Articles | Volume 6, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-549-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-549-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Original research article
| 
16 Nov 2020
Original research article |
| 16 Nov 2020
| 16 Nov 2020
Understanding the role of water and tillage erosion from 239+240Pu tracer measurements using inverse modelling
Florian Wilken
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Environmental Systems Science, Eidgenössische
Technische Hochschule Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Institute for Geography, Universität Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
Michael Ketterer
Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff,
USA
Sylvia Koszinski
Working Group Landscape Pedology, Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural
Landscape Research ZALF e.V., Müncheberg, Germany
Michael Sommer
Working Group Landscape Pedology, Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural
Landscape Research ZALF e.V., Müncheberg, Germany
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of
Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
Peter Fiener
Institute for Geography, Universität Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
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Jannis Groh, Jan Vanderborght, Thomas Pütz, Hans-Jörg Vogel, Ralf Gründling, Holger Rupp, Mehdi Rahmati, Michael Sommer, Harry Vereecken, and Horst H. Gerke
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He Zhang, Emilien Aldana-Jague, François Clapuyt, Florian Wilken, Veerle Vanacker, and Kristof Van Oost
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Mathias Hoffmann, Nicole Jurisch, Juana Garcia Alba, Elisa Albiac Borraz, Marten Schmidt, Vytas Huth, Helmut Rogasik, Helene Rieckh, Gernot Verch, Michael Sommer, and Jürgen Augustin
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Florian Wilken, Peter Fiener, and Kristof Van Oost
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 113–124, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-113-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-113-2017, 2017
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Mathias Hoffmann, Maximilian Schulz-Hanke, Juana Garcia Alba, Nicole Jurisch, Ulrike Hagemann, Torsten Sachs, Michael Sommer, and Jürgen Augustin
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W. Marijn van der Meij, Arnaud J. A. M. Temme, Christian M. F. J. J. de Kleijn, Tony Reimann, Gerard B. M. Heuvelink, Zbigniew Zwoliński, Grzegorz Rachlewicz, Krzysztof Rymer, and Michael Sommer
SOIL, 2, 221–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-221-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-221-2016, 2016
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M. Hoffmann, M. Schulz-Hanke, J. Garcia Alba, N. Jurisch, U. Hagemann, T. Sachs, M. Sommer, and J. Augustin
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-12-12923-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-12-12923-2015, 2015
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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M. Pohl, M. Hoffmann, U. Hagemann, M. Giebels, E. Albiac Borraz, M. Sommer, and J. Augustin
Biogeosciences, 12, 2737–2752, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2737-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2737-2015, 2015
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Dynamic SOC and N stocks in the aerobic zone play a key role in the regulation of plant- and microbially mediated CO2 and CH4 fluxes in drained and cultivated fen peatlands. Their interaction with the groundwater level (GWL) strongly influenced soil C gas exchange, indicating effects of GWL-dependent N availability on C formation and transformation processes in the plant--soil system. In contrast, static SOC and N stocks showed no significant effect on C gas fluxes.
B. A. Miller, S. Koszinski, M. Wehrhan, and M. Sommer
SOIL, 1, 217–233, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-217-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-217-2015, 2015
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There are many different strategies for mapping SOC, among which is to model the variables needed to calculate the SOC stock indirectly or to model the SOC stock directly. The purpose of this research was to compare these two approaches for mapping SOC stocks from multiple linear regression models applied at the landscape scale via spatial association. Although the indirect approach had greater spatial variation and higher R2 values, the direct approach had a lower total estimated error.
J. Leifeld, C. Bader, E. Borraz, M. Hoffmann, M. Giebels, M. Sommer, and J. Augustin
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-11-12341-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-11-12341-2014, 2014
Revised manuscript not accepted
P. Fiener, K. Auerswald, F. Winter, and M. Disse
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 4121–4132, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-4121-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-4121-2013, 2013
M. Sommer, H. Jochheim, A. Höhn, J. Breuer, Z. Zagorski, J. Busse, D. Barkusky, K. Meier, D. Puppe, M. Wanner, and D. Kaczorek
Biogeosciences, 10, 4991–5007, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4991-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4991-2013, 2013
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Identification of sensitive indicators to assess the interrelationship between soil quality, management practices and human health
Lena Katharina Öttl, Florian Wilken, Anna Juřicová, Pedro V. G. Batista, and Peter Fiener
SOIL, 10, 281–305, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-281-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-281-2024, 2024
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Our long-term modelling study examines the effects of multiple soil redistribution processes on carbon dynamics in a 200 km² catchment converted from natural forest to agriculture about 1000 years ago. The modelling results stress the importance of including tillage erosion processes and long-term land use and land management changes to understand current soil-redistribution-induced carbon fluxes at the landscape scale.
