Assessment of Landscape Retention Water Capacity and Hydrological Balance in Traditional Agricultural Landscape (Model Area Liptovská Teplička Settlements, Slovakia)

The hydration potential of a landscape is an increasingly important attribute in a time of advancing climate change, making its assessment also a matter of some urgency. This study used the landscape ecological approach involving the hydrological balance, in which the soil water retention capacity (SWRC) and landscape water retention capacity (LWRC) are evaluated. To support our assessment of the water retention capacity in the landscape (LWRC), we used a synthetic interconnection of analytical vector layers of selected physical parameters of soil subtypes and secondary landscape structure (SLS) to create homogeneous polygons in the GIS Arc/Map10 computing environment. Selected abiotic and biotic attributes were assigned coefficients using a simple algorithm according to the authors, which were projected into landscape ecological complexes (LEC) in the GIS computer program in the Arc/Map10 program. We used hydrological balance calculations to specify the volumes of water retained in the landscape. The aim is to spatially estimate the retention capacity of the landscape, taking into account the current land use, including historical anti-erosion measures to reduce unwanted water runoff and soil erosion. Using zonal statistics, we achieved the following results. The part of the model area with very low or low LWCR represents 39.91% of the agricultural land used. We recorded a high LWCR on 17.69% of the area, with a predominance of meadows and cultizol cambis and cultizol fluvials. The calculation of the hydrological balance, which represents only 22.9% of atmospheric precipitation, also made a significant contribution to our knowledge of the LWRC

Assessment of natural and cultural landscape capacity to proposals the ecological model of tourism development (case study for the area of the Zamagurie region)

Agricultural and industrial conditions are not favourable in the uphill and mountain areas of the Zamagurie region, and tourism is often the only opportunity to create new jobs, develop the habitation areas and avoid the emigration of local inhabitants. The Walachian and Sholtys colonization has transformed the landscape and created unique significant spatial landscape elements that are traditionally utilized for agricultural purposes, and create a unique esthetical landscape preserved till the present times. This case study has been aimed at developing and applying the new quantification methods using GIS tools for evaluation of localizing, selective realization and environmental preconditions of the landscape, representing recreational (cultural) services of the landscape ecological systems, based on selected indicators. To evaluate the localizing preconditions of the landscape, we referred to the landscape-ecological complex geo-databases (LEC) (Thematic maps - internal ground document of ZB GIS , 2013), completed with the field survey during the period 2013−2014 and identification of secondary landscape structure elements (SLS) and selected morphometric indicators. While evaluating the selected town-planning, demographical and social-economic indicators, we quantified the selective landscape preconditions of tourism development. The realization preconditions were reviewed according to communication accessibility and material-technical equipment. As for environmental preconditions, we reviewed the presence of protected territory and landscape environmental load

Assessment of natural and cultural landscape capacity to proposals the ecological model of tourism development (case study for the area of the Zamagurie region)

Agricultural and industrial conditions are not favourable in the uphill and mountain areas of the Zamagurie region, and tourism is often the only opportunity to create new jobs, develop the habitation areas and avoid the emigration of local inhabitants. The Walachian and Sholtys colonization has transformed the landscape and created unique significant spatial landscape elements that are traditionally utilized for agricultural purposes, and create a unique esthetical landscape preserved till the present times. This case study has been aimed at developing and applying the new quantification methods using GIS tools for evaluation of localizing, selective realization and environmental preconditions of the landscape, representing recreational (cultural) services of the landscape ecological systems, based on selected indicators. To evaluate the localizing preconditions of the landscape, we referred to the landscape-ecological complex geo-databases (LEC) (Thematic maps - internal ground document of ZB GIS , 2013), completed with the field survey during the period 2013−2014 and identification of secondary landscape structure elements (SLS) and selected morphometric indicators. While evaluating the selected town-planning, demographical and social-economic indicators, we quantified the selective landscape preconditions of tourism development. The realization preconditions were reviewed according to communication accessibility and material-technical equipment. As for environmental preconditions, we reviewed the presence of protected territory and landscape environmental load

An evaluation of soil retention potential as an important factor of water balance in the landscape

