changes obtained for 210Pbex and 137Cs highlight a process of soil stabilization occurred after reforestation, with more efficient effects under Calabrian pine than oak forest, whereas major geomorphic dynamics (erosion and accumulation) were triggered by forest coppicing, thinning and agricultural practices. Our data remark a positive response of the soil ecosystem to reforestation against erosion, trapping mobile material, stabilizing buried soils, promoting humus accumulation leading to new shallow topsoils, and the protective role of forests against anthropogenic and climatic-induced threats. Average values of the annual outdoor effective dose equivalents of gamma-emitting radionuclides calculated for all the soil horizons showed lower values than the population-weighted world’s average, with the exception of the soil profiles under forest stands developed on granite, exceeding this threshold. A deeper comprehension of soil genesis, geomorphic processes, land use and vegetation dynamics in vulnerable ecosystems such as mountain environments represents a fundamental basis for sustainable land management policies.

Soil water content (SWC) with a deep profile is crucial to land use management, soil and water conservation, and ecological restoration worldwide, including the wind–water erosion crisscross region in the Critical Zone of the Chinese Loess Plateau. To ascertain the spatiotemporal variation of deep SWC and its response to land-use shifts in the region, the SWC was monitored at four representative land uses (farmland, shrubland, natural grassland, and planted grassland) to a depth of 21 m. Monitoring occurred between 2011 and 2015 in the Liudaogou watershed of the Chinese Loess Plateau. The Hydrus-1D model was then applied to simulate the SWC dynamics for the different land-use types and scenarios of land-use shifts. The SWC exhibited a high spatial variability in the vertical direction both within a given soil profile and among the different land uses. In the 0–2 m layer, the soil texture and root biomass controlled the spatial-temporal variability of the SWC. The temporal variability was also controlled by meteorological factors. In the 2–21 m layer, spatial variability was controlled by the soil texture, while soil texture and root biomass influenced the temporal variability of the SWC. The Hydrus-1D model accurately simulated spatiotemporal variations of SWC in the 0–21 m layer and was more effective on layers minimally influenced by weather. Land-use shifts from farmland with shallow-rooted plants to those with deep-rooted plants intensified soil water consumption in the 3.5–5 m layer. For best-management practices, appropriate plant species should be considered based on climatic conditions and SWC regimes. A better understanding of this information is useful for plant species selection, soil water resource utilization, and land use policymaking in the wind–water erosion crisscross region of the Critical Zone and other similar regions around the world.

The aim of this paper is to assess the impacts of projected climate change on a Mediterranean catchment, and to analyze the effects of a suite of representative land use practices as an adaptation tool to reduce climate change-driven erosion and hydrologic extremes. Relevant climatic variables from the ERA-Interim global atmospheric reanalysis of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) were downscaled for the study area, and perturbed with the anomalies of 23 global circulation models for three emission scenarios (B1, A1B and A2). Both a projected daily rainfall time series for the period 2010-2100, and a single precipitation event with a one-hundred year return period were used to assess the impact of climate change. The downscaled data were fed into a distributed hydro-sedimentary model (TETIS) with five land use configurations representative of future demographic tendencies, geographical characteristics and land management policies (e.g. European Union CAP). The projected changes showed a general decrease in runoff and sediment production by the end of the century regardless of land use configuration. Sediment production showed a positive relationship with an increase in agricultural land and a decrease in natural land under present day agricultural management. According to our simulations, some conservation practices in agriculture can effectively reduce net erosion while maintaining agricultural production. As such, they can play a critical role as an adaptation tool to reduce climate change impacts in the 21st century., This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the research projects CLARIES (ref. CGL2011-29176) and PALEOMED (CGL2014-58127-C3-1-R).