Thomas Chalaux-Clergue, Rémi Bizeul, Pedro V. G. Batista, Núria Martínez-Carreras, J. Patrick Laceby, and Olivier Evrard
SOIL, 10, 109–138, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-109-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-109-2024, 2024
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Sediment source fingerprinting is a relevant tool to support soil conservation and watershed management in the context of accelerated soil erosion. To quantify sediment source contribution, it requires the selection of relevant tracers. We compared the three-step method and the consensus method and found very contrasted trends. The divergences between virtual mixtures and sample prediction ranges highlight that virtual mixture statistics are not directly transferable to actual samples.
Yuxin Wu, Guodong Jia, Xinxiao Yu, Honghong Rao, Xiuwen Peng, Yusong Wang, Yushi Wang, and Xu Wang
SOIL, 10, 61–75, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-61-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-61-2024, 2024
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Vegetation restoration is an important method of ecological restoration that aims to control soil erosion and prevent soil degradation. Our study suggests that combinations of species such as C. korshinskii and L. bicolor are optimal for improving the soil nutrients and soil erodibility for any slope aspect. This study provides insight into the rational planning of vegetation restoration measures for slopes with various aspects in semi-arid areas of the northern agro-pastoral ecotone.
Mahdi Boroughani, Fahimeh Mirchooli, Mojtaba Hadavifar, and Stephanie Fiedler
SOIL, 9, 411–423, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-411-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-411-2023, 2023
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The present study used several different datasets, conducted a field survey, and paired the data with three different machine learning algorithms to construct spatial maps for areas at risk of land degradation for the Lut watershed in Iran. According to the land degradation map, almost the entire study region is at risk. A large fraction of 43 % of the area is prone to both high wind-driven and water-driven soil erosion.
Katrin Meusburger, Paolo Porto, Judith Kobler Waldis, and Christine Alewell
SOIL, 9, 399–409, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-399-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-399-2023, 2023
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Quantifying soil redistribution rates is a global challenge. Radiogenic tracers such as plutonium, namely 239+240Pu, released to the atmosphere by atmospheric bomb testing in the 1960s are promising tools to quantify soil redistribution. Direct validation of 239+240Pu as soil redistribution is, however, still missing. Here, we used a unique sediment yield time series in southern Italy, reaching back to the initial fallout of 239+240Pu to verify 239+240Pu as a soil redistribution tracer.
Yang Yan, Wenjun Ji, Baoguo Li, Guiman Wang, Songchao Chen, Dehai Zhu, and Zhong Liu
SOIL, 9, 351–364, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-351-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-351-2023, 2023
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The response rate of soil organic matter (SOM) to the amount of straw return was inversely proportional to the initial SOM and the sand contents. From paddy to dryland, the SOM loss decreased with the increased amount of straw return. The SOM even increased by 1.84 g kg-1 when the straw return amount reached 60–100%. The study revealed that straw return is beneficial to carbon sink in farmland and is a way to prevent a C source caused by the change of paddy field to upland.
Pedro V. G. Batista, Daniel L. Evans, Bernardo M. Cândido, and Peter Fiener
SOIL, 9, 71–88, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-71-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-71-2023, 2023
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Most agricultural soils erode faster than new soil is formed, which leads to soil thinning. Here, we used a model simulation to investigate how soil erosion and soil thinning can alter topsoil properties and change its susceptibility to erosion. We found that soil profiles are sensitive to erosion-induced changes in the soil system, which mostly slow down soil thinning. These findings are likely to impact how we estimate soil lifespans and simulate long-term erosion dynamics.
