Soil erosion of agricultural land in Western Australia estimated by cesium-137

Soil Research ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 533 ◽  
Author(s):  
DJ Mcfarlane ◽  
RJ Loughran ◽  
BL Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
137Cs Activity ◽  
Rock Outcrops ◽  
Severe Erosion ◽  
Cesium 137 ◽  
Water Repellence ◽  
Soil Losses ◽  
Sheet Erosion

The caesium-137 technique was used to estimate net soil loss from 10 hillslopes in the agricultural area of Western Australia. The gravel fraction of the soil was found to have approximately 56% of the total 137Cs activity found on the <2 mm fraction of the soil on three slopes where it was measured. In the lower rainfall zones, 137Cs appeared not to have uniformly labelled the soils in uncleared areas, possibly due to the redistribution of rainfall in the canopy and above the soil surface, and the water repellence of some soils. A previously established calibration curve was used to calculate net soil losses from the 10 hillslopes. Potato-growing land and slopes below rock outcrops in the Wheatbelt appear to have experienced the most severe erosion since the soils were first labelled with 137Cs in the mid 1950s (19-27 t ha-1 yr-1). Hillslopes below rock outcrops had appreciably less 137Cs than those below lateritic breakaways, indicating the presence of sheet erosion.

The contribution of the mallet hill surface to runoff and erosion in the Narrogin region of Western Australia

Soil Research ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
DA Mcghie
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Aerial Photograph ◽  
Surface Soil ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Rainfall Simulator ◽  
Severe Erosion ◽  
Area Use ◽  
Water Repellence ◽  
Sheet Erosion

Severe erosion in the Great Southern area of Western Australia has long been associated with the land class known locally as the 'mallet hill'. This association was confirmed by means of an aerial photograph survey of a representative part of the area. Use of a recycling rainfall simulator showed the mallet hill land class to yield far higher runoff than any of four adjacent upper landscape surfaces. Several factors were thought to contribute to the higher runoff from the mallet hill surface. Among these were steeper slopes, a heavier texture and water repellence of the surface soil which varied from severe in the virgin and freshly cleared state to slight or non existent in soils, which had been cleared for many years. No assessment of the relative contributions of the various factors was made, although it appeared likely that water repellence would be more important in the early years after clearing. Removal of the topsoil by sheet erosion would increase the importance of the low hydraulic conductivity of the heavy-textured subsoil in causing runoff.

scholarly journals Effect of tillage, slope, and rainfall on soil surface microtopography quantified by geostatistical and fractal indices during sheet erosion

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 232-241
Author(s):  
Na Ta ◽  
Chutian Zhang ◽  
Hongru Ding ◽  
Qingfeng Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Fractal Dimension ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Tillage Practices ◽  
Surface Microtopography ◽  
Artificial Rainfall ◽  
Soil Surface Roughness ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Sheet Erosion

AbstractTillage and slope will influence soil surface roughness that changes during rainfall events. This study tests this effect under controlled conditions quantified by geostatistical and fractal indices. When four commonly adopted tillage practices, namely, artificial backhoe (AB), artificial digging (AD), contour tillage (CT), and linear slope (CK), were prepared on soil surfaces at 2 × 1 × 0.5 m soil pans at 5°, 10°, or 20° slope gradients, artificial rainfall with an intensity of 60 or 90 mm h−1 was applied to it. Measurements of the difference in elevation points of the surface profiles were taken before rainfall and after rainfall events for sheet erosion. Tillage practices had a relationship with fractal indices that the surface treated with CT exhibited the biggest fractal dimension D value, followed by the surfaces AD, AB, and CK. Surfaces under a stronger rainfall tended to have a greater D value. Tillage treatments affected anisotropy differently and the surface CT had the strongest effect on anisotropy, followed by the surfaces AD, AB, and CK. A steeper surface would have less effect on anisotropy. Since the surface CT had the strongest effect on spatial variability or the weakest spatial autocorrelation, it had the smallest effect on runoff and sediment yield. Therefore, tillage CT could make a better tillage practice of conserving water and soil. Simultaneously, changes in semivariogram and fractal parameters for surface roughness were examined and evaluated. Fractal parameter – crossover length l – is more sensitive than fractal dimension D to rainfall action to describe vertical differences in soil surface roughness evolution.

scholarly journals Spatial Estimation of Soil Erosion Using RUSLE Modeling: A case study of Dolakha District, Nepal

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pawan Thapa
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Spatial Estimation ◽  
The North ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Severe Erosion

Abstract Background: Soil erosion causes topsoil loss, which decreases fertility in agricultural land. Spatial estimation of soil erosion essential for an agriculture-dependent country like Nepal for developing its control plans. This study evaluated impacts on Dolakha using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model; analyses the effect of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) on soil erosion. Results: The soil erosion rate categorized into six classes based on the erosion severity, and 5.01% of the areas found under extreme severe erosion risk (> 80 Mg ha-1yr-1) addressed by decision-makers for reducing its rate and consequences. Followed by 10 % classified between high and severe range from 10 to 80 Mg ha-1yr-1. While 15% and 70% of areas remained in a moderate and low-risk zone, respectively. Result suggests the area of the north-eastern part suffers from a high soil erosion risk due to steep slope. Conclusions: The result produces a spatial distribution of soil erosion over Dolakha, which applied for conservation and management planning processes, at the policy level, by land-use planners and decision-makers.