The ability of soil to retain water in its profile is one of the most important soil functions. It is expressed as the water storage capacity or retention capacity of the soil, and it is primarily affected by the physical properties of the soil. Given the fact that the direct measurement of hydrological data for the soil is very difficult in terms of capacity, statistically expressed pedotransfer functions (PTF) are currently used for the indirect estimation of hydrolimits. The data most commonly used for the PTF are easy-to-measure and usually readily available soil data on particle size, bulk density, organic carbon and morphometric parameters of the environment (e.g. slope of the relief, etc.). The listed pedotransfer functions are deficient for the complex evaluation of soil cover; given disagreements about the attributes, they cannot be directly used for the vector database of classified soil-ecological units in the Slovak Republic. Therefore, we have created a model of an algorithm from selected parameters compatible with the vector database of classified soil-ecological units, which also allows for the spatial distribution of the cumulative coefficient of water retention capacity (CWRC) for the soils of the SR. The results of this evaluation are presented using case studies of the areas of Levoča and Hriňová.445

Analysis of Interrelations Structure in Agro-Systems Using the Factor Analysis Technique (FA)

A model is not an exact copy of its original, but only its idealised reproduction that is simpler, more understandable, more accessible and easier, safer and more effective to work with. In the presented study, we used the technique of factor analysis (FA). We used 44 parameters to describe an agroecosystem, which proportionally describe the main components of the study agroecosystem. Based on Malinowsky error analysis, we extracted a 6-factor solution. We found out that Factor 1 [Climate factor] had primary factor loads in [average temperatures TIII-TIX (0.99) and [average atmospheric precipitation ZIII-ZIV (0.99)] variables. Factor 2 [Chemical parameters of geological foundation] was mainly saturated by [SiO2-G (0.92), Al2O3-(0.82), (CaO-G (0.83)] variables and secondary loads were observed in soil [SiO2-P (0.61], [CaO-P (0.64], [Al2O3-P (0.32)], [soil skeleton SKEL (0.47)] and [granularity GRN (0.39)] variables. Factor 3 [Phytomass production potential factor] had primary factor loads in [depth of soil profile DSP (0.76)], [quality of organic substances Q4/6 (0.63)], [slopeness SL (0.67)] and [potential phytomass production PROD (0.65)] variables. In factor 4 [Physical-chemical soil properties factor] variables [Al2O3, (0.81)], [granularity GRN (0.69)] and [SiO2 (0.61)] have significant loads. Factor 5 [Erosion by water potential factor] has the highest primary loads in [large-scale arable land ALL (0.70)] and [soil loss as a result of erosion EROS (0.67)] variables, and secondary loads in the [continuous length of plot of land slope LS (0.53)] variable. Factor 6 [Biochemical properties factor] has the highest factor load values in the content of organic substances in soil [content of organic substances in soil H (0.69)]. Secondary loads can be seen in the properties of soil [GRN (0.35)], [SiO2 (0.32)], [Al2O3-P (0.38)] and [depth of groundwater surface GWS (0.39)]. We determined the weight coefficients for the individual factors with the aim of quantifying ecological criteria with the obtained factor structure. The factor score F0 determines the projections of the extracted factors for the individual elements of the selection (it is the value soil-ecological units—VSEU). Row vectors in this matrix represent the distribution of the individual factors for the specific realisation of the selection (spatial distribution). We re-scaled the obtained values of the factor score into seven categories and projected them into VSEU units. We could propose a sustainable agroecosystem management based on quantifying the ecological criteria for each VSEU unit

An evaluation of soil retention potential as an important factor of water balance in the landscape

The ability of soil to retain water in its profile is one of the most important soil functions. It is expressed as the water storage capacity or retention capacity of the soil, and it is primarily affected by the physical properties of the soil. Given the fact that the direct measurement of hydrological data for the soil is very difficult in terms of capacity, statistically expressed pedotransfer functions (PTF) are currently used for the indirect estimation of hydrolimits. The data most commonly used for the PTF are easy-to-measure and usually readily available soil data on particle size, bulk density, organic carbon and morphometric parameters of the environment (e.g. slope of the relief, etc.). The listed pedotransfer functions are deficient for the complex evaluation of soil cover; given disagreements about the attributes, they cannot be directly used for the vector database of classified soil-ecological units in the Slovak Republic. Therefore, we have created a model of an algorithm from selected parameters compatible with the vector database of classified soil-ecological units, which also allows for the spatial distribution of the cumulative coefficient of water retention capacity (CWRC) for the soils of the SR. The results of this evaluation are presented using case studies of the areas of Levoča and Hriňová