Articles | Volume 9, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-71-2023
© Author(s) 2023. 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-9-71-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Original research article
| 
23 Jan 2023
Original research article |
| 23 Jan 2023
| 23 Jan 2023
Does soil thinning change soil erodibility? An exploration of long-term erosion feedback systems
Pedro V. G. Batista
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Water and Soil Resource Research, Institute of Geography, University
of Augsburg, 86159, Augsburg, Germany
Daniel L. Evans
School of Water Energy & Environment, Cranfield University,
Cranfield, UK
Bernardo M. Cândido
Division of Plant Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA
Peter Fiener
Water and Soil Resource Research, Institute of Geography, University
of Augsburg, 86159, Augsburg, Germany
Related authors
Kay D. Seufferheld, Pedro V. G. Batista, Hadi Shokati, Thomas Scholten, and Peter Fiener
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3391, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3391, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for SOIL (SOIL).
Short summary
Short summary
Soil erosion by water threatens food security, but soil conservation practices can help protect arable land. We tested a soil erosion model that simulates sediment yields in micro-scale watersheds with soil conservation in place. The model captured the very low sediment yields but showed limited accuracy on an annual time scale. However, it performed well when applied to larger areas over longer timeframes, demonstrating its suitability for strategic long-term soil conservation planning.
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
Short summary
Short summary
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Pedro V. G. Batista, Peter Fiener, Simon Scheper, and Christine Alewell
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3753–3770, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3753-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3753-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Patchy agricultural landscapes have a large number of small fields, which are separated by linear features such as roads and field borders. When eroded sediments are transported out of the agricultural fields by surface runoff, these features can influence sediment connectivity. By use of measured data and a simulation model, we demonstrate how a dense road network (and its drainage system) facilitates sediment transport from fields to water courses in a patchy Swiss agricultural catchment.
Kay D. Seufferheld, Pedro V. G. Batista, Hadi Shokati, Thomas Scholten, and Peter Fiener
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3391, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3391, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for SOIL (SOIL).
Short summary
Short summary
Soil erosion by water threatens food security, but soil conservation practices can help protect arable land. We tested a soil erosion model that simulates sediment yields in micro-scale watersheds with soil conservation in place. The model captured the very low sediment yields but showed limited accuracy on an annual time scale. However, it performed well when applied to larger areas over longer timeframes, demonstrating its suitability for strategic long-term soil conservation planning.
Hadi Shokati, Kay D. Seufferheld, Peter Fiener, and Thomas Scholten
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3146, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3146, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS).
Short summary
Short summary
Floods threaten lives and property and require rapid mapping. We compared two artificial intelligence approaches on aerial imagery: a fine‑tuned Segment Anything Model (SAM) guided by point or bounding box prompts, and a U‑Net network with ResNet‑50 and ResNet‑101 backbones. The point‑based SAM was the most accurate with precise boundaries. Faster and more reliable flood maps help rescue teams, insurers, and planners to act quickly.
Karl Auerswald, Juergen Geist, John N. Quinton, and Peter Fiener
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 2185–2200, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-2185-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-2185-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Floods, droughts, and heatwaves are increasing globally. This is often attributed to CO2-driven climate change. However, at the global scale, CO2-driven climate change neither reduces precipitation nor adequately explains droughts. Land-use change, particularly soil sealing, compaction, and drainage, is likely to be more significant for water losses by runoff leading to flooding and water scarcity and is therefore an important part of the solution to mitigate floods, droughts, and heatwaves.
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Raphael Rehm and Peter Fiener
SOIL, 10, 211–230, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-211-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-211-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A carbon transport model was adjusted to study the importance of water and tillage erosion processes for particular microplastic (MP) transport across a mesoscale landscape. The MP mass delivered into the stream network represented a serious amount of MP input in the same range as potential MP inputs from wastewater treatment plants. In addition, most of the MP applied to arable soils remains in the topsoil (0–20 cm) for decades. The MP sink function of soil results in a long-term MP source.
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Thomas O. Hoffmann, Yannik Baulig, Stefan Vollmer, Jan H. Blöthe, Karl Auerswald, and Peter Fiener
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 287–303, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-287-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-287-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We analyzed more than 440 000 measurements from suspended sediment monitoring to show that suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in large rivers in Germany strongly declined by 50 % between 1990 and 2010. We argue that SSC is approaching the natural base level that was reached during the mid-Holocene. There is no simple explanation for this decline, but increased sediment retention in upstream headwaters is presumably the major reason for declining SSC in the large river channels studied.