A sheet erodibility parameter for water erosion modeling in regions with low intensity rain

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1013-1021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad H. Hussein
Keyword(s):  
Probability Distribution ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Silty Clay ◽  
Storm Events ◽  
Sheet Flow ◽  
Northern Iraq ◽  
Flow Power ◽  
Normal Rainfall ◽  
Lognormal Probability ◽  
Sheet Erosion

Soil erodibility reflects the soil effect on the detachment process by rainfall and runoff; an evaluation of this parameter for single storm events was carried out using natural runoff plot data collected for two rainfall seasons in northern Iraq. The region is characterized by a semiarid Mediterranean-type climate with normal rainfall intensity below 20 mm/h and dominant sheet erosion on agricultural land. The plots were three 30 × 3 m and three 10 × 3 m, in fallow, situated on a 6% uniform slope; the soil at the site has a silty clay loam texture and belongs to the Calciorthid suborder. Sheet erosion rate was assumed linearly proportional to the storm power and the sheet flow power; a steady-state turbulent and kinematic sheet flow was also assumed. The results indicated a dominant detachment by rainfall with a substantial variability in storm by storm calculated sheet erodibility. The two-parameter lognormal probability distribution fitted the obtained sheet erodibility values reasonably well. Using this probability distribution, a representative sheet erodibility value of 0.056 × 10−3kg/J was obtained for use at the experimental site.

Residual value of molybdenum trioxide for clover production on an acidic sandy podzol

2002 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 565 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Brennan
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Molybdenum Trioxide ◽  
Maximum Yield ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
The Other ◽  
Residual Value ◽  
Yield Plateau ◽  
Mo Content

The residual value (RV) of molybdenum (Mo) for clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) production was measured for an acidic sand when the fertiliser was spread over the soil surface (topdressed). The RV of Mo, as molybdenum trioxide, the most widely used Mo fertiliser in Western Australia, was measured using yield of dry herbage (DM), Mo concentration of DM, and Mo content of DM (yield of DM multiplied by the Mo concentration of DM). The RV of Mo fertiliser was measured in 1993 for fertiliser Mo applied once only to plots not treated with Mo before, either in 1993 (current Mo) or 1-10 years previously (previous Mo). Relative to the nil-Mo treatment, additions of Mo fertiliser increased DM yield by about 1.20 t/ha (20% DM increase) in October. When 80 or 320 g Mo/ha was applied, all yields were on the maximum yield plateau except for Mo applied 10 years previously. The yield for the 80 g Mo/ha treatment applied 10 years earlier decreased by about 15% relative to the other current and previous Mo treatments. However, as measured using Mo concentration and Mo content in DM, there was a continuous decline in the effectiveness of previous Mo relative to current Mo the longer the previous Mo was in contact with the soil. The decrease in RV was about the same as measured using Mo concentration or content in tissue. Molybdenum applied 5 years previously was about one-third as effective as current Mo for Mo content or Mo concentration of DM.

scholarly journals ARAHAN PENGGUNAAN LAHAN SUB DAERAH ALIRAN SUNGAI (DAS) TELAGAWAJA PROVINSI BALI

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Karsun Karsun ◽  
I Nyoman Merit ◽  
I Wayan Suarna
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Erosion Rate ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Director General ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Severe Erosion ◽  
Alternative Measures ◽  
Management Recommendations

