Publications in Journals

Peer review Papers published in International Journals and Magazines. As publications, we present articles published in peer-review journals indexed in Scopus or Web of Science.

Publications in Journals include more than 390 published papers from the Soil Group in the JRC (EU Soil Observatory). Most of the papers refer to the last 10 years (2013-2023). In many cases the papers document the datasets published in ESDAC.

As example statistics, Since the establishement of the EUSO,  the group published:

  • 23 papers in 2020,
  • 27 papers in 2021
  • 40 papers in 2022
  • 46 papers in 2023

An important number of papers has been published in high impact factor journals: Nature, Nature Climate Change, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Science, PNAS, Global Change Biology, Science of the Total Environment, etc.

The publications are relevant to soil themes, functions and threats. The datasets generated during and/or analysed during most of the presented studies are available in the ESDAC datasets section. Almost all the publications are Open Access. 

You can browse in the publications by year and you can download them (A hyperlink is provided per each publication).

 

Filters

Go Back To

All Documents

Displaying 101 - 125 of 391 | Show 25 | 50 | All results per page.
Global data on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity and corresponding environmental properties
Global data on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity and corresponding environmental properties
Resource Type: Documents, Publications in Journals, Maps & Documents
Year: 2021

Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-021-00912-z

 

Soil erosion modelling: A global review and statistical analysis
Soil erosion modelling: A global review and statistical analysis
Resource Type: Maps & Documents, Documents, Publications in Journals
Year: 2021

To gain a better understanding of the global application of soil erosion prediction models, we comprehensively reviewed relevant peer-reviewed research literature on soil-erosion modelling published between 1994 and 2017. We aimed to identify (i) the processes and models most frequently addressed in the literature, (ii) the regions within which models are primarily applied, (iii) the regions which remain unaddressed and why, and (iv) how frequently studies are conducted to validate/evaluate model outcomes relative to measured data. To perform this task, we combined the collective knowledge of 67 soil-erosion scientists from 25 countries. The resulting database, named ‘Global Applications of Soil Erosion Modelling Tracker (GASEMT)’, includes 3030 individual modelling records from 126 countries, encompassing all continents (except Antarctica). Out of the 8471 articles identified as potentially relevant, we reviewed 1697 appropriate articles and systematically evaluated and transferred 42 relevant attributes into the database. This GASEMT database provides comprehensive insights into the state-of-the-art of soil- erosion models and model applications worldwide. This database intends to support the upcoming country-based United Nations global soil-erosion assessment in addition to helping to inform soil erosion research priorities by building a foundation for future targeted, in-depth analyses. GASEMT is an open-source database available to the entire user-community to develop research, rectify errors, and make future expansions.

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146494

Soil erosion modelling: A bibliometric analysis
Soil erosion modelling: A bibliometric analysis
Resource Type: Maps & Documents, Documents, Publications in Journals
Year: 2021

oil erosion can present a major threat to agriculture due to loss of soil, nutrients, and organic carbon. Therefore, soil erosion modelling is one of the steps used to plan suitable soil protection measures and detect erosion hotspots. A bibliometric analysis of this topic can reveal research patterns and soil erosion modelling characteristics that can help identify steps needed to enhance the research conducted in this field. Therefore, a detailed bibliometric analysis, including investigation of collaboration networks and citation patterns, should be conducted. The updated version of the Global Applications of Soil Erosion Modelling Tracker (GASEMT) database contains information about citation characteristics and publication type. Here, we investigated the impact of the number of authors, the publication type and the selected journal on the number of citations. Generalized boosted regression tree (BRT) modelling was used to evaluate the most relevant variables related to soil erosion modelling. Additionally, bibliometric networks were analysed and visualized. This study revealed that the selection of the soil erosion model has the largest impact on the number of publication citations, followed by the modelling scale and the publication's CiteScore. Some of the other GASEMT database attributes such as model calibration and validation have negligible influence on the number of citations according to the BRT model. Although it is true that studies that conduct calibration, on average, received around 30% more citations, than studies where calibration was not performed. Moreover, the bibliographic coupling and citation networks show a clear continental pattern, although the co-authorship network does not show the same characteristics. Therefore, soil erosion modellers should conduct even more comprehensive review of past studies and focus not just on the research conducted in the same country or continent. Moreover, when evaluating soil erosion models, an additional focus should be given to field measurements, model calibration, performance assessment and uncertainty of modelling results. The results of this study indicate that these GASEMT database attributes had smaller impact on the number of citations, according to the BRT model, than anticipated, which could suggest that these attributes should be given additional attention by the soil erosion modelling community. This study provides a kind of bibliographic benchmark for soil erosion modelling research papers as modellers can estimate the influence of their paper.

