EUSEDcollab: a network of data from European catchments to monitor net soil erosion by water

Abstract

As a network of researchers we release an open-access database (EUSEDcollab) of water discharge and suspended sediment yield time series records collected in small to medium sized catchments in Europe. EUSEDcollab is compiled to overcome the scarcity of open-access data at relevant spatial scales for studies on runoff, soil loss by water erosion and sediment delivery. Multi-source measurement data from numerous researchers and institutions were harmonised into a common time series and metadata structure. Data reuse is facilitated through accompanying metadata descriptors providing background technical information for each monitoring station setup. Across ten European countries, EUSEDcollab covers over 1600 catchment years of data from 245 catchments at event (11 catchments), daily (22 catchments) and monthly (212 catchments) temporal resolution, and is unique in its focus on small to medium catchment drainage areas (median = 43 km2, min = 0.04 km2, max = 817 km2) with applicability for soil erosion research. We release this database with the aim of uniting people, knowledge and data through the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO).

Preliminary assessment of the knowledge gaps to prevent soil erosion

“…Moreover, for field studies to be considered suitable in modelling, they must rely on accessible and comparable methodologies. Initiatives such as the EUSEDcollab database (Matthews et al 2023) may represent a paradigm shift, providing open-access and harmonized catchment data from various European countries, particularly relevant for soil erosion modelling. While such initiatives are scarce, they represent a significant endeavour to leverage inaccessible and potentially unknown data.…”

Let's give a voice to young soil researchers

“…the cover management factor based on land parcel data (Matthews, Verstraeten, Borrelli, Vanmaercke, et al, 2023) and evaluated erosion effects on carbon balance and nutrients (Fendrich et al, 2022). In addition, YSRs generated the first ever map of cover crops in the EU (Fendrich et al, 2023), investigated phosphorus dynamics in EU agricultural systems (Muntwyler et al, 2023), analysed the implications of management practices for nutrient budgets (Muntwyler et al, 2024), and curated an EU sediment database .…”

“…For instance, regarding soil erosion and sediment delivery areas, the YSRs addressed the simulation of rainfall erosivity at each precipitation event (Matthews et al, 2022), developed an innovative method to estimate the cover management factor based on land parcel data (Matthews, Verstraeten, Borrelli, Vanmaercke, et al, 2023) and evaluated erosion effects on carbon balance and nutrients (Fendrich et al, 2022). In addition, YSRs generated the first ever map of cover crops in the EU (Fendrich et al, 2023), investigated phosphorus dynamics in EU agricultural systems (Muntwyler et al, 2023), analysed the implications of management practices for nutrient budgets (Muntwyler et al, 2024), and curated an EU sediment database (Matthews, Verstraeten, Borrelli, & Panagos, 2023).…”

Spatial Quantification of Cropland Soil Erosion Dynamics in the Yunnan Plateau Based on Sampling Survey and Multi-Source LUCC Data

“…Field investigations on erosion features and parameters are then conducted, after which soil erosion models can be further applied to quantify soil erosion rates or conditions, and statistical methods can then be used to estimate the overall soil erosion patterns of the region. The typical examples are the National Resource Inventory (NRI), conducted in the United States [34], the National Soil Erosion Survey in China [35], the EUSEDcollab network [36] and gully erosion monitoring based on the Land Use/Cover Area frame survey in Europe [36]. (b) Another category is remote sensing-based assessments using simplified models.…”