Integrating variations in the soil chloride profile and evaporativity for in-situ estimation of evaporation in arid zones: an application in south-eastern Morocco

In arid regions, knowledge of the evaporation rate from the water table is essential for appropriate management of scarce resources and to prevent land degradation. Soil chloride profiles in the unsaturated zone of a bare soil in an arid area of south-eastern Morocco were used to assess the evaporation flux, using chloride inventories in conjunction with evaporative demand. Moisture fluxes were calculated from measured chloride concentrations on the basis of a steady-state flow model. The chloride profiles displayed large variations in concentrations and had (1) low chloride concentrations near the soil surface, (2) maximum chloride concentrations at depths of 11–14 cm beneath the soil surface, respectively in July and February, and (3) gradually decreasing chloride concentrations while depth increased below these peaks. Evaporative demands were found to be inversely proportional to the depth of evaporation fronts and proportional to evaporation fluxes. In addition, the evaporation along the profiles seems to be controlled by the soil composition and texture. The investigation of chloride profiles in February and July enabled the determination of a value for annual evaporation (～30 mm), which is in good agreement with the value estimated by the Allison-Barnes type model (～32 mm).     

Using magnetic susceptibility to assess soil degradation in the Eastern Rif,Morocco

The soil in the Rif, Morocco, is at serious risk because increasing anthropogenic pressures are gradually transforming large natural areas into farmland. The distribution of magnetic minerals within the soil profile can be used to assess soil development and degradation. The soils in the study area are severely eroded because of a combination of highly erodible soils, intense rainstorms and scarce vegetation cover. To sample of representative soil profiles, lithology, slope gradient and land use were considered. The ranges of magnetic susceptibility in the soil profiles distinguished between two primary soil groups. Magnetic susceptibility varied in the soil profile and along the soil toposequence, and the variations were related to the differences in the original magnetic composition and the influence of main erosion factors. Lithology is the main factor contributing to the variation in magnetic susceptibility. The magnetic susceptibility values in soils on Tertiary marls (χ = 13·5 × 10^?8 m³ kg^?1) differed significantly from those on Quaternary terraces (χ = 122·1 × 10^?8 m³ kg^?1). Slope affected the distribution of magnetic susceptibility because of the continuous loss of topsoil in some parts of the slope and the deposition of eroded soil in others. Elimination of the natural vegetation cover and a shift to cultivated land for cereals has had a negative impact on soil development and, on similar slopes and substrates, magnetic susceptibility decreased significantly in cultivated soils. The soils on steep slopes that had natural vegetation cover retained the magnetic minerals better than did those on gentler slopes that were under cultivation. Grazing, clearing and, especially, tilling has weakened the soil and made it much more vulnerable to erosion. An analysis of the main factors causing erosion will help to promote rational use of the land and to establish conservation strategies in such fragile agroecosystems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.