Assessment of soil erosion in a monsoon-dominated mountain river basin in India using RUSLE-SDR and AHP

The long-term average annual soil loss (A) and sediment yield (SY) in a tropical monsoon-dominated river basin in the southern Western Ghats, India (Muthirapuzha River Basin, MRB; area: 271.75 km²), were predicted by coupling the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and sediment delivery ratio (SDR) models. Moreover, the study also delineated soil erosion risk zones based on the soil erosion potential index (SEPI) using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique. Mean A of the basin is 14.36 t ha^?1 year^?1, while mean SY is only 3.65 t ha^?1 year^?1. Although the land use/land cover types with human interference show relatively lower A compared to natural vegetation, their higher SDR values reflect the significance of anthropogenic activities in accelerated soil erosion. The soil erosion risk in the MRB is strongly controlled by slope, land use/land cover and relative relief, compared to geomorphology, drainage density, stream frequency and lineament frequency.     

Influences of watershed landscape composition and configuration on lake‐water quality in the Yangtze River basin of China

Lake‐water quality is highly dependent on the landscape characteristics in its respective watershed. In this study, we investigated the relationships between lake‐water quality and landscape composition and configuration within the watershed in the Yangtze River basin of China. Water quality variables, including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), Secchi depth (SD), NO₂^?, NO₃^?, NH₄⁺, TN, TP, chemical oxygen demand (COD_Mn), chlorophyll‐a (Chl‐a), and trophic state index (TSI), were collected from 16 lakes during the period of 2001–2003. Landscape composition (i.e. the percentage of vegetation, agriculture, water, urban, and bare land) and landscape configuration metrics, including number of patches (NP), patch density (PD), largest patch index (LPI), edge density (ED), mean patch area (MPA), mean shape index (MSI), contagion (CONTAG), patch cohesion index (COHESION), Shannon's diversity index (SHDI), and aggregation index (AI), were calculated for each lake's watershed. Results revealed that the percentage of agriculture was negatively related to NO₂^?, TN, TP, Chl‐a concentrations, and TSI, while the percentage of urban was significantly correlated with EC, NH₄⁺, and COD_Mn concentrations. Among landscape‐level configuration metrics, only ED showed significant relationships with TN, TP concentrations, and TSI. However, at the class level, the PD, LPI, ED, and AI of agriculture and urban land uses were significantly correlated with two or more water quality variables. This study suggests that, for a given total area, large and clustered agricultural or urban patches in the watershed may have a greater impact on lake‐water quality than small and scattered ones. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long‐term sediment yield from a small catchment in southern Brazil affected by land use and soil management changes

Sediments produced from eroding cultivated land can cause on‐site and off‐site effects that cause considerable economic and social impacts. Despite the importance of soil conservation practices (SCP) for the control of soil erosion and improvements in soil hydrological functions, limited information is available regarding the effects of SCP on sediment yield (SY) at the catchment scale. This study aimed to investigate the long‐term relationships between SY and land use, soil management, and rainfall in a small catchment. To determine the effects of anthropogenic and climatic factors on SY, rainfall, streamflow, and suspended sediment concentration were monitored at 10‐min intervals for 14 years (2002–2016), and the land use and soil management changes were surveyed annually. Using a statistical procedure to separate the SY effects of climate, land use, and soil management, we observed pronounced temporal effects of land use and soil management changes on SY. During the first 2 years (2002–2004), the land was predominantly cultivated with tobacco under a traditional tillage system (no cover crops and ploughed soil) using animal traction. In that period, the SY reached approximately 400 t·km^?2·year^?1. From 2005 to 2009, a soil conservation programme introduced conservation tillage and winter cover crops in the catchment area, which lowered the SY to 50 t·km^?2·year^?1. In the final period (2010–2016), the SCP were partially abandoned by farmers, and reforested areas increased, resulting in an SY of 150 t·km^?2·year^?1. This study also discusses the factors associated with the failure to continue using SCP, including structural support and farmer attitudes.     

