Fingerprinting sediment contribution from alpine soils to mountain reservoirs

6 Pags.- 1 Tabl.- 1 Fig.Soil in alpine environments plays a key role in the development of ecosystem services and information is required on processes that lead to soil erosion to maintain and preserve this important resource. In common with other mountain alpine environments, the Benasque catchment is characterized by temperatures below freezing that can last from November to April, intense rainfall events, and rugged topography which makes assessment of erosion challenging. Indirect approaches to soil erosion assessment offer opportunity to evaluate soil erosion in such areas. In this study sediment fingerprinting procedures were used to evaluate soil sources in the area of the Posets- Maladeta National Park (Central Spanish Pyrenees). Sediment contributions of potential sediment sources defined by soil type (Kastanozems/Phaeozems; Fluvisols and Cambisols) were assessed by different characterizations of sources and identified Fluvisols, which dominate the riparian zone, as the main sediment source at the time of sampling indicating the importance of connectivity and also potential differences in the source dynamic of material in storage versus that transported efficiently from the system during high flows. The approach enabled us to better understand soil erosion processes in the Benasque alpine catchment wherein identified areas that, due to high connectivity, contribute more to sediment deposits.This research was funded by the project CGL2011-25486.Peer reviewe

Spatial and temporal changes in apportionments by using sediment fingerprinting in a Spanish Pyrenean river catchment

1 .pdf with the extended abstract from the Book Abstracts of Assembly.- 1 .pdf copy of the original poster presented by the authors.Central Spanish Pyrenees) and the major sediment sources identified included badlands developed in the middle part of the catchment and the agricultural fields in its lower part. In this study the < 63 m sediment fraction from the channel bed sediment samples from the main rivers (Ésera and Isábena), their tributaries and surface reservoir sediments, the latter spanning two decades, are investigated following the fingerprinting procedure to assess how the land use sediment contributions change along the streams and on time to the reservoir.Peer reviewe

Linking spatial patterns of soil redistribution traced with 137Cs and soil nutrients in a Mediterranean mountain agroecosystem (NE Spain)

1 Pag.This study aims to address soil movement and soil nutrient dynamics closely related to the status of soil degradation. A rain-fed cereal field (1.6 ha) representative of Mediterranean mountain agricultural landscapes (42 25’41”N 1 13’8”W) was selected to examine the effects of soil redistribution processes on the spatial variability of soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SON) and their relationships with soil properties and topographic characteristics.Peer reviewe

Extrapolating soil redistribution rates estimated from 137Cs to catchment scale in a complex agroforestry landscape using GIS

1 .pdf copy (1 Pag.)of the exhaustive abstract published by the Organization. © Author(s) 2015. CC Attribution 3.0 License.This study aims to assess soil redistribution in an agroforestry catchment characterized by abrupt topography and an intricate mosaic of land uses using 137Cs data and GIS. A new methodological approach using GIS is presented as an alternative of interpolation tools to extrapolating soil redistribution rates in complex landscapes. This approach divides the catchment into Homogeneous Physiographic Units (HPUs) based on unique land use, hydrological network and slope value.Peer reviewe

Establishing a tracer-based sediment budget to preserve wetlands in Mediterranean mountain agroecosystems (NE Spain)

Pags.- 5 Figs.- 2 Tabls.- Suppl. Materials. The definitive version is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00489697Mountain wetlands in Mediterranean regions are particularly threatened in agricultural environments due to anthropogenic activity. An integrated study of source-to-sink sediment fluxes was carried out in an agricultural catchment that holds a small permanent lake included in the European NATURA 2000 Network. More than 1000 yrs of human intervention and the variety of land uses pose a substantial challenge when attempting to estimate sediment fluxes which is the first requirement to protect fragile wetlands. To date, there have been few similar studies and those that have been carried out have not addressed such complex terrain. Geostatistical interpolation and GIS tools were used to derive the soil spatial redistribution from point 137Cs inventories, and to establish the sediment budget in a catchment located in the Southern Pyrenees. The soil redistribution was intense and soil erosion predominated over soil deposition. On the areas that maintained natural vegetation the median soil erosion and deposition rates were moderate, ranging from 2.6 to 6 Mg ha yr− 1 and 1.5 to 2.1 Mg ha yr− 1, respectively. However, in cultivated fields both erosion and deposition were significantly higher (ca. 20 Mg ha yr− 1), and the maximum rates were always associated with tillage practices. Farming activities in the last part of the 20th century intensified soil erosion, as evidenced by the 1963 137Cs peaks in the lake cores and estimates from the sediment budget indicated a net deposition of 671 Mg yr− 1. Results confirm a siltation risk for the lake and provide a foundation for designing management plans to preserve this threatened wetland. This comprehensive approach provides information useful for understanding processes that influence the patterns and rates of soil transfer and deposition within fragile Mediterranean mountain wetlands subjected to climate and anthropogenic stresses.We thank the CICYT project EROMED (CGL2011-25486) for the financial support.Peer reviewe

Extrapolating soil redistribution rates estimated from 137Cs to catchment scale in a complex agroforestry landscape using GIS

