Digital mapping of soil cover eroded patterns on the basis of soil erosion simulation model (northern forest-steppe of the Central Russian Upland)

The paper presents original developments on the application of WaTEM/SEDEM erosion model for large-scale mapping of erosion patterns of the soil cover in the Central Russian Upland. The share of eroded soils in the composition of soil combinations on plowed slopes was evaluated; such estimation was carried out on the basis of a statistical comparison of the calculated rates of soil losses with the results of actual soil-morphological diagnostics of the degree of chernozems erosion. The obtained relations between share of eroded soils in soil cover patterns and modelled erosion rates were used for development of the map depicting typified combinations of soils with various degrees of erosion. Comparison with detailed soil survey materials showed that the map is accurate enough for the spatial diversity and configuration of eroded soils combinations description. At the given input parameters of the erosion model qualitative changes in the soil cover structure (share of slightly-eroded soils is more than 10%) start from the threshold value of water erosion of 8 t·ha-1·year-1. With an average annual erosion of 30 t·ha-1·year-1, the share of denuded soils exceeds 50%. The developed approach seems to be promising for solving fundamental and applied problems related to the study of structural and functional organization of the soil cover of slopes and for planning the erosion control measures in adaptive-landscape agriculture

Digital mapping of erosion degree of soils using the factor - property and factor - process - property models (the south of the Central Russian upland)

Soil degradation resulting from water erosion poses a serious threat to food and environmental security, therefore the research of soil erosion features and soil erosion mapping do not lose their relevance. The paper presents the results of large-scale digital mapping of the erosion degree of the arable soils in the Prokhorovsky district of the Belgorod region (85 thousand hectares), based on two approaches: (1) linking the factors of erosion-accumulative processes and the erosion degree of soil directly (factor -property model), and (2) due to imitation erosion model WaTEM/SEDEM (factor - process - property model). The inclusion of the process component into the digital soil mapping algorithm allows taking into account not only the spatial but also the temporal soil erosion features. It was revealed that the agricultural development of the Prokhorovsky district was primarily carried out on lands that are weakly prone to erosion, with the rate of erosion almost two times lower than on younger arable lands. As a result, the soil erosion maps, based on the factor - process - property model, with and without taking into account the duration of agricultural use, largely correspond to each other. Dominant soil categories (the map pixel corresponds to one soil taxa - noneroded and slightly eroded, medium, highly eroded), mapping by factor -property and factor - process - property models, have a high degree of correspondence to each other (prediction identity for 90% of pixels), while the soil combinations (the map pixel has information on the proportion of soils with different erosion degrees of soil) more significant (identity for less than 60% of pixels). The areas of zonal, erosion-zonal, and weakly eroded soil combinations differ 1.5-2 times, in the direction of a greater degree of soil erosion on the factor - process - property map

Use of magnetic tracer and radio-cesium methods to determine past cropland soil erosion amounts and rates

The primary objective of this research was to determine the soil erosion rates in cropland of west central Illinois using a magnetic tracer (fly ash) and radio-cesium (cesium-137). The fly ash and cesium-137 accumulation on a stable cropland/hayland summit was determined using a spiral transect. This reference site was used as a baseline and then compared with the fly ash and cesium-137 levels in adjacent cropland landscape positions to estimate loss from erosion. The cesium-137 and fly ash data suggests that cropland lost significant sediment, fly ash and cesium-137 to erosion process especially from the upper and lower backslopes and footslope. The amount and rate of erosion predicted for each cropland landscape position using the fly ash and cesium-137 methods were determine for the 1910 to 1960, 1960 to 2009 and for the entire 100-year time periods. The fly ash and cesium-137 determined erosion amounts and annual soil erosion rate for cropland landscapes positions were highest for the upper and lower backslopes. Past backslope annual erosion rates for three different time periods were 51Mtha-1yr-1 or less and above the tolerable soil loss rate of 11Mtha-1yr-1 for Hickory soils. However, the predicted fly ash annual erosion rates for the last for the last 50years using cesium-137 deposition was higher than annual erosion rates for the 1910 to 1960 time period using the difference between the two methods. The reason for the higher erosion rates for the 50years after 1960 than before was most likely the continued use of moldboard plowing, up and down the slope plowing and the more intensive corn-soybean rotation without forages and small grains. These methods provide a way to document past cropland soil erosion amount and rates for three different time periods (1910 to 1960, 1960 to 2009 and 1910 to 2009). © 2012 Elsevier B.V

Digital mapping of soil associations and eroded soils (Prokhorovskii district, Belgorod oblast)

A new method of digital mapping of the soil cover pattern with calculation of the share of soils of different taxa and degree classes for soil erosion in the soil associations is proposed. A comparative analysis of soil maps obtained using different methods of construction (visual expert and digital) and with their different contents (displaying the dominant soil or soil associations) has been performed. In the case of mapping by the visual expert method (with the display of the dominant soil), a significant underestimation of the total area of moderately and strongly eroded soils in comparison with the digital mapping is note