More rain,less soil: long‐term changes in rainfall intensity with climate change

This commentary discusses the role of long‐term climate change in driving increases in soil erosion. Assuming that land use and management remain effectively constant, we discuss changes in the ability of rainfall to cause erosion (erosivity), using long daily rainfall data sets from southeast England. An upward trend in mean rainfall per rain day is detected at the century‐plus timescale. Implications for soil erosion and sediment delivery are discussed and evidence from other regions reviewed. We conclude that rates of soil erosion may well increase in a warmer, wetter world. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An investigation of soil erosion and redistribution in a Mediterranean lowland agricultural catchment using caesium-137

This study sought to contribute to an improved understanding of soil erosion and redistribution on Mediterranean agricultural land, where traditional soil conservation practices have been applied over millennia to provide effective protection of cultivated land. The study was undertaken in the Na Borges catchment, a groundwater-dominated lowland limestone basin (319 km2), located in the northeastern part of Mallorca, Spain. The average sediment yield from the basin, based on river sediment load data, is 1 t/km2·yr. The 137Cs technique was used to quantify soil redistribution rates over the past 40 years and to identify the key factors involved in soil erosion and redistribution processes. To estimate erosion and deposition rates and to elucidate the main factors affecting soil redistribution, samples were collected from six slope transects representative of the local land use and slope gradients and the presence or absence of soil conservation practices. A mass balance and a profile distribution conversion model were used for cultivated areas and areas of natural vegetation, respectively, to derive point estimates of the soil redistribution rates from the 137Cs inventories measured for individual soil bulk cores. In areas without soil conservation practices, the estimated mean soil erosion rates ranged from 12.7 to 26.4 t/ha·yr, which correspond to the slight and moderate erosion classes. The erosivity of Mediterranean climatic conditions combined with the influence of agricultural practices and slope gradient on soil erosion, represent the main factors responsible for the variation of soil losses documented for the cultivated land located in downslope areas, in the absence of soil conservation practices. Deposition dominated for those transects affected by soil conservation practices, with rates ranging between 18.8 and 96.6 t/ha·yr. However, this situation does not mean that soil conservation measures retain all the sediment, but rather that agriculture and urbanization (i.e. new rural paths and stone boundaries) modified the micro-topography and diverted sediment from other upslope zones towards the slopes where sampling transects were located.     

Impacts of climate variability and landscape pattern change on evapotranspiration in a grassland landscape mosaic

Evapotranspiration (ET), a key component of the hydrological cycle, affects the transport of water and energy in the soil–vegetation–atmosphere system. Thus, quantifying the driving forces of ET dynamics is important to ensure rational water resource utilization. Based on meteorological and satellite data, spatiotemporal dynamics of ET were detected using the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) model, and effects of climate variability and landscape pattern change on ET dynamics in an arid to semiarid landscape mosaic during the growing season (April-October) from 2001 to 2015 in Xilingol League, China were evaluated. The results indicated that (a) a significant increase (P < .05) in ET was found in the north-eastern Xilingol League, and a significant decrease (P < .05) in ET was confined to the southwest and (b) climate variability had significant effects on ET dynamics. All climatic factors showed a positive correlation relationship with ET dynamics, and mean temperature (Ta) was the most influential climatic factor on ET dynamics followed by relative humidity (Rh), wind speed (Ws), and precipitation (Pr), respectively. The influence of landscape pattern change on ET dynamics was mainly reflected in the increase of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) promoting ET dynamics. Several other landscape pattern metrics also had important impacts on ET dynamics, which were mainly reflected in the positive effect of the aggregation index (AI) on ET dynamics and the negative effects of the largest patch index (LPI), edge density (ED), and percentage of landscape (PLAND) on ET dynamics. To promote effective water resource utilization, landscape managers should continue to moderately implement vegetation restoration projects such as the Grain for Green Project, orient with conversion of low-quality cropland into grassland, and conserve large areas of grassland. Appropriate management measures for forests and cropland scattered in the landscape mosaic, based on local climate and soil properties, as well as socioeconomic goals, are also required.     