10.1016/j.envres.2021.111087

Soil conservation and sustainable development goals(SDGs) achievement in Europe and central Asia: Which role for the European soil partnership?
Soil conservation and sustainable development goals(SDGs) achievement in Europe and central Asia: Which role for the European soil partnership?
Resource Type: Maps & Documents, Documents, Publications in Journals
Year: 2021

Voluntary soil protection measures are not sufficient to achieve sustainable soil management at a global scale. Additionally, binding soil protection legislation at national and international levels has also proved to be insufficient for the effective protection of this almost non-renewable natural resource. The European Soil Partnership (ESP) and its sub-regional partnerships (Eurasian Sub-Regional Soil Partnership, Alpine Soil Partnership) were established in the context of FAO's Global Soil Partnership (GSP) with the mission to facilitate and contribute to the exchange of knowledge and technologies related to soils, to develop dialogue and to raise awareness for the need to establish a binding global agreement for sustainable soil management. The ESP has taken a role of an umbrella network covering countries in Europe and Central Asia. It aims to improve the dialogue in the whole region and has encouraged establishing goals that would promote sustainable soil management, taking into account various national and local approaches and priorities, as well as cultural specificities. The ESP first regional implementation plan for the 2017–2020 period was adopted and implemented along the five GSP pillars of action. Building on the experience of the last four years, this study demonstrates that establishing sub-regional and national partnerships is an additional step in a concrete sustainable soil management implementation process. It also suggests that a complementary approach between legal instruments and voluntary initiatives linked to the development of efficient communication and strong commitment is the key to success.

10.1016/j.iswcr.2021.02.003

Aridity and geochemical drivers of soil micronutrient and contaminant availability in European drylands
Aridity and geochemical drivers of soil micronutrient and contaminant availability in European drylands
Resource Type: Maps & Documents, Documents, Publications in Journals
Year: 2021

Dryland soils provide different societal and environmental services, such as food supply and biodiversity support. In Europe, most of the dryland areas are devoted to agriculture. In the next decades, both European and worldwide drylands are expected to suffer with increased intensity due to the expected climate change-derived rise in aridity. Many studies have focussed on aridity-induced changes in major nutrients in drylands, but little is known of the impact of environmental and biogeochemical factors on micronutrients with critical roles in life, and as inorganic contaminants with ecotoxicological implications. We analysed and explored drivers of total and available concentrations of micronutrients (Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Mn, Ni and Zn) and contaminants (As, Cd and Pb) in 148 soil samples collected from European drylands covering a wide range of aridity and of other geochemical parameters. The availability of micronutrients increased with their total content, decreased with pH and was enhanced by organic C content. Aridity decreased the availability of Fe, a key element in human diet. Our findings also highlight the scarcity of this micronutrient in European drylands, as well as of some other important micronutrients like Zn and Mo in agricultural soils. Total content was the main driver of the availability of Cd and Pb, and organic matter exerted synergistic effects on contaminant release. Our data show the need for precise management practices to be incentivised by agricultural and environmental policies in order to ensure micronutrient supply and avoid contamination, thus maintaining adequate levels of agricultural productivity and simultaneously preserving dryland ecosystems

10.1111/ejss.13163
 

Manure management and soil biodiversity: Towards more sustainable food systems in the EU
Manure management and soil biodiversity: Towards more sustainable food systems in the EU
Resource Type: Maps & Documents, Documents, Publications in Journals
Year: 2021