Pedro V. G. Batista, Peter Fiener, Simon Scheper, and Christine Alewell
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3753–3770, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3753-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3753-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Patchy agricultural landscapes have a large number of small fields, which are separated by linear features such as roads and field borders. When eroded sediments are transported out of the agricultural fields by surface runoff, these features can influence sediment connectivity. By use of measured data and a simulation model, we demonstrate how a dense road network (and its drainage system) facilitates sediment transport from fields to water courses in a patchy Swiss agricultural catchment.
Jinshi Jian, Xuan Du, Juying Jiao, Xiaohua Ren, Karl Auerswald, Ryan Stewart, Zeli Tan, Jianlin Zhao, Daniel L. Evans, Guangju Zhao, Nufang Fang, Wenyi Sun, Chao Yue, and Ben Bond-Lamberty
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-87, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-87, 2022
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Field soil loss and sediment yield due to surface runoff observations were compiled into a database named AWESOME: Archive for Water Erosion and Sediment Outflow MEasurements. Annual soil erosion data from 1985 geographic sites and 75 countries have been compiled into AWESOME. This database aims to be an open framework for the scientific community to share field-based annual soil erosion measurements, enabling better understanding of the spatial and temporal variability of annual soil erosion.
Benjamin Bukombe, Peter Fiener, Alison M. Hoyt, Laurent K. Kidinda, and Sebastian Doetterl
SOIL, 7, 639–659, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-639-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-639-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Through a laboratory incubation experiment, we investigated the spatial patterns of specific maximum heterotrophic respiration in tropical African mountain forest soils developed from contrasting parent material along slope gradients. We found distinct differences in soil respiration between soil depths and geochemical regions related to soil fertility and the chemistry of the soil solution. The topographic origin of our samples was not a major determinant of the observed rates of respiration.
Sebastian Doetterl, Rodrigue K. Asifiwe, Geert Baert, Fernando Bamba, Marijn Bauters, Pascal Boeckx, Benjamin Bukombe, Georg Cadisch, Matthew Cooper, Landry N. Cizungu, Alison Hoyt, Clovis Kabaseke, Karsten Kalbitz, Laurent Kidinda, Annina Maier, Moritz Mainka, Julia Mayrock, Daniel Muhindo, Basile B. Mujinya, Serge M. Mukotanyi, Leon Nabahungu, Mario Reichenbach, Boris Rewald, Johan Six, Anna Stegmann, Laura Summerauer, Robin Unseld, Bernard Vanlauwe, Kristof Van Oost, Kris Verheyen, Cordula Vogel, Florian Wilken, and Peter Fiener
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 4133–4153, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4133-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4133-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The African Tropics are hotspots of modern-day land use change and are of great relevance for the global carbon cycle. Here, we present data collected as part of the DFG-funded project TropSOC along topographic, land use, and geochemical gradients in the eastern Congo Basin and the Albertine Rift. Our database contains spatial and temporal data on soil, vegetation, environmental properties, and land management collected from 136 pristine tropical forest and cropland plots between 2017 and 2020.
Mario Reichenbach, Peter Fiener, Gina Garland, Marco Griepentrog, Johan Six, and Sebastian Doetterl
SOIL, 7, 453–475, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-453-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-453-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In deeply weathered tropical rainforest soils of Africa, we found that patterns of soil organic carbon stocks differ between soils developed from geochemically contrasting parent material due to differences in the abundance of organo-mineral complexes, the presence/absence of chemical stabilization mechanisms of carbon with minerals and the presence of fossil organic carbon from sedimentary rocks. Physical stabilization mechanisms by aggregation provide additional protection of soil carbon.
Joseph Tamale, Roman Hüppi, Marco Griepentrog, Laban Frank Turyagyenda, Matti Barthel, Sebastian Doetterl, Peter Fiener, and Oliver van Straaten
SOIL, 7, 433–451, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-433-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-433-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes were measured monthly from nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), N and P, and control plots of the first nutrient manipulation experiment located in an African pristine tropical forest using static chambers. The results suggest (1) contrasting soil GHG responses to nutrient addition, hence highlighting the complexity of the tropical forests, and (2) that the feedback of tropical forests to the global soil GHG budget could be altered by changes in N and P availability.
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Florian Wilken, Michael Ketterer, Sylvia Koszinski, Michael Sommer, and Peter Fiener
SOIL, 6, 549–564, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-549-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-549-2020, 2020
Short summary
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.