Solène Quéro, Christine Hatté, Sophie Cornu, Adrien Duvivier, Nithavong Cam, Floriane Jamoteau, Daniel Borschneck, and Isabelle Basile-Doelsch
SOIL, 8, 517–539, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-517-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-517-2022, 2022
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Although present in food security key areas, Arenosols carbon stocks are barely studied. A 150-year-old land use change in a Mediterranean Arenosol showed a loss from 50 Gt C ha-1 to 3 Gt C ha-1 after grape cultivation. 14C showed that deep ploughing in a vineyard plot redistributed the remaining microbial carbon both vertically and horizontally. Despite the drastic degradation of the organic matter pool, Arenosols would have a high carbon storage potential, targeting the 4 per 1000 initiative.
Vanesa Santás-Miguel, Avelino Núñez-Delgado, Esperanza Álvarez-Rodríguez, Montserrat Díaz-Raviña, Manuel Arias-Estévez, and David Fernández-Calviño
SOIL, 8, 437–449, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-437-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-437-2022, 2022
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A laboratory experiment was carried out for 42 d to study co-selection for tolerance of tetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OTC), and chlortetracycline (CTC) in soils polluted with heavy metals (As, Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, and Pb). At high metal concentrations, the bacterial communities show tolerance to the metal itself, occurring for all the metals tested in the long term. The bacterial communities of the soil polluted with heavy metals also showed long-term co-tolerance to TC, OTC, and CTC.
David Hobson, Mary Harty, Saoirse R. Tracy, and Kevin McDonnell
SOIL, 8, 391–408, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-391-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-391-2022, 2022
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Tillage practices and traffic management have significant implications for root architecture, plant growth, and, ultimately, crop yield. Soil cores were extracted from a long-term tillage trial to measure the relationship between soil physical properties and root growth. We found that no-traffic and low-tyre-pressure methods significantly increased rooting properties and crop yield under zero-tillage conditions compared to conventionally managed deep-tillage treatments with high tyre pressures.
Antonín Kintl, Vítězslav Vlček, Martin Brtnický, Jan Nedělník, and Jakub Elbl
SOIL, 8, 349–372, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-349-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-349-2022, 2022
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We have started to address this issue because the application of wetting agents is very widespread within the European Union and is often considered desirable because it increases the effectiveness of pesticides. While pesticides are thoroughly tested for their impact on the environment as a whole, testing for the effects of wetting agents is minimal. Today, there is no research on their impact on the soil environment.
Wenwen Zhou, Haoran Jia, Lang Liu, Baotong Li, Yuqi Li, and Meizhu Gao
SOIL, 8, 237–252, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-237-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-237-2022, 2022
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Our study focuses on (E) pyriminobac-methyl (EPM), a weedicide commonly applied to agricultural soils in China, which can potentially pose serious risks to groundwater quality once it percolates through the soil. We tested the adsorption–desorption, degradation, and leaching of this compound in five agricultural soils sampled from different provinces in China.
Veerle Vanacker, Armando Molina, Miluska A. Rosas, Vivien Bonnesoeur, Francisco Román-Dañobeytia, Boris F. Ochoa-Tocachi, and Wouter Buytaert
SOIL, 8, 133–147, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-133-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-133-2022, 2022
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The Andes region is prone to natural hazards due to its steep topography and climatic variability. Anthropogenic activities further exacerbate environmental hazards and risks. This systematic review synthesizes the knowledge on the effectiveness of nature-based solutions. Conservation of natural vegetation and implementation of soil and water conservation measures had significant and positive effects on soil erosion mitigation and topsoil organic carbon concentrations.
Mario Kirchhoff, Tobias Romes, Irene Marzolff, Manuel Seeger, Ali Aït Hssaine, and Johannes B. Ries
SOIL, 7, 511–524, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-511-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-511-2021, 2021
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This study found that the influence of argan trees on soil properties in southern Morocco is mostly limited to the area covered by the tree crown. However, the tree influences the bare soil outside the crown positively in specific directions because wind and water can move litter and soil particles from under the tree to the areas between the trees. These findings, based on soil samples around argan trees, could help structure reforestation measures.
Florian Wilken, Peter Fiener, Michael Ketterer, Katrin Meusburger, Daniel Iragi Muhindo, Kristof van Oost, and Sebastian Doetterl
SOIL, 7, 399–414, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-399-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-399-2021, 2021
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This study demonstrates the usability of fallout radionuclides 239Pu and 240Pu as a tool to assess soil degradation processes in tropical Africa, which is particularly valuable in regions with limited infrastructure and challenging monitoring conditions for landscape-scale soil degradation monitoring. The study shows no indication of soil redistribution in forest sites but substantial soil redistribution in cropland (sedimentation >40 cm in 55 years) with high variability.