Evaluating the effect of land use changes on soil erosion and sediment yield using a grid‐based distributed modelling approach

Processes of soil erosion and sediment transport are strongly influenced by land use changes so the modelling of land use changes is important with respect to the simulation of soil degradation and its on‐site and off‐site consequences. The reliability of simulation results from erosion models is circumscribed by considerable spatial variation in many parameters. However, most of the currently widely used erosion models at the mesoscale are semidistributed, which leads to difficulties in incorporating a high degree of spatial information, especially land use information, so that the effects of land use changes on soil erosion have hitherto not been investigated in detail using these models. In this article, a grid‐based distributed erosion and sediment transport model is introduced, which simulates the spatial pattern of erosion and deposition rates and sediment transport processes in river channels. In this model, land use affects soil erosion through altering soil loss and influencing sediment delivery. Simulated soil erosion for events recorded in 1989 and 1996 in the Lushi basin in China was analyzed by comparing it with historical land use maps. The results indicated that even relatively minor land use changes had a significant effect on regional soil erosion rates and sediment transport to rivers. The average erosion rate increased from 1989 to 1996, after the transformation of forest to farmland. The results of the study suggest that the proposed soil erosion model can be applied in similar river basins. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

城镇化下河流水质变化及其与景观格局关系分析——以太湖流域苏州市为例

以河流近域景观格局与水环境质量间的关系为研究对象,基于2001年及2010年两期土地利用类型以及7条典型河流的溶解氧、氨氮、高锰酸盐指数、总磷、总氮5项水质指标,分析城镇化下苏州市河流水质与景观格局之间的关系及其变化规律.结果表明:(1)苏州市河流水质状况总体较差,但呈现一定的好转趋势.(2)河流水质受到城镇用地、旱地及水田的综合影响,并表现出尺度效应.其中城镇用地与旱地对河流水质恶化具有明显的作用,水田则反之.2001-2010年城镇用地及水田对水质的影响程度有所减弱,旱地则增强.(3)蔓延度指数、最大面积斑块比例对河流水质呈现负相关,斑块数量、斑块密度、香农均匀度指数、香农多样性指数则与水质呈现正相关.景观格局对于水质的影响在大范围缓冲区更为显著.研究结果可为苏州水环境管理及太湖流域城市空间开发提供一定的参考依据.     

Quantifying sheet wash erosion rates in a mountainous semi‐arid basin using environmental radionuclides and a stream power model

Erosion rates and processes define how mountainous landscapes evolve. This study determines the range of erosion rates in a semi‐arid landscape over decadal time spans and defines the dominant processes controlling variability in erosion rates. The varying topography and climatic regimes of the Xiying Basin (Qilian Shan Mountains, China) enables us to examine the relative roles of sheet wash versus rainsplash and the influence of vegetation on soil erosion and deposition. Soil erosion rates since 1954 were determined using ¹³⁷Cs along 21 transects at four sites with varying gradient, rainfall, and vegetation cover. The mean ¹³⁷Cs derived soil erosion rate ~0.42 mm/a was consistent with the catchment level erosion rate derived from total sediment yield for a 44 year record. However, there is considerable variability in ¹³⁷Cs erosion rates both between transects and along transects, perhaps reflecting variation not only in the effectiveness of individual processes but also in their relative roles. We compare the ¹³⁷Cs‐derived erosion rates with 1‐D models for sediment flux that incorporate sheet wash and rainsplash processes, testing them over a previously untested 60 year timescale. The variability in ¹³⁷Cs erosion rates along transects is best replicated by sheet wash dominated simulations, suggesting that this is the dominant erosion process in this semi‐arid landscape. The functional form of the sheetwash model can also explain our observations that ¹³⁷Cs erosion rates decrease with upslope length (i.e. distance down slope) while its variability increases. However, sparsely vegetated sites, located in slightly drier locations, have higher erosion rates, and are not as accurately modeled as densely vegetated sites, suggesting that patchiness of vegetation introduces fine scale variability in erosion rates on these slopes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Accelerated sediment fluxes by water and tillage erosion on European agricultural land