Cited articles
Anache, J. A. A., Flanagan, D. C., Srivastava, A., and Wendland, E. C.: Land
use and climate change impacts on runoff and soil erosion at the hillslope
scale in the Brazilian Cerrado, Sci. Total Environ., 622, 140–151,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.257, 2018.
Anselmetti, F. S., Hodell, D. A., Ariztequi, D., Brenner, M., and Rosenmeier,
M. F.: Quantification of soil erosion rates related to ancient Maya
deforestation, Geology, 35, 915–918, https://doi.org/10.1130/G23834A.1, 2007.
Auerswald, K., Fiener, P., Martin, W., and Elhaus, D.: Use and misuse of the
K factor equation in soil erosion modeling: An alternative equation for
determining USLE nomograph soil erodibility values, Catena, 118, 220–225,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2014.01.008, 2014.
Batista, P. V. G., Evans, D. L., Cândido, B. M., and Fiener, P.:
Erosion Feedback System – Soil Thinning MMMF Model (2.0), Zenodo [code],
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7326882, 2022.
Benaud, P., Anderson, K., Evans, M., Farrow, L., Glendell, M., James, M.,
Quine, T., Quinton, J., Rawlins, B., Rickson, J., and Brazier, R.:
National-scale geodata describe widespread accelerated soil erosion.,
Geoderma, 371, 114378, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2020.114378,
2020.
Berry, P. M., Kendall, S., Rutterford, Z., Orford, S., and Griffiths, S.:
Historical analysis of the effects of breeding on the height of winter wheat
(Triticum aestivum) and consequences for lodging, Euphytica, 203,
375–383, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-014-1286-y, 2015.
Beven, K. J.: Environmental Modelling: An Uncertain Future, Routledge,
Oxon, ISBN 10: 0-415-46302-5, 2009.
Beven, K. J.: Rainfall-Runoff Modelling, 2nd ed., John Wiley & Sons,
Chichester, ISBN 13: 9780470714591, 2012.
Bonetti, J. A., Anghinoni, I., Moraes, M. T., and Fink, J. R.: Resilience
of soils with different texture, mineralogy and organic matter under
long-term conservation systems, Soil Tillage Res., 174, 104–112,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2017.06.008, 2017.
Bot, A. J., Nachtergaele, F. O., and Young, A.: Land resource potential and
constraints at regional and country levels, in: World Soil Resources Reports, edited by: FAO,
90, 1–114, Rome, 2000.
Bouchoms, S., Wang, Z., Vanacker, V., and Van Oost, K.: Evaluating the effects of soil erosion and productivity decline on soil carbon dynamics using a model-based approach, SOIL, 5, 367–382, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-367-2019, 2019.
Brandt, C. J.: Simulation of the size distribution and erosivity of
raindrops and throughfall drops, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 15,
687–698, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3290150803, 1990.
Ciampalini, R., Constantine, J. A., Walker-Springett, K. J., Hales, T. C.,
Ormerod, S. J., and Hall, I. R.: Modelling soil erosion responses to climate
change in three catchments of Great Britain, Sci. Total Environ., 749,
141657, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141657, 2020.
Cousin, I., Nicoullaud, B., and Coutadeur, C.: Influence of rock fragments on
the water retention and water percolation in a calcareous soil, Catena,
53, 97–114, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(03)00037-7, 2003.
De Roo, A. P. J., Wesseling, C. G., and Ritsema, C. J.: Lisem: a single-event
physically based hydrological and soil erosion model for drainage basins, I:
theory, input and output, Hydrol. Process., 10, 1107–1117, 1996.
Doetterl, S., Berhe, A. A., Nadeu, E., Wang, Z., Sommer, M., and Fiener, P.:
Erosion, deposition and soil carbon: A review of process-level controls,
experimental tools and models to address C cycling in dynamic landscapes,
Earth-Sci. Rev., 154, 102–122, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.12.005,
2016.
Dunne, T. and Black, R. D.: An experimental investigation of runoff
production in permeable soils, Water Resour. Res., 6, 478–490, 1970.
Eekhout, J. P. C., Millares-Valenzuela, A., Martínez-Salvador, A.,
García-Lorenzo, R., Pérez-Cutillas, P., Conesa-García, C., and
de Vente, J.: A process-based soil erosion model ensemble to assess model
uncertainty in climate-change impact assessments, L. Degrad. Dev., 32,
2409–2422, https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3920, 2021.