Ming Lu, David S. Powlson, Yi Liang, Dave R. Chadwick, Shengbi Long, Dunyi Liu, and Xinping Chen
SOIL, 7, 333–346, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-333-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-333-2021, 2021
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Land use changes are an important anthropogenic perturbation that can cause soil degradation, but the impacts of land conversion from growing cereals to vegetables have received little attention. Using a combination of soil analyses from paired sites and data from farmer surveys, we found significant soil degradation in intensive vegetable cropping under paddy rice–oilseed rape rotation in southwestern China. This study may alert others to the potential land degradation in the subtropics.
Claire Froger, Nicolas P. A. Saby, Claudy C. Jolivet, Line Boulonne, Giovanni Caria, Xavier Freulon, Chantal de Fouquet, Hélène Roussel, Franck Marot, and Antonio Bispo
SOIL, 7, 161–178, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-161-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-161-2021, 2021
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Pollution of French soils by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), known as carcinogenic pollutants, was quantified in this work using an extended data set of 2154 soils sampled across France. The map of PAH concentrations in French soils revealed strong trends in regions with heavy industries and around cities. The PAH signatures indicated the influence of PAH emissions in Europe during the industrial revolution. Health risks posed by PAHs in soils were low but need to be considered.
Shixiu Zhang, Liang Chang, Neil B. McLaughlin, Shuyan Cui, Haitao Wu, Donghui Wu, Wenju Liang, and Aizhen Liang
SOIL, 7, 71–82, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-71-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-71-2021, 2021
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Long-term conservation tillage results in more complex and heterogeneous activities of soil organisms relative to conventional tillage. This study used an energetic food web modelling approach to calculate the mineralized N delivered by the whole soil community assemblages and highlighted the essential role of soil food web complexity in coupling N mineralization and soybean yield after a 14-year application of conservation tillage in a black soil of Northeast China.
José A. Gómez, Gema Guzmán, Arsenio Toloza, Christian Resch, Roberto García-Ruíz, and Lionel Mabit
SOIL, 6, 179–194, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-179-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-179-2020, 2020
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The long-term evolution of soil organic carbon in an olive orchard (planted in 1856) was evaluated and compared to an adjacent undisturbed natural area. Total soil organic carbon in the top 40 cm of the soil in the orchard was reduced to 25 % of that in the undisturbed area. The deposition downslope in the orchard of sediment coming from the eroded upslope area did not increase the accumulation of organic carbon in soil, but it quadrupled available phosphorus and improved overall soil quality.
Donia Jendoubi, Hanspeter Liniger, and Chinwe Ifejika Speranza
SOIL, 5, 239–251, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-239-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-239-2019, 2019
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This paper is original research done in north-western Tunisia; it presents the impacts of the topography (slope and aspect) and the land use systems in the SOC storage in a Mediterranean area. It provides a soil spectral library, describes the variation of SOC under different conditions, and highlights the positive impact of agroforestry as good management in improving the SOC. Therefore this finding is very important to support decision making and inform sustainable land management in Tunisia.
Tor-Gunnar Vågen, Leigh Ann Winowiecki, Constance Neely, Sabrina Chesterman, and Mieke Bourne
SOIL, 4, 259–266, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-259-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-259-2018, 2018
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Land degradation impacts the health and livelihoods of about 1.5 billion people worldwide. The state of the environment and food security are strongly interlinked in tropical landscapes. This paper demonstrates the integration of soil organic carbon (SOC) and land health maps with socioeconomic datasets into an online, open-access platform called the Resilience Diagnostic and Decision Support Tool for Turkana County in Kenya.
Dick J. Brus and Jan J. H. van den Akker
SOIL, 4, 37–45, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-37-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-37-2018, 2018
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Subsoil compaction is an important soil threat. It is caused by heavy machines used in agriculture. The aim of this study was to estimate how large the area with overcompacted subsoils is in the Netherlands. This was done by selecting locations randomly and determining the porosity and bulk density of the soil at these locations. It appeared that 43 % of the soils in the Netherlands is overcompacted, and so we conclude that subsoil compaction is indeed a serious problem in the Netherlands.