Soil loss on arable agricultural land is typically an order of magnitude higher than under undisturbed native vegetation. Although there have been several recent attempts to quantify these accelerated fluxes at the regional, continental and even global scale, all of these studies have focused on erosion by water and wind and no large scale assessment of the magnitude of tillage erosion has been made, despite growing recognition of its significance on agricultural land. Previous field scale simulations of tillage erosion severity have relied on use of high resolution topographic data to derive the measures of slope curvature needed to estimate tillage erosion rates. Here we present a method to derive the required measures of slope curvature from low resolution, but large scale, databases and use high resolution topographical datasets for several study areas in the UK to evaluate the reliability of the approach. On the basis of a tillage model and land‐use databases, we estimate the mean gross tillage erosion rates for the part of Europe covered by the CORINE database (6·5% of global cropland) and we obtained an average of 3·3 Mg ha^–1 y^–1, which corresponds to a sediment flux of 0·35 Pg y^–1. Water erosion rates derived for the same area are of a similar magnitude. This redistribution of soil within agricultural fields substantially accelerates soil profile truncation and sediment burial in specific landscape positions and has a strong impact on medium‐term soil profile evolution. It is, therefore, clear that tillage erosion must be accounted for in regional assessments of sediment fluxes and in analyses that employ these in the analysis of land management strategies and biogeochemical cycles. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fingerprinting the sources of water-mobilized sediment threatening agricultural and water resource sustainability: Progress,challenges and prospects in China

Sediment source fingerprinting apportions the sources of sediment produced by water erosion by linking sampled sediment mixtures and landscape source materials using diagnostic and conservative fingerprints.Using this approach,the nature and location of active sediment sources across the catchment can be elucidated,generating information which is a key prerequisite for the design and implementation of catchment management strategies.The science of sediment source fingerprinting continues to attract much research globally,but to date,there have been relatively few fingerprinting studies in China.Here,there remain major challenges for the fingerprinting approach arising from the uniqueness of Chinese landscapes,including for instance,the complex land use configuration with highly fragmented or mosaic patches and the highly dynamic land use conversion rates,generating a need to test the physical basis for the discriminatory power and environmental behavior of both traditional and novel tracers.Future research is needed to investigate the applicability of tracer properties in different physiographic settings and to evaluate the potential strategic utility of the approach for supporting the improved management of soil and water sustainability.Here,the strategic availability of independent observation data for different components of catchment sediment budgets and well-maintained research infrastructure for plots,micro-catchments and drainage basins provides immediate opportunity for testing the approach and refining procedures.Such detailed testing across scales would be invaluable for promoting sediment source fingerprinting as both a scientific and management tool for informing soil and water conservation practices in China.     

Soil and onsite nutrient conservation potential of aromatic grasses at field scale under a shifting cultivated,degraded catchment in Eastern Ghats,India

Land degradation due to soil erosion is a global problem, especially on cultivated hill slopes. Economically important aromatic grasses can protect degraded hill slopes more effectively than field crops, but little information is available on their performance. This study quantifies runoff, sediment yield,enrichment ratios of soil and nutrients, and sediment-associated organic carbon and nutrients losses under three aromatic grass species: citronella(Cymbopogon nardus), lemon(Cymbopogon flexuosus), and palmarosa(Cymbopogon martini), compared with a traditional field crop, finger millet(Eleusine coracana)grown at three land slopes(4%, 8%, and 12%). It was observed that the degree of slope and type of grass both significantly influenced runoff generation. Runoff and sediment yield(SY) were significantly higher at 12% slope than at 8% and 4% slopes. Relation between rainfall and runoff were significant for all the grass species(p 0.05). Palmarosa, lemon, and citronella grass reduced the SY by 10, 54, and 60%,respectively, over finger millet. SY was also significantly related to rainfall for all the treatments(p 0.05). The threshold runoff values to produce SY were higher for aromatic grasses compared to finger millet. Enrichment of clay, silt, sand, soil organic carbon(SOC), available nitrogen(N), phosphorus(P) and potassium(K) in the sediment were not significantly different between slopes but differed significantly between aromatic grasses and finger millet. Sediment associated nutrient load varied inversely with SY mainly because of the nutrient dissolution effect of high runoff volume. Annual loss of SOC and nutrients varied from 84.7-156.8 kg ha~(-1) y~(-1) for SOC, 4.38-9.18 kg ha~(-1) y~(-1) for available N, 0.35-0.75 kg ha~(-1) y~(-1) for available P, and 2.22-5.22 kg ha~(-1) y~(-1) for available K, with the lowest values for citronella and highest for finger millet. The study found that the aromatic grasses have greater environmental conservation values than finger millet on steep degraded land.     