An empirical approach was employed to monitor changes in soil erosion status in China, incorporating landform, slope, vegetation coverage, land use/cover, and expert interpretation of remote sensing images. We built up a National Soil Erosion Database of China (NSED-C) at 1:100,000 scale that contains Chinese soil erosion data for five periods (the end of the 1980s, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010), and established the soil erosion situation for China in 2010 and changes in erosion since the end of the 1980s. The results show that water erosion is the most widely distributed erosion type, affecting 56% of the land area of China, followed by wind erosion and freeze–thaw erosion. But the most serious erosion type is wind erosion. Most of the change in soil erosion was concentrated within regions of northern China that have fragile ecosystems, such as the Loess Plateau, Mu Us Sandy Land, Hunshandake Sandy Land, Horqin Sandy Land, Xianghai Wetland and the Tarim River basin. Hilly regions in southern China were also widely affected by differing soil erosion changes. Impacted by some environmental protection measures and economic activities such as reclaim in northern and western China, Grain for Green Project, and planting of fast-growing woods on hills in southern China, two different trends of soil erosion change are identified during the monitoring period: soil erosion in China was getting worse before 2000 after which it has subsequently improved. Nevertheless, a series of environmental protection measures implemented after 2000 did not recover the previous negative impact before, so that the overall soil erosion situation in China in 2010 is worse than at the end of the 1980s.

Muddy flooding on the South Downs, southern England, was a frequent occurrence in the years 1982–2001. Runoff and erosion were associated with extensive arable areas devoted to autumn-planted (winter) cereals. The vulnerable period was September–November with widespread areas of bare or poorly-vegetated ground. The off-site impacts of muddy runoff affected many housing areas adjacent to arable fields. The farmhouse and vineyard at Breaky Bottom were damaged by floods in 1976, 1982, 1987 and 2000. A minor flood event affected only the vineyard in 2014. In most cases heavy rain was implicated but the major factor was land use up-valley of the property and good off-field connectivity. Severe erosion on winter cereal fields and good connectivity via valley-bottom ephemeral gullies led to serious damage and high costs. Two long-lasting legal actions resulted in out-of-court settlements and the recovery of some of the costs. Mitigation measures to control runoff and prevent flooding were widely discussed but, in general, not put into practice. Learning from these experiences has been tortuous and uncertain and it is still unclear if the lessons have been sufficiently absorbed to prevent a recurrence at Breaky Bottom and similar sites. Much depends on the economics of farming and their influence on decisions about land use. Farmers must cope with occasional heavy rainfall events. A detailed case study of muddy flooding at Breaky Bottom is placed in the context of similar events across northern Europe.

Soil surface roughness (SSR) significantly influences hydrological and erosion processes under different conditions. Land use and its adjustment may greatly influence SSR via altering near soil surface characteristics and tillage operations, but few studies have been performed to quantify their effects on soil surface roughness. This study was conducted to investigate the variation in soil surface roughness under different land use types, and identify the main influencing factors contributing to these changes in a small watershed on the Loess Plateau, China. Eighteen sites were selected from five typical land use types (cropland, grassland, shrub land, orchard, and woodland) to measure random roughness (RR) by a photogrammetric method. The results showed that random roughness was greatly affected by land use types, plant species, and tillage operations. The mean RR under different land use types ranged from 9.47 to 10.06 mm. Woodland had the maximum RR, followed by cropland, shrub land, orchard, and grassland. For a given land use type, RR differed significantly between different plant species. The variation in random roughness was greatly influenced by the changes in near soil surface characteristics and tillage operations induced by land use adjustment. For the testing sites without tillage operations, RR increased linearly with soil median grain size, sand content, organic matter content, plant litter coverage, litter thickness, and litter density, while it decreased linearly with soil cohesion, silt content, and clay content. For the testing sites with tillage operations, RR was dominated by tillage operations. These results are helpful to understand the potential effects of vegetation restoration on hydrological and erosion processes on hillslopes in arid and semi-arid regions.