Evans, D. L., Quinton, J. N., Tye, A. M., Rodés, Á., Davies, J. A. C., Mudd, S. M., and Quine, T. A.: Arable soil formation and erosion: a hillslope-based cosmogenic nuclide study in the United Kingdom, SOIL, 5, 253–263, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-253-2019, 2019.
Evans, D. L., Quinton, J. N., Davies, J. A. C., Zhao, J., and Govers, G.:
Soil lifespans and how they can be extended by land use and management
change, Environ. Res. Lett., 15, 0940b2, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aba2fd, 2020.
Fernández, C. and Vega, J. A.: Evaluation of the rusle and disturbed
wepp erosion models for predicting soil loss in the first year after
wildfire in NW Spain, Environ. Res., 165, 279–285,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2018.04.008, 2018.
Fiener, P., Govers, G., and Van Oost, K.: Evaluation of a dynamic multi-class
sediment transport model in a catchment, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 33,
1639–1660, 2008.
Fiener, P., Auerswald, K., and Van Oost, K.: Spatio-temporal patterns in land
use and management affecting surface runoff response of agricultural
catchments-A review, Earth-Sci. Rev., 106, 92–104,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2011.01.004, 2011.
Finke, P. A.: Modeling the genesis of luvisols as a function of topographic
position in loess parent material, Quat. Int., 265, 3–17,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2011.10.016, 2012.
Govers, G., Van Oost, K., and Poesen, J.: Responses of a semi-arid landscape
to human disturbance: A simulation study of the interaction between rock
fragment cover, soil erosion and land use change, Geoderma, 133,
19–31, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2006.03.034, 2006.
Hamza, M. A. and Anderson, W. K.: Soil compaction in cropping systems A
review of the nature, causes and possible solutions, Soil Tillage Res., 82,
121–145, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2004.08.009, 2005.
Hao, H., Wei, Y., Cao, D., Guo, Z., and Shi, Z.: Vegetation
restoration and fine roots promote soil infiltrability in heavy-textured
soils, Soil Tillage Res., 198, 104542,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2019.104542, 2020.
Herbrich, M., Gerke, H. H., and Sommer, M.: Root development of winter wheat
in erosion-affected soils depending on the position in a hummocky ground
moraine soil landscape, J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci., 181, 147–157,
https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.201600536, 2018.
Hodgson, J. M.: Soil Survey field handbook: describing and sampling soil
profiles, Cranfield, Cranfield University, ISBN 0901128821, 1997.
Hoag, D. L.: The intertemporal impact of soil erosion on non-uniform soil
profiles: A new direction in analyzing erosion impacts, Agr. Syst., 56,
415–429, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-521X(97)00056-5, 1998.
Kendon, M., McCarthy, M., Jevrejeva, S., Matthews, A., Sparks, T., and
Garforth, J.: State of the UK Climate 2020, Int. J. Climatol., 41,
1–76, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.7285, 2021.
Koiter, A. J., Owens, P. N., Petticrew, E. L., and Lobb, D. A.: The role of
soil surface properties on the particle size and carbon selectivity of
interrill erosion in agricultural landscapes, Catena, 153, 194–206,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2017.01.024, 2017.
LandIS: The Land Information System,
https://www.landis.org.uk/, last access: 18 March 2022.
Le Bissonnais, Y.: Aggregate stability and assessment of soil crustability
and erodibility: I. Theory and methodology, Eur. J. Soil Sci., 67,
11–21, https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.4_ 12311, 2016.
Lewis, D. T. and Witte, D. A.: Properties and Classification of an Eroded
Soil in Southeastern Nebraska, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 44, 583–586,
https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1980.03615995004400030030x, 1980.
Lowery, B., Swan, J., Schumacher, T., and Jones, A.: Physical properties of
selected soils by erosion class, J. Soil Water Conserv., 50, 306–311,
1995.
Merritt, W. S., Letcher, R. A., and Jakeman, A. J.: A review of erosion and
sediment transport models, Environ. Model. Softw., 18, 761–799,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1364-8152(03)00078-1, 2003.
Montgomery, D. R.: Soil erosion and agricultural sustainability, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 104, 13268–13272, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0611508104,
2007.
Moraes, J. M., de Schuler, A. E., Dunne, T., Figueiredo, R. O., and Victoria,
R. L.: Water storage and runoff processes in plinthic soils under forest and
pasture in Eastern Amazonia, Hydrol. Process., 20, 2509–2526,
https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp, 2010.