Telagawaja Sub-Watershed is upper part watershed of Unda Watershed. As upper watershed, Telagawaja sub watershed has functions as conservation area, water catchment area, and managed in order to keep sub watershed environment not degradated. This research objectives are to identify the characteristics of the land, the function of the area, and the erosion potential rate (TBE), as well as land management recommendations on Telagawaja Sub-Watershed. The identification of land is conducted by analyzing the characteristics of thematic maps in study area. The directives of classification land function is determined by the Minister of Agriculture Number.837/Kpts/Um/ 11/1980 and Number: 683/Kpts/Um/8/1981. The prediction of actual erosion is calculated by USLE formula for the agriculture area, while non-agricultural land use is applied Snyder formula (1980) in Asdak (2010). Erosion class and erosion rate (TBE) are determined based on the Director General of Reforestation and Land Rehabilitation Department of Forestry Number.041/Kpts/V/1998. Determination for the amount of erosion is still can be allowed using the method of Thompson (1957) in Arsyad (2010) which based on soil properties attached to Telagawaja sub watershed. The research shows that Telagawaja Sub-Watershed characteristic is an area which is susceptible to erosion.The analysis shows that the direction of the area function Telagawaja sub-watershed consists of an area of 7337.28 Ha of protection forest (66.01%), and the function of a buffer area 3.778.31 Ha (33.99%). The result of the study on Telagawaja sub-watershed erosion is 2777.07 tonnes ha-1year-1. Erosion class and erosion rate of Telagawaja Sub-Watershed vary from very light to very severe. Erosion class and erosion rate (TBE) with category severe to very severe consist an area of 2.071,97 ha (18,64 %) from total sub-watershed area. Land use planning implemented by applying alternative measures of soil and water conservation can reduce the rate of erosion of 2777.07 tonnes ha-1year-1 to 611.00 tonnes ha-1year-1 or less 2166.07 tonnes ha- 1year-1.

scholarly journals The effect of straw mulch and compost application on the soil losses in potatoes cultivation

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (No. 9) ◽  
pp. 446-452
Author(s):  
Martin Král ◽  
Petr Dvořák ◽  
Ivana Capouchova
Keyword(s):  
Soil Loss ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Soil Protection ◽  
Straw Mulch ◽  
Compost Application ◽  
High Doses ◽  
Wheat Straw Mulch ◽  
Short Time ◽  
Soil Losses

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of the straw mulch and compost application on the soil losses in potatoes cultivation. The three-year (2016–2018) exact field plot trials with the potato cv. Dicolora was carried out at the experimental station in Prague-Uhříněves. Wheat straw mulch in two doses 2.5 t/ha (SM1) and 4.5 t/ha (SM2) was applied on the soil surface; the compost in a dose of 20 t/ha (CM) was shuffled to the surface soil layer. Both straw mulch and compost application contributed to the significant reduction of the soil losses compared to control untreated (C). In the average of 2016–2018, the lowest soil loss 17.54 g/m<sup>2</sup> (amount of the soil sediment caught) was found for the variant with the straw mulch treatment (SM2); it means the decrease of soil losses by 71.9% compared to C. Variant SM1 (lower rate of straw mulch in dose 2.5 t/ha) showed the soil loss 18.6 g/m<sup>2</sup> (the decrease by 70.2% compared to C). The similar results for both variants indicate that for effective soil protection, it is not necessary to use the high doses of the straw mulch. Regarding the distribution of precipitation during the vegetation season, intensive precipitation during the short time, especially when they came after the longer period of drought led to higher soil losses compared to the precipitation distributed regularly.  

scholarly journals The contribution of soil structural degradation to catchment flooding: a preliminary investigation of the 2000 floods in England and Wales

2003 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 755-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. P. Holman ◽  
J. M. Hollis ◽  
M. E. Bramley ◽  
T. R. E. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Curve Number ◽  
Soil Condition ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Structural Degradation ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract. During the autumn of 2000, England and Wales experienced the wettest conditions for over 270 years, causing significant flooding. The exceptional combination of a wet spring and autumn provided the potential for soil structural degradation. Soils prone to structural degradation under five common lowland cropping systems (autumn-sown crops, late-harvested crops, field vegetables, orchards and sheep fattening and livestock rearing systems) were examined within four catchments that experienced serious flooding. Soil structural degradation of the soil surface, within the topsoil or at the topsoil/subsoil junction, was widespread in all five cropping systems, under a wide range of soil types and in all four catchments. Extrapolation to the catchment scale suggests that soil structural degradation may have occurred on approximately 40% of the Severn, 30–35 % of the Yorkshire Ouse and Uck catchments and 20% of the Bourne catchment. Soil structural conditions were linked via hydrological soil group, soil condition and antecedent rainfall conditions to SCS Curve Numbers to evaluate the volume of enhanced runoff in each catchment. Such a response at the catchment-scale is only likely during years when prolonged wet weather and the timing of cultivation practices lead to widespread soil structural degradation. Nevertheless, an holistic catchment-wide approach to managing the interactions between agricultural land use and hydrology, allowing appropriate runoff (and consequent flooding) to be controlled at source, rather than within the floodplain or the river channel, should be highlighted in catchment flood management plans. Keywords: flooding, soil structure, land management, Curve Number, runoff, agriculture

Using digital photogrammetry to monitor soil erosion under conditions of simulated rainfall and wind

Soil Research ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 36 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Moritani ◽  
T. Yamamoto ◽  
H. Andry ◽  
M. Inoue ◽  
T. Kaneuchi
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
Algorithm Analysis ◽  
Simulated Rainfall ◽  
Digital Photogrammetry ◽  
Statistical Parameters ◽  
Surface Evolution ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Sheet Erosion

