Among the main elements that contribute to climate change are degradation processes and the ecological level of a landscape. These two topics have been discussed and researched for many years, and ...many studies have been conducted. The idea behind this article is to determine the correlation between the ecological stability of a territory and the intensity of degradation processes and find out how ecological stability affects the intensity of soil erosion and vice versa. The ecological stability was calculated based on various methods during the years analyzed, i.e., 1990, 2006, 2012, and 2018. The soil water erosion measurements were performed for the same period in order to identify the relationship between ecological stability and the intensity of soil erosion. The investigated area is located in the Slovak Republic, and each year reflects different types of management of the territory, reflecting the current situation in the catchment according to the year evaluated. The intensity of the erosion process was measured using a physically based EROSION-3D model based on the precipitation levels derived using the Community Land Model (the CLM). In addition to identifying the relationship between the level of ecological stability and the intensity of erosion, this study also describes the development of ecological stability during the evaluated period together with changes in soil erosion processes. The results show a dependence between the intensity of ecological stability and soil erosion. First of all, it determines whether such a dependence exists at all and also its extent.
Small reservoirs, as the preferred blue-green engineering infrastructure for use against intensive runoff processes, have risen in number in Central Europe during the past three decades. However, the ...modelling of sediment siltation is not included in reservoir planning. The unknown temporal sedimentation of a reservoir can lead to the lifespan of the construction being uncertain. The aim of this study is to present a relatively simple process for local managers to model siltation and, consequently, accurately estimate the lifetime of a small reservoir. Three empirical models (USLE, RUSLE and USPED) were applied to two small catchments in Central Europe. This paper takes advantage of real measured and modelled sedimentation during 2012 and 2017, presenting two different terrain measurement approaches. Our study emphasizes the importance of the R-factor value. The temporal development of the R-factor is dependent on climate change, and the R-factor value has been rising steadily during the last decades. The annual mean R-factor has increased 1.04-times due to changes in precipitation patterns between the periods 1961–1980 and 1997–2016. These changes can explain possible growth in the levels of incoming sediment into reservoirs. We identified the correlation (R > 0.7) between observed sedimentation, the R-factor, and precipitation, and we concluded that the supposed rise of precipitation in Central Europe due to climate change will lead to an increase in the levels of stored sediment in reservoirs. Therefore, it is recommended for reservoir managers to use USPED model and to include the estimation of modelling of siltation rate into reservoirs’ maintenance projects.
•The USPED erosion model is suitable for the assessment of reservoir siltation rate.•The infilling process in small reservoirs is relatively slow.•The current rate of climate change potentiates erosion processes.•The R-factor is rising, with significant disturbances in year-on-year comparisons.
The application of biochar is considered to be a beneficial strategy for improving soil ecosystem services. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the differences in the soil erosion of silt ...loam soil with or without the application of biochar and to compare the impact of the application of biochar on soil erosion for different agricultural practices, namely, bare soil, silage corn, and sown peas. Specifically, the physically-based EROSION 3D model was used to estimate the soil erosion of small plots of sloping agricultural land. In considering various combinations of agricultural practices and rainfalls with different durations and intensities, several scenarios were used to assess the impact of the application of biochar on soil erosion.
The results of this study demonstrate that the highest mean values of mean soil erosion in the case study area were simulated without using any biochar on bare soil. The values of the mean soil erosion were reduced with the use of biochar. The effect of the application of biochar was shown for all types of agricultural practices; above all, it reduced soil erosion that occurred above high values (over 30 t ha
). Although the application and reapplication of biochar showed promise in reducing soil erosion, further research is needed to gain a deeper understanding of its total effects.
The testing of a model performance is important and is also a challenging part of scientific work. In this paper, the results of the physically-based EROSION-3D (Jürgen Schmidt, Berlin, Germany) ...model were compared with trapped sediments in a small reservoir. The model was applied to simulate runoff-erosion processes in the Svacenický Creek catchment in the western part of the Slovak Republic. The model is sufficient to identify the areas vulnerable to erosion and deposition within the catchment. The volume of sediments was measured by a bathymetric field survey during three terrain journeys (in 2015, 2016, and 2017). The results of the model point to an underestimation of the actual processes by 30% to 80%. The initial soil moisture played an important role, and the results also revealed that rainfall events are able to erode and contribute to a significant part of sediments.
The scope of this study is the application of a new approach for the estimation of potential soil erosion using a physically-based erosion model Erosion 3D for modelling potential erosion in the ...Myjava River basin, Slovakia. Erosion 3D is a physically-based model for predicting soil erosion by water on agricultural land. The model is predominantly based on physical principles and it simulates surface runoff, erosion, deposition and the detachment of soil particles for single events, and provides good tool to simulate and quantify soil erosion, but has not been established in Slovakian basins yet. The soil system of Erosion 3D is based on the fourth edition of the soil classification of "Bodenkundliche Kartieranleitung" („KA 4", AG Boden, 1994). Because of different soil classification it was required in the first step to create an overplot of KA 4 textural system with the USDA textural system used in Slovakia. The model requires three input parameters - relief, precipitation and soil parameters. The first two parameters are easy to obtain but soil input parameters are more complicated mainly for different areas where the model was calibrated and validated. In this study we focused to creation of the soil input data sets for Slovak condition including establishment of Parameter catalogue for every soil input parameters. The catalogue has been configured based on overplotted textural triangle. The Erosion 3D model was applied to a small catchment Tura Luka situated in the Myjava Hill Land which is known for its quick runoff response and related muddy floods. Four scenarios of initial moisture parameter, which is considered as the most sensitive soil input parameter, were applied in fallow and winter wheat. Simulations were done for 100-year design rainfall of 60 minutes duration. The results of potential erosion are well-capable to point to the spatial and temporal variability of the rainfall event with the wide range of the values.
PDF