Highlights • RUSLE application to assess impacts of the Mati devastating fire on soil erosion. • First RUSLE application in a Wildland Urban Interface/ WUI at a Mediterranean area. • Remote sensing data (Sentinel-2) were utilized to assess fire severity (NBR index) • Post-fire erosion rates are notably higher, especially within the WUI zone. • Realistic results attest that RUSLE can perform well at such diverse conditions., In recent years, forest fires have increased in terms of frequency, extent and intensity, especially in Mediterranean countries. Climate characteristics and anthropogenic disturbances lead forest environments to display high vulnerability to wildfires, with their sustainability being threatened by the loss of vegetation, changes on soil properties, and increased soil loss rates. Moreover, wildfires are a great threat to property and human life, especially in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas. In light of the impacts and trends mentioned above, this study aims to assess the impact of the Mati, Attika wildfire on soil erosion. The event caused 102 fatalities, inducing severe consequences to the local infrastructure network; economy; and natural resources. As such, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was implemented (pre-; post-fire) at the Rafina, Attika watershed encompassing the Mati WUI. Fire severity was evaluated based on the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR). This index was developed utilizing innovative remotely sensed Earth Observation data (Sentinel-2). The high post-fire values indicate the fire's devastating effects on vegetation loss and soil erosion. A critical “update” was also made to the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) v. 2018, by introducing a new land use class namely “Urban Forest”, in order to distinguish the WUI configuration. Post-fire erosion rates are notably higher throughout the study area (4.53–5.98 t ha−1 y−1), and especially within the WUI zone (3.75–18.58 t ha−1 y−1), while newly developed and highly vulnerable cites now occupy the greater Mati area. Furthermore, archive satellite data (Landsat-5) revealed how the repeated (historical) wildfires have ultimately impacted vegetation recovery and erosional processes. To our knowledge this is the first time that RUSLE is used to simulate soil erosion at a WUI after a fire event, at least at a Mediterranean basin. The realistic results attest that the model can perform well at such diverse conditions, providing a solid basis for soil loss estimation and identification of high-risk erosion areas.

Large-scale land degradation occurs in the foothill Himalayas mainly because of soil erosion, accelerated by tillage and poor management practices in agricultural lands and encroachment of land under forest cover. Land use exerts both direct (through C additions) and indirect (through its impact on soil erosion) influence on soil carbon. Partitioning of Total Carbon (TC) in organic and inorganic forms in degraded soils was studied, and compared these with soils under agriculture, horticulture and forest systems. Highest Total Organic Carbon (TOC) was recorded in forest soils followed by horticultural systems, whereas the least was observed in degraded and agricultural systems while Inorganic Carbon (IC) decreased in the sequence of: degraded lands > forest > agriculture ≥ horticulture. TOC stocks in the upper half-a-meter layer were 163.9 Mg ha−1 in forest soils followed by horticulture (144.7 Mg ha−1) while in case of TC, the degraded lands closely followed forest soils. The contribution of IC to TC was about 39% in degraded lands, which was about twice that of its contribution in forest soils. TOC decreased with soil depth whereas IC increased with depth. The increase in IC with depth was minor for agricultural and horticultural soils, whereas it was about 84% for degraded and about 61% for forest soils. Our study highlights the impact of erosion on dynamics of soil carbon and its partitioning and suggests the need to promote better carbon sequestering land use systems towards conservation of top carbon rich soil and promoting sustainability in hill ecosystems particularly in Himalayas.