1 .pdf copy (! Pag.) of the official extended abstract of the Poster presented by the authors.This study aims to assess soil redistribution in an agroforestry catchment characterized by abrupt topography and an intricate mosaic of land uses using 137Cs data and GIS. A new methodological approach using GIS is presented as an alternative of interpolation tools to extrapolating soil redistribution rates in complex landscapes.Peer reviewe

Modelling tillage and water erosion by usingWATEM/SEDEM and 137Cs measurements at field scale

1 Pag.This study applies the WATEM/SEDEM model to estimate soil redistribution rates after calibration with 137Cs measurements. Furthermore, soil redistribution rates by tillage were estimated using the Mass Balance Model 3 (MBM3). A representative Mediterranean cultivated field located in the central part of the Ebro basin (NE Spain) was selected to conduct the study.Peer reviewe

Caracterización de 137Cs en suelos representativos de agrosistemas mediterráneos

Publicación de los autores en libro que reúne las aportaciones al V Congresso Ibérico da Ciência do Solo = V Congreso Ibérico de la Ciencia del Suelo (V CICS 2012), celebrado en Angra do Heroismo (isla de Terceira, Azores), del 6 al 10 de Septiembre de 2012. Congreso promovido por la Sociedad Portuguesa de la Ciencia del Suelo y la Sociedad Española de la Ciencia del Suelo en el marco del Convenio establecido entre ambas, y organizado por el Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias de la Universidad de Azores. 6 Pags., 4 Figs.El cesio 137 es un isótopo artificial altamente reactivo introducido en la estratosfera como subproducto de ensayos y accidentes nucleares. Tras una distribución a escala planetaria se deposita en la superficie del suelo asociado a las precipitaciones, quedando fuertemente adsorbido en la fracción fina del suelo. Debido a su limitada migración postdepósito, el movimiento del radioisótopo se asocia al movimiento de las partículas de suelo siendo un eficaz radiotrazador de la redistribución del suelo. En este estudio se caracteriza el contenido de 137Cs en dos suelos representativos de agrosistemas mediterráneos de montaña en el sector central del borde norte de la cuenca del Ebro (España), donde la precipitación media anual es de 550 mm. Con objeto de conocer la distribución en profundidad del radioisótopo se han obtenido perfiles seccionados con una profundidad de muestreo mínima que permite retener el perfil completo de 137Cs en Leptosoles y Gypsisoles. Se registró un amplio rango de variación del contenido de 137Cs, con valores de actividad que varían entre valores no detectables a máximos de 34 Bq kg-1, e inventarios que alcanzan un máximo de 2081 Bq m-2. Los resultados sugieren que la actividad de 137Cs se ve afectada por el uso y tipo de suelo, registrando los valores medios más altos en Leptosoles no cultivados y los más bajos en Gypsisoles cultivados. Estos resultados sugieren que los niveles de 137Cs en suelos mediterráneos están fuertemente condicionados por el uso del suelo.Trabajo financiado por el proyecto de la CICYT: EROMED (CGL2011-25486/BTE).Peer reviewe

Soil organic matter patterns in relation to soil redistribution in a cultivated field

copia .pdf del póster original de los autores. 4 Figs.- 1 Tabl.Objective: to examine the effect of soil redistribution processes on the distribution of soil organic matter using 137Cs to identify eroded and depositional areas in a Mediterranean cultivated field.This work was funded by the CICYT project EROMED (CGL2011–25486).Peer reviewe

Erosión hídrica y conectividad en un Calcisol cultivado: variaciones espacio temporales de la pérdida y acumulación de suelo

4 Pags.- 1 Fig. Libro ed. con las Comunicaciones y Ponencias del VI Simposio Nacional sobre Control de la Degradación y Restauración de Suelos (Amería. 4-7 febrero, 2013).La modelización de la pérdida y redistribución del suelo resulta una tarea de complejidad creciente al aumentar la resolución temporal y espacial del estudio. En este trabajo se aplican los modelos ModRMMF e IC de erosión del suelo y conectividad del sedimento, respectivamente, en una parcela de cultivo del Prepirineo Central a alta resolución espacial (1 x 1 m). El análisis de los resultados obtenidos con ambos modelos permite evaluar la capacidad de cada uno de ellos para predecir los distintos procesos implicados. El área de estudio presenta un clima mediterráneo continental y se encuentra hidrológicamente aislada al norte y al sur por un camino asfaltado y una acequia de drenaje, respectivamente. La pérdida de suelo promedio, para el conjunto del área de estudio, es de 1,84 Mg ha-1 año-1, teniendo lugar el 78% de la pérdida total en sólo 5 meses: marzo, abril, mayo, octubre y noviembre. Este valor anual es ligeramente superior a la máxima tasa de erosión tolerable e inferior al cuantificado en otros suelos cultivados del Prepirineo. El mapa de conectividad identifica con detalle la red de drenaje y el análisis comparativo de los valores de erosión y conectividad ha permitido identificar dos poblaciones, a partir de un valor de IC = -4.2, que corresponden a zonas en las que predominan los procesos de pérdida o acumulación neta de suelo. La aplicación conjunta de ambos modelos resulta acertada, al añadir valor, el uno sobre el otro, a las predicciones que resultan por separado.Peer reviewe