Dynamics of soil erosion rates and controlling factors in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands – towards a sediment budget

This paper analyses the factors that control rates and extent of soil erosion processes in the 199 ha May Zegzeg catchment near Hagere Selam in the Tigray Highlands (Northern Ethiopia). This catchment, characterized by high elevations (2100–2650 m a.s.l.) and a subhorizontal structural relief, is typical for the Northern Ethiopian Highlands. Soil loss rates due to various erosion processes, as well as sediment yield rates and rates of sediment deposition within the catchment (essentially induced by recent soil conservation activities), were measured using a range of geomorphological methods. The area‐weighted average rate of soil erosion by water in the catchment, measured over four years (1998–2001), is 14·8 t ha^?1 y^?1, which accounts for 98% of the change in potential energy of the landscape. Considering these soil loss rates by water, 28% is due to gully erosion. Other geomorphic processes, such as tillage erosion and rock fragment displacement by gravity and livestock trampling, are also important, either within certain land units, or for their impact on agricultural productivity. Estimated mean sediment deposition rate within the catchment equals 9·2 t ha^?1 y^?1. Calculated sediment yield (5·6 t ha^?1 y^?1) is similar to sediment yield measured in nearby catchments. Seventy‐four percent of total soil loss by sheet and rill erosion is trapped in exclosures and behind stone bunds. The anthropogenic factor is dominant in controlling present‐day erosion processes in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands. Human activities have led to an overall increase in erosion process intensities, but, through targeted interventions, rural society is now well on the way to control and reverse the degradation processes, as can be demonstrated through the sediment budget. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soil erosion and sediment transport in Tanzania: Part II – sedimentological evidence of phased land degradation

Soil resources in parts of Tanzania are rapidly being depleted by increased rates of soil erosion and downstream sediment transport, threatening ecosystem health, water and livelihood security in the region. However, incomplete understanding to what effect the dynamics of soil erosion and sediment transport are responding to land-use changes and climatic variability are hindering the actions needed to future-proof Tanzanian land-use practices. Complementary environmental diagnostic tools were applied to reconstruct the rates and sources of sedimentation over time in three Tanzanian river systems that have experienced changing land use and climatic conditions. Detailed historical analysis of sediment deposits revealed drastic changes in sediment yield and source contributions. Quantitative sedimentation reconstruction using radionuclide dating showed a 20-fold increase in sediment yield over the past 120 years. The observed dramatic increase in sediment yield is most likely driven by increasing land-use pressures. Deforestation, cropland expansion and increasing grazing pressures resulted into accelerating rates of sheet erosion. A regime shift after years of progressive soil degradation and convergence of surface flows resulted into a highly incised landscape, where high amounts of eroded soil from throughout the catchment are rapidly transported downstream by strongly connected ephemeral drainage networks. By integrating complementary spatial and temporal evidence bases, this study demonstrated links between land-use change, increased soil erosion and downstream sedimentation. Such evidence can guide stakeholders and policy makers in the design of targeted management interventions to safeguard future soil health and water quality.     