Frederick Büks and Martin Kaupenjohann
SOIL, 2, 499–509, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-499-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-499-2016, 2016
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Soil aggregate stability and POM occlusion are integral markers for soil quality. Besides physico-chemical interactions, biofilms are considered to aggregate primary particles, but experimental proof is still missing. In our experiment, soil aggregate samples were treated with biofilm degrading enzymes and showed a reduced POM occlusion and an increased bacteria DNA release compared with untreated samples. Thus, biofilms are assumed to be an important factor of POM occlusion in soil aggregates.
E. V. Taguas, C. Arroyo, A. Lora, G. Guzmán, K. Vanderlinden, and J. A. Gómez
SOIL, 1, 651–664, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-651-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-651-2015, 2015
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Biodiversity indices for spontaneous grass cover were measured in two olive orchards in southern Spain with contrasting site conditions and management to evaluate their potential for biodiversity metrics of soil degradation. Biodiversity indices were relatively high for agricultural areas. No correlation between the biodiversity indicators and soil quality features were observed. The mere use of vegetation presence as a proxy might mask relative intense soil degradation processes.
A. Kaiser, F. Neugirg, F. Haas, J. Schmidt, M. Becht, and M. Schindewolf
SOIL, 1, 613–620, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-613-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-613-2015, 2015
A. Ola, I. C. Dodd, and J. N. Quinton
SOIL, 1, 603–612, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-603-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-603-2015, 2015
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Plant roots are crucial in soil erosion control. Moreover, some species respond to nutrient-rich patches by lateral root proliferation. At the soil surface dense mats of roots may block soil pores thereby limiting infiltration, enhancing runoff; whereas at depth local increases in shear strength may reinforce soils at the shear plane. This review considers the potential of manipulating plant roots to control erosion.
C. Castillo, M. R. James, M. D. Redel-Macías, R. Pérez, and J. A. Gómez
SOIL, 1, 583–594, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-583-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-583-2015, 2015
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- We present SF3M, a new graphical user interface for implementing a complete 3-D photo-reconstruction workflow based on freely available software, in combination with a low-cost survey design for the reconstruction of a several-hundred-metres-long gully network.
- This methodology implied using inexpensive means, little manpower, in a short time span, being a promising tool for gully erosion evaluation in scenarios with demanding budget and time constraints and reduced operator expertise.
J. Casalí, R. Giménez, and M. A. Campo-Bescós
SOIL, 1, 509–513, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-509-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-509-2015, 2015
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Despite gullies having been intensively studied in the past decades, there is no general consensus on such basic aspects as the correct determination of the geometry (width and depth) of these erosion features. Therefore, a measurement protocol is proposed to characterize the geometry of a gully by its effective width and effective depth, which, together with its length, would permit the definition of the equivalent prismatic gully (EPG); this would facilitate the comparison between gullies.
E. A. C. Costantini, A. E. Agnelli, A. Fabiani, E. Gagnarli, S. Mocali, S. Priori, S. Simoni, and G. Valboa
SOIL, 1, 443–457, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-443-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-443-2015, 2015
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Earthworks carried out before planting a new vineyard caused, in the surface soil layer, an increase in lime and a decline in soil OC and N contents, along with a reduction in the abundance and diversity of microbial and mesofauna communities. Five years after the new vineyard establishment, soil was still far from its original quality and this limited vine development. The reduced OM input resulting from the management and the poor residue biomass was a major factor in delaying soil resilience.
J. P. van Leeuwen, D. Moraetis, G. J. Lair, J. Bloem, N. P. Nikolaidis, L. Hemerik, and P. C. de Ruiter
SOIL Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/soild-2-187-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soild-2-187-2015, 2015
Manuscript not accepted for further review
R. Zornoza, J. A. Acosta, F. Bastida, S. G. Domínguez, D. M. Toledo, and A. Faz
SOIL, 1, 173–185, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-173-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-173-2015, 2015
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Short summary
Soil redistribution by water and tillage erosion processes on arable land is a major threat to sustainable use of soil resources. We unravel the role of tillage and water erosion from fallout radionuclide (239+240Pu) activities in a ground moraine landscape. Our results show that tillage erosion dominates soil redistribution processes and has a major impact on the hydrological and sedimentological connectivity, which started before the onset of highly mechanised farming since the 1960s.
Soil redistribution by water and tillage erosion processes on arable land is a major threat to...