We investigated a method to measure sheet erosion by characterising the soil erosion of an upland field in a dryland environment. Digital photogrammetry was used to measure the erosion rates of soil surfaces packed to different densities under simulated rainfall or wind conditions. The photogrammetry system consisted of 2 digital cameras, a rainfall simulator, a wind tunnel, and a computer program for 3-dimensional algorithm analysis. First, we assessed the accuracy of our method by comparing conventionally measured data to photogrammetric data under conditions of either no rainfall or no wind application. Two statistical parameters were used to evaluate the soil surface evolution: the mean absolute error (MAE) and the mean relative error (MRE). Their values were 0.21 mm and 15.8%, respectively. We then assessed the precision of our system under simulated rainfall conditions using 3 different dry bulk densities for the packed saturated soil surface. At densities of 0.91, 0.98, and 1.09 g/cm3, the MAE (MRE) values were 2.21 mm (392.5%), 1.07 mm (126.4%), and 0.59 mm (57.6%), respectively. It was possible to monitor and evaluate both the amount of eroded soil and the erosion mechanism in a specific area. Moreover, this system could be applied to measuring wind erosion with an MAE accuracy as high as 0.21 mm. The digital elevation models (DEMs) allowed for detailed analyses of soil surface evolution, and it was also possible to monitor sheet erosion with high spatial and temporal resolutions.

Plot-scale wash-off of Cesium-137 and Strontium-90 after three decades since the Chernobyl accident

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshifumi Wakiyama ◽  
Yasunori Igarashi ◽  
Yuichi Onda ◽  
Dmitry Samoilov ◽  
Hlib Lisovy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Water Repellency ◽  
Sediment Discharge ◽  
Exclusion Zone ◽  
Runoff Water ◽  
Wild Fire ◽  
Strontium 90 ◽  
Cesium 137 ◽  
Level Sensor

&lt;p&gt;Long-term behaviors of Cesium-137 (&lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs) and Strontium-90 (&lt;sup&gt;90&lt;/sup&gt;Sr) have been of great interest in Chernobyl and its downstream area. This study presents plot-scale observations of &lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs and &lt;sup&gt;90&lt;/sup&gt;Sr wash-off in the Chernobyl exclusion zone since 2018 to date. Runoff plots were established on a pine forest in the Kopachi area (PF-KP), an abandoned farmland in the Korogod area (AF-KR) and a post wild fire territory in the Red Forest (WF-RF) in December 2017. Each runoff plot consists of eroding surface of 22.13 m length and 5 m width, a 30&amp;#176; V-notch weir with water level sensor for monitoring surface runoff and tanks for collecting runoff water and sediments. Since February 2018, runoff water and sediment samples trapped in the weir and tanks have been collected after rainfall events and analyzed for particulate &lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs concentration, dissolved &lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs concentration, and dissolved &lt;sup&gt;90&lt;/sup&gt;Sr concentration. Analyses of samples in 2, 4, and 3 wash-off events were completed for PF-KP, AF-KR, and WF-RF, respectively. The ash/litter on soil surface, soil of 0-1 cm depth, soil of 1-2 cm depth, and soil of 2-3 cm depth were sampled with a scraper plate and subject to measurements of &lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs and &lt;sup&gt;90&lt;/sup&gt;Sr concentrations. &amp;#160;Total volume of surface runoff from PF-KP, AF-KR, and WF-RF were 0.97, 0.73, and 3.2 mm, respectively. Total sediment discharge from PF-KP, AF-KR, and WF-RF were 0.29, 0.015, 1.7 g m&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt;, respectively. The runoff and sediment discharge from PF-KP and WF-RF were mainly observed in summer and attributed to severe water repellency of the surface soils. Total particulate &lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs wash-off from PF-KP, AF-KR, and WF-RF were 51, 0.082, 270 Bq m&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt;, respectively. Total dissolved &lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs wash-off from PF-KP, AF-KR, and WF-RF were 7.4, 0.024, 9.8 Bq m&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt;, respectively. Total dissolved &lt;sup&gt;90&lt;/sup&gt;Sr wash-off from PF-KP, AF-KR, and WF-RF were 55, 0.31, 230 Bq m&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt;, respectively.&amp;#160; These results indicate that wild fire enhances surface runoff and sediment yield and result in greater wash-off of &lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs and &lt;sup&gt;90&lt;/sup&gt;Sr. In comparisons between PF-KP and WF-RF, apparent Kd value for &lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs at WF-RF was higher than at PF-KP. Ratio of dissolved &lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs and &lt;sup&gt;90&lt;/sup&gt;Sr concentration to those in ash/litter layer at PF-KP was lower than those of WF-RF. The dissolution of these radionuclides into runoff water appeared to be restrained in the post wild-fire site.&lt;/p&gt;

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document