In the European Union (EU-27) and UK, animal farming generated annually more than 1.4 billion tonnes of manure during the period 2016–2019. Of this, more than 90% is directly re-applied to soils as organic fertiliser. Manure promotes plant growth, provides nutritious food to soil organisms, adds genetic and functional diversity to soils and improves the chemical and physical soil properties. However, it can also cause pollution by introducing toxic elements (i.e., heavy metals, antibiotics, pathogens) and contribute to nutrient losses. Soil organisms play an essential role in manure transformation into the soil and the degradation of any potential toxic constitutes; however, manure management practices often neglect soil biodiversity.
In this review, we explored the impact of manure from farmed animals on soil biodiversity by considering factors that determine the effects of manure and vice versa. By evaluating manure's potential to enhance soil biodiversity, but also its environmental risks, we assessed current and future EU policy and legislations with the ultimate aim of providing recommendations that can enable a more sustainable management of farm manures.

10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103251

 

A ‘debt’ based approach to land degradation as an indicator of global change
A ‘debt’ based approach to land degradation as an indicator of global change
Resource Type: Maps & Documents, Documents, Publications in Journals
Year: 2021

We propose a way to synthesize different approaches to globally map land degradation by combining vegetation and soil indicators into a consistent framework for assessing land degradation as an environmental ‘debt’. our combined approach reveals a broader lens for land degradation through global change, in particular, identifying hot-spots for the different kinds of land degradation.
Earth's life support systems require a healthy biosphere with diverse ecosystems. Degradation of these ecosystems and the soils that support their functioning is a threat to human activity and wildlife

10.1111/gcb.15830

Soil multifunctionality: Synergies and trade-offs across European climatic zones and land uses
Soil multifunctionality: Synergies and trade-offs across European climatic zones and land uses
Resource Type: Maps & Documents, Documents, Publications in Journals
Year: 2021

With increasing societal demands for food security and environmental sustainability on land, the question arises: to what extent do synergies and trade-offs exist between soil functions and how can they be measured across Europe? To address this challenge, we followed the functional land management approach and assessed five soil functions: primary productivity, water regulation and purification, climate regulation, soil biodiversity and nutrient cycling. Soil, management and climate data were collected from 94 sites covering 13 countries, five climatic zones and two land-use types (arable and grassland). This dataset was analysed using the Soil Navigator, a multicriteria decision support system developed to assess the supply of the five soil functions simultaneously. Most sites scored high for two to three soil functions, demonstrating that managing for multifunctionality in soil is possible but that local constraints and trade-offs do exist. Nutrient cycling, biodiversity and climate regulation were less frequently delivered at high capacity than the other two soil functions. Using correlation and co-occurrence analyses, we also found that synergies and trade-offs between soil functions vary among climatic zones and land-use types. This study provides a new framework for monitoring soil quality at the European scale where both the supply of soil functions and their interactions are considered.

10.1111/ejss.13051

Different climate sensitivity of particulate and mineral-associated soil organic matter
Different climate sensitivity of particulate and mineral-associated soil organic matter
Resource Type: Documents, Publications in Journals, Maps & Documents
Year: 2021

Soil carbon sequestration is seen as an effective means to draw down atmospheric CO2, but at the same time warming may accelerate the loss of extant soil carbon, so an accurate estimation of soil carbon stocks and their vulnerability to climate change is required. Here we demonstrate how separating soil carbon into particulate and mineral-associated organic matter (POM and MAOM, respectively) aids in the understanding of its vulnerability to climate change and identification of carbon sequestration strategies. By coupling European-wide databases with soil organic matter physical fractionation, we assessed the current geographical distribution of mineral topsoil carbon in POM and MAOM by land cover using a machine-learning approach. Further, using observed climate relationships, we projected the vulnerability of carbon in POM and MAOM to future climate change. Arable and coniferous forest soils contain the largest and most vulnerable carbon stocks when cumulated at the European scale. Although we show a lower carbon loss from mineral topsoils with climate change (2.5 ± 1.2 PgC by 2080) than those in some previous predictions, we urge the implementation of coniferous forest management practices that increase plant inputs to soils to offset POM losses, and the adoption of best management practices to avert the loss of and to build up both POM and MAOM in arable soils.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-021-00744-x

What is soil biodiversity?
What is soil biodiversity?
Resource Type: Maps & Documents, Documents, Publications in Journals
Year: 2021

I received an email from a colleague working on the development of soil-related policies, posing a “simple” question: How do you (scientists) define soil biodiversity? Is there a common definition? That was an unexpected query. It made me think and I realized that the answer is “no.” Although this is an apparently easy question, answers can be as diverse as soil biodiversity. Depending on the respondent (e.g., scientist, policymaker, farmer), definitions of soil biodiversity can vary and can lead to completely different actions in terms of conservation initiatives.