38 Pags.- 5 Figs.- 3 Tabls. The definitive version is available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03418162, Patterns of erosion, transport and deposition of soil particles not only affect the distribution of mineral fraction of the soil but their organic components. The spatial variability of soil nutrients in Mediterranean mountain agroecosystems that combine complex land uses and abrupt topography is poorly documented despite emerging concerns on nutrients fate require understanding the potential impact of soil erosion on nutrients redistribution across landscapes. This study aims to assess at catchment scale the spatial patterns of soil organic and inorganic carbon (SOC, SIC), soil organic carbon fractions and total nitrogen (TN) in relation to land uses and soil redistribution. To this purpose we selected a well characterized endorheic catchment located in NE Spain where soil erosion and deposition rates derived from 137Cs measurements were previously documented and we mapped the distribution of cropland and rangeland areas. A grid of 100 × 100 m was established for collecting a total of 205 soil samples for nutrients and standard soil analyses. In both rangeland and cropland the patterns of SOC and TN stocks were clearly related to 137Cs inventories thus significantly lower nutrient stocks (SOC: 34.1 ± 18.6 Mg ha−1, TN: 2.9 ± 1.7 Mg ha−1) were found in erosional sites whereas higher stocks (SOC: 44.9 ± 24.2 Mg ha−1, TN: 3.9 ± 2.3 Mg ha−1) were recorded in depositional areas. In cropland the mean nutrients contents (SOC: 1.1 ± 0.8%, TN: 0.1 ± 0.1%) were significantly lower than in rangeland (SOC: 3.2 ± 2.1%, TN: 0.2 ± 0.1%). The highest C/N ratios (29) were found in rangeland, while in cropland they occurred in depositional areas with their values below 10 in the erosional sites. In turn, the SIC content (range 0.4 to 10.2%) was slightly lower at the depositional sites (4.9 ± 2.2%) but not significantly different from the erosional sites (5.1 ± 2.2%). Cultivated and steep slopes led to loss of soil and nutrients due to intense erosion processes also related to tillage and crop productivity. Our findings provide evidence that the combined effect of land use and soil redistribution exert an important control on the spatial distribution of nutrients, highlighting a significant decrease of SOC and TN stocks with increasing soil erosion in croplands. The information gained achieves a better understanding of soil nutrients dynamics and further knowledge for effective land management of mountain agroecosystems in the Mediterranean region., This research was funded by the project (CGL2014-52986-R) of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

Rainfall and land use conversion are important factors influencing soil erosion. Differing from the stationary land use type, land use conversion is a process of dynamic change usually spanning several decades. Soil erosion modeling using historic land use data offers an opportunity to study the impacts of actual land use conversion on soil erosion. However, rainfall has been taken into account only in a few studies because its spatio-temporal distribution often varies greatly over a long period of time. In this article, the erosivity index was used to quantify the erosive force of rainfall. Based on entropy theory, erosivity distribution of study area during the 1988 to 2013 period was analyzed. Two extreme zones, Zone I and Zone II, with highest and lowest annual erosivity, respectively, were identified. The intensity of soil erosion among land use types are: farmland > orchard > grass/open forest > shrub > forest. Zone I has severer soil erosion than Zone II. The effectiveness of land use conversion for reducing soil erosion varies between different erosivity zones. Farmland–forest conversion is considered as the first choice to reduce soil erosion when land use conversion is implemented. The conversions of farmland–grassland and farmland–open forest can be used as important supplements to conversion of farmland–forest in low erosivity zone of the study area, although they do not perform well under higher erosivity situation.

High rates of soil loss are usually assumed under teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) plantations and some debate has been created about this during recent years. We analyzed the processes of soil loss and accumulation in a case study and performed a critical review of literature from other studies, due to the shortage of field experimental data from around the world to sustain this theory. The case study was established in Alfisols and slopes ranging from 30 to 60% in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, and compares secondary forests with mature teak plantations and young teak plantations under different management regimes. Over a period of 14 months with higher rainfall than the regional average, very little soil loss was registered in the teak plantations of Guanacaste, although there were slight differences between treatments (1–4 mm), while soil accumulation was measured in secondary forests (4 mm). A number of other authors also report low levels of soil loss in teak plantations and those studies in which high erosion rates have been identified tend to be associated with teak plantations where fires are a common phenomenon. Hence, we conclude that poor forest management (prescribed fires, machinery, extremely steep slopes, previous land use, etc.) rather than the nature of the teak itself causes the high rates of erosion.