Use of magnetic tracer and radio-cesium methods to determine past cropland soil erosion amounts and rates

The primary objective of this research was to determine the soil erosion rates in cropland of west central Illinois using a magnetic tracer (fly ash) and radio-cesium (cesium-137). The fly ash and cesium-137 accumulation on a stable cropland/hayland summit was determined using a spiral transect. This reference site was used as a baseline and then compared with the fly ash and cesium-137 levels in adjacent cropland landscape positions to estimate loss from erosion. The cesium-137 and fly ash data suggests that cropland lost significant sediment, fly ash and cesium-137 to erosion process especially from the upper and lower backslopes and footslope. The amount and rate of erosion predicted for each cropland landscape position using the fly ash and cesium-137 methods were determine for the 1910 to 1960, 1960 to 2009 and for the entire 100-year time periods. The fly ash and cesium-137 determined erosion amounts and annual soil erosion rate for cropland landscapes positions were highest for the upper and lower backslopes. Past backslope annual erosion rates for three different time periods were 51Mtha-1yr-1 or less and above the tolerable soil loss rate of 11Mtha-1yr-1 for Hickory soils. However, the predicted fly ash annual erosion rates for the last for the last 50years using cesium-137 deposition was higher than annual erosion rates for the 1910 to 1960 time period using the difference between the two methods. The reason for the higher erosion rates for the 50years after 1960 than before was most likely the continued use of moldboard plowing, up and down the slope plowing and the more intensive corn-soybean rotation without forages and small grains. These methods provide a way to document past cropland soil erosion amount and rates for three different time periods (1910 to 1960, 1960 to 2009 and 1910 to 2009). © 2012 Elsevier B.V

Use of magnetic tracer and radio-cesium methods to determine past cropland soil erosion amounts and rates

The primary objective of this research was to determine the soil erosion rates in cropland of west central Illinois using a magnetic tracer (fly ash) and radio-cesium (cesium-137). The fly ash and cesium-137 accumulation on a stable cropland/hayland summit was determined using a spiral transect. This reference site was used as a baseline and then compared with the fly ash and cesium-137 levels in adjacent cropland landscape positions to estimate loss from erosion. The cesium-137 and fly ash data suggests that cropland lost significant sediment, fly ash and cesium-137 to erosion process especially from the upper and lower backslopes and footslope. The amount and rate of erosion predicted for each cropland landscape position using the fly ash and cesium-137 methods were determine for the 1910 to 1960, 1960 to 2009 and for the entire 100-year time periods. The fly ash and cesium-137 determined erosion amounts and annual soil erosion rate for cropland landscapes positions were highest for the upper and lower backslopes. Past backslope annual erosion rates for three different time periods were 51Mtha-1yr-1 or less and above the tolerable soil loss rate of 11Mtha-1yr-1 for Hickory soils. However, the predicted fly ash annual erosion rates for the last for the last 50years using cesium-137 deposition was higher than annual erosion rates for the 1910 to 1960 time period using the difference between the two methods. The reason for the higher erosion rates for the 50years after 1960 than before was most likely the continued use of moldboard plowing, up and down the slope plowing and the more intensive corn-soybean rotation without forages and small grains. These methods provide a way to document past cropland soil erosion amount and rates for three different time periods (1910 to 1960, 1960 to 2009 and 1910 to 2009). © 2012 Elsevier B.V

Use of magnetic tracer and radio-cesium methods to determine past cropland soil erosion amounts and rates

The primary objective of this research was to determine the soil erosion rates in cropland of west central Illinois using a magnetic tracer (fly ash) and radio-cesium (cesium-137). The fly ash and cesium-137 accumulation on a stable cropland/hayland summit was determined using a spiral transect. This reference site was used as a baseline and then compared with the fly ash and cesium-137 levels in adjacent cropland landscape positions to estimate loss from erosion. The cesium-137 and fly ash data suggests that cropland lost significant sediment, fly ash and cesium-137 to erosion process especially from the upper and lower backslopes and footslope. The amount and rate of erosion predicted for each cropland landscape position using the fly ash and cesium-137 methods were determine for the 1910 to 1960, 1960 to 2009 and for the entire 100-year time periods. The fly ash and cesium-137 determined erosion amounts and annual soil erosion rate for cropland landscapes positions were highest for the upper and lower backslopes. Past backslope annual erosion rates for three different time periods were 51Mtha-1yr-1 or less and above the tolerable soil loss rate of 11Mtha-1yr-1 for Hickory soils. However, the predicted fly ash annual erosion rates for the last for the last 50years using cesium-137 deposition was higher than annual erosion rates for the 1910 to 1960 time period using the difference between the two methods. The reason for the higher erosion rates for the 50years after 1960 than before was most likely the continued use of moldboard plowing, up and down the slope plowing and the more intensive corn-soybean rotation without forages and small grains. These methods provide a way to document past cropland soil erosion amount and rates for three different time periods (1910 to 1960, 1960 to 2009 and 1910 to 2009). © 2012 Elsevier B.V