Estimation of regional differences in wind erosion sensitivity in Hungary

Abstract

Abstract. In Hungary, wind erosion is one of the most serious natural hazards. Spatial and temporal variation in the factors that determine the location and intensity of wind erosion damage are not well known, nor are the regional and local sensitivities to erosion. Because of methodological challenges, no multi-factor, regional wind erosion sensitivity map is available for Hungary. The aim of this study was to develop a method to estimate the regional differences in wind erosion sensitivity and exposure in Hungary.Wind erosion sensitivity was modelled using the key factors of soil sensitivity, vegetation cover and wind erodibility as proxies. These factors were first estimated separately by factor sensitivity maps and later combined by fuzzy logic into a regional-scale wind erosion sensitivity map. Large areas were evaluated by using publicly available data sets of remotely sensed vegetation information, soil maps and meteorological data on wind speed. The resulting estimates were verified by field studies and examining the economic losses from wind erosion as compensated by the state insurance company. The spatial resolution of the resulting sensitivity map is suitable for regional applications, as identifying sensitive areas is the foundation for diverse land development control measures and implementing management activities.

Integrated spatial assessment of wind erosion risk in Hungary

“…Stefanovits and Várallyay (1992) evaluated the extent of wind erosion based on the costs payed out by insurance companies for wind erosion harms and their results coincide very well with our findings. Mezősi et al (2015), also got similar results based on less detailed input data. Albeit the main pattern of previous approaches is reflected with reliable accuracy, the recent map can be considered as a specific zooming in on the spatial behaviour of wind erosion due to the application of significantly more detailed input data.…”

“…However, this map is based only on a simplified soil texture classification and critical threshold velocity, whereas other factors (wind velocity, land use) were not taken into account. Thus, this map does not provide a full picture of the hazard as it was pointed out by Mezősi et al (2015). Mezősi et al (2015) integrated climate, vegetation and soil erodibility factors with fuzzy logic to create a wind erosion map of Hungary based on soil texture, climatological and land use data, and they verified their results by field investigation.…”

“…Thus, this map does not provide a full picture of the hazard as it was pointed out by Mezősi et al (2015). Mezősi et al (2015) integrated climate, vegetation and soil erodibility factors with fuzzy logic to create a wind erosion map of Hungary based on soil texture, climatological and land use data, and they verified their results by field investigation. The spatial resolution of the databases they used for representing wind erosion factors was significantly lower than the inputs of the present approach.…”

“…Degradation of land caused by wind erosion strongly depends on the texture of topsoil; therefore, mapping of deflation requires knowledge of the soil texture of the uppermost soil layer in proper spatial detail (Borrelli et al, 2014a;Mezősi et al, 2015). Soil texture can be assigned the most accurately by determining particle size distribution (PSD).…”

New Insights into the Geography and Modelling of Wind Erosion in the European Agricultural Land. Application of a Spatially Explicit Indicator of Land Susceptibility to Wind Erosion

“…This technique allows for an unambiguous definition of the sensitivity range of each factor in Europe [30]. The sensitivity ranges and threshold values of the input factors were ranked according to the relationships defined in literature and derived by field experiments.…”