Morgan, R. P. C.: A simple approach to soil loss prediction: A revised
Morgan-Morgan-Finney model, Catena, 44, 305–322,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(00)00171-5, 2001.
Morgan, R. P. C.: Soil Erosion & Conservation, 3rd ed., Blackwell,
Oxford, ISBN 1-4051-1781-8, 2005.
Morgan, R. P. C. and Duzant, J. H.: Modified MMF (Morgan–Morgan–Finney)
model for evaluating effects of crops and vegetation cover on soil erosion,
Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 34, 613–628, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp, 2008.
Morgan, R. P. C., Morgan, D. D. V., and Finney, H. J.: A predictive model for
the assessment of soil erosion risk, J. Agric. Eng. Res., 30, 245–253,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0021-8634(84)80025-6, 1984.
Morgan, R. P. C., Quinton, J. N., Smith, R. E., Govers, G., Poesen, J. W.
A., Auerswald, K., Chisci, G., Torri, D., and Styczen, M. E.: The European
soil erosion model (EUROSEM): a dynamic approach for predicting sediment
transport from fields and small catchments, Earth Surf. Proc. Land.,
23, 527–544, https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9837(199806)23:6<
527::AID-ESP868>3.0.CO;2-5, 1998.
Nearing, M. A., Jetten, V., Baffaut, C., Cerdan, O., Couturier, a.,
Hernandez, M., Le Bissonnais, Y., Nichols, M. H., Nunes, J. P., Renschler,
C. S., Souchère, V., and van Oost, K.: Modeling response of soil erosion
and runoff to changes in precipitation and cover, Catena, 61,
131–154, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2005.03.007, 2005.
Nearing, M. A., Foster, G. R., Lane, L. J., and Finkner, S. C.: Process-based
soil erosion model for USDA-water erosion prediction project technology,
Trans. Am. Soc. Agric. Eng., 32, 1587–1593, https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.31195,
1989.
Olson, K. R. and Nizeyimana, E.: Effects of Soil Erosion on Corn Yields of
Seven Illinois Soils, J. Prod. Agric., 1, 13–19,
https://doi.org/10.2134/jpa1988.0013, 1988.
Öttl, L. K., Wilken, F., Auerswald, K., Sommer, M., Wehrhan, M., and
Fiener, P.: Tillage erosion as an important driver of in-field biomass
patterns in an intensively used hummocky landscape, L. Degrad. Dev., 32,
3077–3091, https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3968, 2021.
Panagos, P., Ballabio, C., Himics, M., Scarpa, S., Matthews, F., Bogonos,
M., Poesen, J., and Borrelli, P.: Projections of soil loss by water erosion
in Europe by 2050, Environ. Sci. Policy, 124, 380–392,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.07.012, 2021.
Papiernik, S. K., Schumacher, T. E., Lobb, D. A., Lindstrom, M. J., Lieser,
M. L., Eynard, A., and Schumacher, J. A.: Soil properties and productivity as
affected by topsoil movement within an eroded landform, Soil Tillage Res.,
102, 67–77, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2008.07.018, 2009.
Parsons, A. J., Abrahams, A. D., and Luk, S.-H: Size characteristics of
sediment in interrill overland flow on a semiarid hillslope, Southern
Arizona, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 16, 143–152,
https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3290160205, 1991.
Peñuela, A., Sellami, H., and Smith, H. G.: A model for catchment soil
erosion management in humid agricultural environments, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 622,
608–622, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4271, 2018.
Quansah, C.: Laboratory experimentation for the statistical derivation of
equations for soil erosion modelling and soil conservation design, PhD Thesis, 1982.
Quinton, J. N., Govers, G., Van Oost, K., and Bardgett, R. D.: The impact of
agricultural soil erosion on biogeochemical cycling, Nat. Geosci., 3,
311–314, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo838, 2010.
Radziuk, H. and Switoniak, M.: Soil erodibility factor (K) in soils under
varying stages of truncation, Soil Sci. Annu., 72, 134621,
https://doi.org/10.37501/soilsa/134621, 2021.
Rhoton, F. E. and Tyler, D. D.: Erosion-Induced Changes in the Properties of
a Fragipan Soil, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 54, 223–228,
https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1990.03615995005400010035x, 1990.