Factors and interactions controlling infiltration,runoff, and soil loss at the microscale in a patchy Mediterranean semiarid landscape

In semiarid ecosystems, the transfer of water, sediments, and nutrients from bare to vegetated areas is known to be crucial to ecosystem functioning. Rainfall simulation experiments were performed on bare‐soil and vegetated surfaces, on both wet and dry soils, in semiarid shrub‐steppe landscapes of SE Spain to investigate the spatial and temporal factors and interactions that control the fine‐scale variation in water infiltration, runoff and soil loss, and hence the water and sediment flows in these areas. Three types of shrub‐steppe landscapes varying in plant community and physiography, and four types of plant patches (oak shrub, subshrub, tussock grass, and short grass mixed with chamaephytes) were studied. Higher infiltration and lower runoff and soil loss were measured on vegetation patches than on bare soils, for both dry and wet conditions. The oak‐shrub patches produced no runoff, while the subshrub patches showed the highest runoff and soil loss. Despite these differences among patch types, the influence of vegetation patch type on the variables analysed was not significant. The response of bare soil surfaces clearly varied between landscape types, yet the differences were only relevant under dry soil conditions. Stone cover, particularly the cover of embedded stones, and crust cover, were the key explanatory variables for the hydrological behaviour of bare soils. The study documents quantitatively how bare soils and vegetation patches function as runoff sources and runoff sinks, respectively, for a wide range of soil moisture conditions, and illustrates that landscape‐type effects on bare‐soil runoff sources may also exert an important control on the site hydrology, while the role of the vegetation patch type is less important. The effects of the control factors are modulated by antecedent soil moisture, with dry soils showing the most contrasting soil water infiltration between landscapes and surface types. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling the effect of soil burn severity on soil erosion at hillslope scale in the first year following wildfire in NW Spain

Fire severity is recognized as a key factor in explaining post‐fire soil erosion. However, the relationship between soil burn severity and soil loss has not been fully established until now. Sediment availability may also affect the extent of post‐fire soil erosion. The objective of this study was to determine whether soil burn severity, estimated by an operational classification system based on visual indicators, can significantly explain soil loss in the first year after wildfire in shrubland and other areas affected by crown fires in northwest (NW) Spain. An additional aim was to establish indicators of sediment availability for use as explanatory variables for post‐fire soil loss. For these purposes, we measured hillslope‐scale sediment production rates and site characteristics during the first year after wildfire in 15 experimental sites using 65 plots. Sediment yields varied from 0.2 Mg ha^?1 to 50.1 Mg ha^?1 and soil burn severity ranged from low (1.8) to very high (4.5) in the study period. A model that included soil burn severity, annual precipitation and a land use factor (as a surrogate for sediment availability) as explanatory variables reasonably explained the erosion losses measured during the first year after fire. Model validation confirmed the usefulness of this empirical model. The proposed empirical model could be used by forest managers to help evaluate erosion risks and to plan post‐fire stabilization activities. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling soil erosion with a downscaled landscape evolution model

The measurement and prediction of soil erosion is important for understanding both natural and disturbed landscape systems. In particular numerical models of soil erosion are important tools for managing landscapes as well as understanding how they have evolved over time. Over the last 40 years a variety of methods have been used to determine rates of soil loss from a landscape and these can be loosely categorized into empirical and physically based models. Alternatively, physically based landscape evolution models (LEMs) have been developed that provide information on soil erosion rates at much longer decadal or centennial scales, over large spatial scales and examine how they may respond to environmental and climatic changes. Both soil erosion LEMs are interested in similar outcomes (landscape development and sediment delivery) yet have quite different methodologies and parameterizations. This paper applies a LEM (the CAESAR model) for the first time at time and space scales where soil erosion models have largely been used. It tests the ability of the LEM to predict soil erosion on a 30 m experimental plot on a trial rehabilitated landform in the Northern Territory, Australia. It then continues to discuss the synergies and differences between soil erosion and LEMs. The results demonstrate that once calibrated for the site hydrology, predicted suspended sediment and bedload yields from CAESAR show a close correspondence in both volume and timing of field measured data. The model also predicts, at decadal scales, sediment loads close to that of field measured data. Findings indicate that the small‐scale drainage network that forms within these erosion plots is an important control on the timing and magnitude of sediment delivery. Therefore, it is important to use models that can alter the DEM to reflect changing topography and drainage network as well as having a greater emphasis on channel processes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and Commonwealth of Australia     

The influence of leaf litter diversity and soil fauna on initial soil erosion in subtropical forests