From a preservation point of view, the principle is simple: if you want to protect anything, you need to know what this thing is and be able to monitor it. Policymakers need to know what soil biodiversity is, in order to propose and monitor targeted measures. In this context, the soil biodiversity scientific community still faces two main issues. The first is the lack of indicators and thresholds that can be proposed to policymakers to ensure reliable monitoring and impact assessment schemes

10.1111/conl.12845

A spatial assessment of mercury content in the European Union topsoil
A spatial assessment of mercury content in the European Union topsoil
Resource Type: Maps & Documents, Documents, Publications in Journals
Year: 2021

Mapping of surface soil Hg concentrations, a priority pollutant, at continental scale is important in order to identify hotspots of soil Hg distribution (e.g. mining or industrial pollution) and identify factors that influence soil Hg concentrations (e.g. climate, soil properties, vegetation). Here we present soil Hg concentrations from the LUCAS topsoil (0–20 cm) survey including 21,591 samples from 26 European Union countries (one sample every ~200 km2). Deep Neural Network (DNN) learning models were used to map the European soil Hg distribution. DNN estimated a median Hg concentration of 38.3 μg kg−1 (2.6 to 84.7 μg kg−1) excluding contaminated sites. At continental scale, we found that soil Hg concentrations increased with latitude from south to north and with altitude. A GLMM revealed a correlation (R2 = 0.35) of soil Hg concentrations with vegetation activity, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and soil organic carbon content. This observation corroborates the importance of atmospheric Hg0 uptake by plants and the build-up of the soil Hg pool by litterfall over continental scales. The correlation of Hg concentrations with NDVI was amplified by higher soil organic matter content, known to stabilize Hg in soils through thiol bonds. We find a statistically significant relation between soil Hg levels and coal use in large power plants, proving that emissions from power plants are associated with higher mercury deposition in their proximity. In total 209 hotspots were identified, defined as the top percentile in Hg concentration (>422 μg kg−1). 87 sites (42% of all hotspots) were associated with known mining areas. The sources of the other hotspots could not be identified and may relate to unmined geogenic Hg or industrial pollution. The mapping effort in the framework of LUCAS can serve as a starting point to guide local and regional authorities in identifying Hg contamination hotspots in soils.

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144755

Regulations on Nitrate Use and Management
Regulations on Nitrate Use and Management
Resource Type: Maps & Documents, Documents, Publications in Journals
Year: 2021

Provides an overview of the entire nitrate cycle and the processes influencing nitrate transformation, and clearly identifies its role as an essential nutrient in plant growth, food preservation, and human health. It explains the discrepancies between public perceptions on nitrate harm versus the beneficial effects on human health.

Download the article

The Relevance of Black Soils for Sustainable Development
The Relevance of Black Soils for Sustainable Development
Resource Type: Documents, Publications in Journals, Maps & Documents
Year: 2021

Black Soils have attracted renewed attention from policy-makers and the public thanks to strong interest from China; an International Network on Black Soils was launched in 2017 and the first plenary meeting held in Harbin in 2018. The Chernozem originally defined by Dokuchaev in 1883 is the central concept of Black Soils but, more than 140 years on, these soils have been much changed by human intervention and there is a need for a new definition—including Chernozem but, also, other soils with similar properties. The term Black Soils is taken to encompass Chernozem, Kastanozem and Phaeozem—all characterized by thick, dark-coloured, humus-rich topsoil originally developed under grassland. Chernozems, in particular, are known for their granular structure, optimal bulk density, and goodly stock of plant nutrients; however, all these favorable properties are only present in soils within virgin ecosystems that are now rare. Black Soils make up only 7% of the land surface but they are of fundamental importance to food security; UN Sustainable Development Goal 2—to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030—will only be achieved if we introduce a mandatory framework for their sustainable management. Sustainable management means arrest of soil erosion, compaction, salinity, sodicity, pollution and soil sealing; maintenance of protective cover, a stable stock of soil organic matter both as a store of plant nutrients and as a carbon sink; maintenance of capacity to infiltrate and hold rainfall and irrigation water but drain any excess to streams and groundwater; and conservation of biodiversity to maintain essential soil functions.

