Effects of rock fragments on soil erosion by water at different spatial scales: a review

Poesen, Jean; Torri, Dino; Bunte, Kristin

doi:10.1016/0341-8162(94)90058-2

Cited by 345 publications

(243 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…This is because these soil types are usually very vulnerable to soil erosion, and the observed K values are beyond the range predicted by the method of Torri et al (1997) (Van der Knijff et al, 1999). To account for the effect of stoniness on soil erosion we used a combination of the methods by Cerdan et al (2010) and Doetterl et al (2012), who based their methods on the original method of Poesen et al (1994). For nonagricultural areas we used the method of Cerdan et al (2010), where they reduced the total erosion by 30 % for areas with a gravel percentage larger or equal to 30 %.…”

Section: Computation Of the Soil Erodibility And Land Cover Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the global applicability of the RUSLE model – adjustment of the topographical and rainfall erosivity factors

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Large uncertainties exist in estimated rates and the extent of soil erosion by surface runoff on a global scale. This limits our understanding of the global impact that soil erosion might have on agriculture and climate. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model is, due to its simple structure and empirical basis, a frequently used tool in estimating average annual soil erosion rates at regional to global scales. However, large spatial-scale applications often rely on coarse data input, which is not compatible with the local scale on which the model is parameterized. Our study aims at providing the first steps in improving the global applicability of the RUSLE model in order to derive more accurate global soil erosion rates.We adjusted the topographical and rainfall erosivity factors of the RUSLE model and compared the resulting erosion rates to extensive empirical databases from the USA and Europe. By scaling the slope according to the fractal method to adjust the topographical factor, we managed to improve the topographical detail in a coarse resolution global digital elevation model.Applying the linear multiple regression method to adjust rainfall erosivity for various climate zones resulted in values that compared well to high resolution erosivity data for different regions. However, this method needs to be extended to tropical climates, for which erosivity is biased due to the lack of high resolution erosivity data.After applying the adjusted and the unadjusted versions of the RUSLE model on a global scale we find that the adjusted version shows a global higher mean erosion rate and more variability in the erosion rates. Comparison to empirical data sets of the USA and Europe shows that the adjusted RUSLE model is able to decrease the very high erosion rates in hilly regions that are observed in the unadjusted RUSLE model results. Although there are still some regional differences with the empirical databases, the results indicate that the methods used here seem to be a promising tool in improving the applicability of the RUSLE model at coarse resolution on a global scale.

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Section: Computation Of the Soil Erodibility And Land Cover Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the global applicability of the RUSLE model – adjustment of the topographical and rainfall erosivity factors

et al. 2015

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“…Furthemore, Mediterranean soils have often a larger fraction of rock fragments (Poesen et al 1995), which significantly reduce the soil erodibility (Poesen et al 1994;Sanchis et al 2008). …”

Section: Ii1 Scale Dependency Of Soil Erosion Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lasanta et al 2006;GarciaRuíz et al 2010;Clapp et al 2000). These soils will produce runoff but much less sediments (Poesen et al 1994;Govers et al 2006;Salvador Sanchis et al 2008). As a result, the alluvial deposits can be remobilized, contributing to the SY of many Mediterranean catchments.…”

Section: Ii2 the Catchment Response To Disturbances In Land Use Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sediment yield as a desertification risk indicator

Vanmaercke

Poesen

Maetens

et al. 2011

Science of The Total Environment

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Soil erosion is often regarded as one of the main processes of desertification. This has lead to the use of various desertification indicators that are related to soil erosion. Most of these indicators focus, however, on small spatial units, while little attention has been given to the amount of sediment exported at the catchment scale. Such a small spatial unit approach neglects the transfer of sediment through catchments as well as the scale-dependency of erosion processes. Furthermore, this approach does not consider important off-site impacts of soil erosion, such as sediment deposition in reservoirs, flooding as well as ecological impacts.This study aims to illustrate the importance of also considering catchment sediment yield (SY, t km -2 y -1 ) in desertification assessment studies. Based on recently established databases of SY and soil loss rates in Europe and examples from previous studies, we illustrate that soil erosion rates at the plot scale are not representative for catchment SY, as they are often several orders of magnitude smaller. Also, the erosion response of catchments to changes in land use or climate often differs strongly from responses to those changes at the plot scale.We further discuss several of the impacts of SY and their link with desertification: i.e. the sedimentation of reservoirs, problems related to flooding, catchment hydrology, export of nutrients and ecological implications.Using earlier established criteria we evaluate the potential for using catchment SY as a desertification indicator and conclude that this could give an important added value to desertification studies. SY, used in combination with other indicators, allows the identification of other sediment sources than those considered at the plot scale and can reflect the results of desertification processes over longer time periods than periods over which assessments at the plot scale have been made. We argue therefore, that SY is a strong complementary indicator of desertification providing valuable information on the catchment response to changes in drivers of desertification.

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“…As the importance of rock fragment cover in protecting arable land from soil erosion by water is well known (Wischmeier and Smith, 1978;Poesen et al, 1994), it was also important to study the effect of rock fragment removal from the topsoil for bund building.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interdisciplinary on-site evaluation of stone bunds to control soil erosion on cropland in Northern Ethiopia

Nyssen

Poesen

Gebremichael

et al. 2007

Soil and Tillage Research

173

146

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Since two decades, stone bunds have been installed in large areas of the Tigray Highlands, Northern Ethiopia, to control soil erosion by water. Field studies were conducted to quantify the effectiveness, efficiency, side effects and acceptance of stone bunds. Based on measurements on 202 field parcels, average sediment accumulation rate behind 3-21 year old stone bunds is 58 t ha À1 year À1 .The Universal Soil Loss Equation's P-factor for stone bunds was estimated at 0.32. Sediment accumulation rates increase with slope gradient and bund spacing, but decrease with bund age. Truncation of the soil profile at the lower side of the bund does not lead to an important soil fertility decrease, mainly because the dominant soil types in the study area (Regosols, Vertisols and Vertic Cambisols) do not have pronounced vertical fertility gradients. Excessive removal of small rock fragments from the soil surface during stone bund building may lead to a three-fold increase in sheet and rill erosion rates. Negative effects of runoff concentration or crop burial by sediment deposition due to bunds were only found over 60 m along 4 km of studied bunds. As the rodent problem is widespread and generally not specific to stone bunds, it calls for distinct interventions. On plots with stone bunds of different ages (between 3 and 21 years old), there is an average increase in grain yield of 53% in the lower part of the plot, as compared to the central and upper parts. Taking into account the space occupied by the bunds, stone bunds led in 2002 to a mean crop yield increase from 0.58 to 0.65 t ha À1 . The cost of stone bund building averages s13.6 ha À1 year À1

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Effects of rock fragments on soil erosion by water at different spatial scales: a review

Cited by 345 publications

References 28 publications

Improving the global applicability of the RUSLE model – adjustment of the topographical and rainfall erosivity factors

Improving the global applicability of the RUSLE model – adjustment of the topographical and rainfall erosivity factors

Sediment yield as a desertification risk indicator

Interdisciplinary on-site evaluation of stone bunds to control soil erosion on cropland in Northern Ethiopia

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