WOS: 000343358600007, Soil organic carbon (SOC) makes up a significant portion of the worlds terrestrial carbon stocks, and changes in land-use and land cover are changing soil carbon stocks. This study investigated the effects on soil organic carbon and some other soil properties of afforestation efforts using 15-year-old Pinus nigra Am. Subsp. nigra (Black Pine) and Cedrus libani A. Rich (Lebanon cedar) on bare land in the semi-arid Nigde Akkaya dam watershed for erosion control and green belt creation. Soil samples were collected from three land use types (Black Pine planted, Lebanon cedar planted area and bare land) at two soil depths (0-10 cm and 10-20 cm) and replicated three times. Among the soil properties substantially affected by the change in land cover are soil organic carbon, bulk density, particle density, water holding capacity and total porosity. Generally, soil organic carbon was observed to increase after afforestation. Soil organic carbon (SOC) values were 1.09% and 1.13% in Black Pine and the Cedar area, respectively. These values were significantly higher than the values for the bare land soils (0.54%). For all types of land use, the amount of SOC in the soils decreased with depth. The amount of carbon sequestrated in Black Pine, Cedar and bare land sites at depths of 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm were 18.20 t/ha and 16.33 t/ha, 23.54 t/ha and 1238 t/ha and 112 t/ha and 7.22 t/ha, respectively. The bulk density values obtained from the 0-10 cm layer soils in the afforested lands (1.53 g/cm(3) for Black Pine and 1.58 g/cm(3) for Cedar) were different from and lower than those in bare land (1.75 g/cm(3)). Afforestation efforts led to an increase in water holding capacity (WHC) of the soil. Total porosity (TP) of the 0-10 cm layer soils increased after afforestation. This study indicated that on degraded land in a semiarid region, afforestation increased soil carbon sequestration, improved some soil properties and reduced erosion over a 15-year period. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

This paper investigates soil stratigraphy of lynchets in sloping lands in eastern Belgium, and rates of their development by comparison to tillage translocation by non-mechanised agriculture. In Belgium, detailed topographical surveys and augerings were carried out at three sites that were under cropland till 1900–1950. Rates and diffusion constants of current non-mechanised tillage erosion were monitored in Ethiopia using tracers, and by precise surveys of tillage steps of known ages. The lynchets in Belgium consist of colluvium that was removed at the upper border of previously farmed plots. Repeated tillage with animal drawn implements results in soil translocation fluxes to the lower plot borders in the order of 11 to 91 kg m − 1 year − 1 (for slope gradients between 0.03 and 0.35 m m − 1 ). The studied lynchets in eastern Belgium would have required cropping agriculture for a total of 217–585 years on steep, and 1037–1867 years on gentle slopes. The establishment of lynchets hence took place without any deliberate action of digging, but due to repeated tillage, even with simple implements, and water erosion. Calculated time spans of tillage indicate that some parts of the study area had already been under cultivation during the Gallo-Roman period, others since the Middle Ages.

The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used in conjunction with geographic information system (GIS) mapping to determine the influence of land use and topography on soil erosion on the Loess Plateau during the period 2000 to 2010. The average soil erosion on the Loess Plateau was 15.2 t ha(-1) yr(-1) in 2000-2010. Most of the Loess Plateau fell within the minimal and low erosion categories during 2000 to 2010. Forest, shrub and dense grassland provided the best protection from erosion, but the decadal trend of reduced soil erosion was greater for the lower vegetation cover of woodland and moderate and sparse grassland. Midslopes and valleys were the major topographical contributors to soil erosion. With slope gradient increased, soil erosion significantly increased under the same land use type, however, significant differences in soil erosion responding to slope gradients differed from land uses. The results indicate that the vegetation restoration as part of the Grain-to-Green Program on the Loess Plateau has been effective. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.