Although the protective role of leaf litter cover against soil erosion is known for a long time, little research has been conducted on the processes involved. Moreover, the impact of soil meso‐ and macrofauna within the litter layer on erosion control is not clear. To investigate how leaf litter cover and diversity as well as meso‐ and macrofauna influence sediment discharge in subtropical forest ecosystems, a field experiment has been carried out in Southeast China. A full‐factorial random design with 96 micro‐scale runoff plots and 7 domestic leaf species was established and erosion was triggered by a rainfall simulator. Our results demonstrate that leaf litter cover protects soil from erosion (?82 % sediment discharge on leaf covered plots) by rainfall and this protection is removed as litter decomposes. The protective effect is influenced by the presence or absence of soil meso‐ and macrofauna. Fauna presence increases soil erosion rates significantly by 58 %, while leaf species diversity shows a non‐significant negative trend. We assume that the faunal effect arises from arthropods slackening and processing the soil surface as well as fragmenting and decomposing the protecting leaf litter covers. Even though the diversity level did not show a significant influence, single leaf species in monocultures show rather different impacts on sediment discharge and thus, erosion control. In our experiment, runoff plots with leaf litter from Machilus thunbergii showed the highest sediment discharge (68.0 g m^?2) whereas plots with Cyclobalanopsis glauca showed the smallest rates (7.9 g m^?2). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A GIS-based approach to site vegetated buffer strips for erosion control within an agricultural catchment in southern England

Agricultural soil erosion is largely attributed to arable intensification and increased mechanization. Runoff from arable land and intensively managed grassland transports sediment and contaminants across the landscape and into watercourses, causing crop loss, land degradation, and water quality issues. One low-cost and low-maintenance nature-based mitigation approach is the implementation of vegetated buffer strips (VBS): grassland sited along field margins to trap sediment and contaminants, reducing transportation and diffuse pollution rates. GIS modelling using remotely sensed landscape indices and land parcel data can provide an efficient means of identifying priority areas for intervention at sub-catchment or farm system scales. We develop and test a scalable runoff risk model in the lower Rother catchment, West Sussex. The model uses the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) applied to satellite images as an erodibility proxy and identifies locations along pathways that are conceivably at greatest risk of sediment accumulation and transfer, guided by field observations. We assess current and historical field boundaries near high-risk locations, evaluating the potential capacity of their margins to contribute to runoff risk reduction using an innovative ranking system. Recommendations are made for VBS implementation and the value of historical field boundary and margin restoration is discussed. Our method offers a rapid approach with minimal data requirements to identify high-risk sediment runoff locations and priority sites for intervention. The tool has the potential to guide decision-makers responsible for targeting and implementing soil erosion and runoff control measures such as VBS, while also maximizing agri-environmental and cultural benefits.     

Soil erosion and sediment transport in Tanzania: Part I – sediment source tracing in three neighbouring river catchments

Water bodies in Tanzania are experiencing increased siltation, which is threatening water quality, ecosystem health, and livelihood security in the region. This phenomenon is caused by increasing rates of upstream soil erosion and downstream sediment transport. However, a lack of knowledge on the contributions from different catchment zones, land-use types, and dominant erosion processes, to the transported sediment is undermining the mitigation of soil degradation at the source of the problem. In this context, complementary sediment source tracing techniques were applied in three Tanzanian river systems to further the understanding of the complex dynamics of soil erosion and sediment transport in the region. Analysis of the geochemical and biochemical fingerprints revealed a highly complex and variable soil system that could be grouped in distinct classes. These soil classes were unmixed against riverine sediment fingerprints using the Bayesian MixSIAR model, yielding proportionate source contributions for each catchment. This sediment source tracing indicated that hillslope erosion on the open rangelands and maize croplands in the mid-zone contributed over 75% of the transported sediment load in all three river systems during the sampling time-period. By integrating geochemical and biochemical fingerprints in sediment source tracing techniques, this study demonstrated links between land use, soil erosion and downstream sediment transport in Tanzania. This evidence can guide land managers in designing targeted interventions that safeguard both soil health and water quality.