Rieke-Zapp, D., Poesen, J., and Nearing, M. A.: Effects of rock fragments
incorporated in the soil matrix on concentrated, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 32, 1063–41076, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1469, 2007.
Schneider, S. K., Cavers, C. G., Duke, S. E., Schumacher, J. A., Schumacher,
T. E., and Lobb, D. A.: Crop responses to topsoil replacement within eroded
landscapes, Agron. J., 113, 2938–2949, https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20635, 2021.
Sharmeen, S. and Willgoose, G. R.: A one-dimensional model for simulating
armouring and erosion on hillslopes: 2. Long term erosion and armouring
predictions for two contrasting mine spoils, Earth Surf. Proc. Land.,
32, 1437–1453, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp, 2007.
Smith, H. G., Peñuela, A., Sangster, H., Sellami, H., Boyle, J.,
Chiverrell, R., Schillereff, D., and Riley, M.: Simulating a century of soil
erosion for agricultural catchment management, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 43, 2089–2105, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4375, 2018.
Smith, R. E. and Goodrich, D. C.: Rainfall Excess Overland Flow,
Encyclopedia of Hydrological Sciences, https://doi.org/10.1002/0470848944.hsa117, 2005.
Sommer, M., Gerke, H. H., and Deumlich, D.: Modelling soil landscape genesis
– A “time split” approach for hummocky agricultural landscapes, Geoderma,
145, 480–493, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2008.01.012, 2008.
Stone, J. R., Gilliam, J. W., Cassel, D. K., Daniels, R. B., Nelson, L. A.,
and Kleiss, H. J.: Effect of Erosion and Landscape Position on the
Productivity of Piedmont Soils, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 49, 987–991,
https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1985.03615995004900040039x, 1985.
Strauss, P. and Klaghofer, E.: Effects of soil erosion on soil
characteristics and productivity, Bodenkultur, 52, 147–153, 2001.
Świtoniak, M.: Use of soil profile truncation to estimate influence of
accelerated erosion on soil cover transformation in young morainic
landscapes, North-Eastern Poland, Catena, 116, 173–184,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2013.12.015, 2014.
Świtoniak, M., Mroczek, P., and Bednarek, R.: Luvisols or Cambisols?
Micromorphological study of soil truncation in young morainic landscapes –
Case study: Brodnica and Chełmno Lake Districts (North Poland), Catena,
137, 583–595, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2014.09.005, 2016.
Tanner, S., Katra, I., Argaman, E., and Ben-Hur, M.: Erodibility of waste
(Loess) soils from construction sites under water and wind erosional forces,
Sci. Total Environ., 616, 1524–1532,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.161, 2018.
Townsend, T. J., Ramsden, S. J., and Wilson, P.: How do we cultivate in
England? Tillage practices in crop production systems, Soil Use Manag.,
32, 106–117, https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.12241, 2016.
Vanacker, V., Ameijeiras-Mariño, Y., Schoonejans, J., Cornélis, J.
T., Minella, J. P. G., Lamouline, F., Vermeire, M. L., Campforts, B.,
Robinet, J., Van de Broek, M., Delmelle, P., and Opfergelt, S.: Land use
impacts on soil erosion and rejuvenation in Southern Brazil, Catena,
178, 256–266, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2019.03.024, 2019.
Vanwalleghem, T., Gómez, J. A., Infante Amate, J., González de
Molina, M., Vanderlinden, K., Guzmán, G., Laguna, A., and Giráldez,
J. V.: Impact of historical land use and soil management change on soil
erosion and agricultural sustainability during the Anthropocene,
Anthropocene, 17, 13–29, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ancene.2017.01.002, 2017.
van der Meij, W. M., Temme, A. J. A. M., Wallinga, J., and Sommer, M.: Modeling soil and landscape evolution – the effect of rainfall and land-use change on soil and landscape patterns, SOIL, 6, 337–358, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-337-2020, 2020.
Veihe, A., Rey, J., Quinton, J. N., Strauss, P., Sancho, F. M., and
Somarriba, M.: Modelling of event-based soil erosion in Costa Rica,
Nicaragua and Mexico: Evaluation of the EUROSEM model, Catena, 44,
187–203, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(00)00158-2, 2001.
Willgoose, G. R. and Sharmeen, S.: A One-dimensional model for simulating
armouring and erosion on hillslopes: 1. Model development and event-scale
dynamics, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 31, 970–991,
https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1398, 2006.
Short summary
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.
Most agricultural soils erode faster than new soil is formed, which leads to soil thinning....