Download Chapter

Soil Security for the European Union
Soil Security for the European Union
Resource Type: Documents, Publications in Journals, Maps & Documents
Year: 2021

Soil security has emerged during the recent years as a new paradigm for addressing sustainable soil management. Soil security was first presented in the literature in 2013–2014 (Koch et al., 2013; McBratney et al., 2014). Both publications defined soil security as the maintenance and improvement of the world's soil resources so that they can continue to provide food and fresh water, make major contributions to energy and climate sustainability, and help maintaining biodiversity and the overall protection of ecosystem goods and services. After the first publications on soil security, some regional studies addressed the subject in Australia (Bennett et al., 2019) and Tasmania (Kidd et al., 2018). Meanwhile, soil security starts to gain the momentum as it is linked to crop production and global climate (Beerling et al., 2018), soil contamination and human health (Carre et al., 2017; Brevik et al., 2017), farming and ecosystem services (Dazzi et al., 2019) and with the Sustainable Development Goals (Bouma, 2020).

Therefore, soil security is developed as a concept in analogy with the other six existential global environmental challenges (e.g. provision of food, fresh water, energy, climate sustainability, maintenance of biodiversity, protection of ecosystem goods and services). Soil security is described by five dimensions known as 5Cs: soil Capability, Condition, Capital, Connectivity & Codification (Koch et al., 2013; McBratney et al., 2014). Here, we discuss the implications of soil security for the European Union's sustainability.

Link: 10.1016/j.soisec.2021.100009

A Soil Erosion Indicator for Supporting Agricultural, Environmental and Climate Policies in the European Union
A Soil Erosion Indicator for Supporting Agricultural, Environmental and Climate Policies in the European Union
Resource Type: Maps & Documents, Documents, Publications in Journals
Year: 2020
Publisher: Remote Sensing

Soil erosion is one of the eight threats in the Soil Thematic Strategy, the main policy instrument dedicated to soil protection in the European Union (EU). During the last decade, soil erosion indicators have been included in monitoring the performance of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study comes five years after the assessment of soil loss by water erosion in the EU [Environmental science & policy 54, 438–447 (2015)], where a soil erosion modelling baseline for 2010 was developed. Here, we present an update of the EU assessment of soil loss by water erosion for the year 2016. The estimated long-term average erosion rate decreased by 0.4% between 2010 and 2016. This small decrease of soil loss was due to a limited increase of applied soil conservation practices and land cover change observed at the EU level. The modelling results suggest that, currently, ca. 25% of the EU land has erosion rates higher than the recommended sustainable threshold (2 t ha−1 yr−1) and more than 6% of agricultural lands suffer from severe erosion (11 t ha−1 yr−1). The results suggest that a more incisive set of measures of soil conservation is needed to mitigate soil erosion across the EU. However, targeted measures are recommendable at regional and national level as soil erosion trends are diverse between countries which show heterogeneous application of conservation practices.

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/9/1365

 

Towards an Assessment of the Ephemeral Gully Erosion Potential in Greece Using Google Earth
Towards an Assessment of the Ephemeral Gully Erosion Potential in Greece Using Google Earth
Resource Type: Maps & Documents, Documents, Publications in Journals
Year: 2020

Gully erosion may cause considerable soil losses and produce large volumes of sediment. The aim of this study was to perform a preliminary assessment on the presence of ephemeral gullies in Greece by sampling representative cultivated fields in 100 sites randomly distributed throughout the country. The almost 30-ha sampling surfaces were examined with visual interpretation of multi-temporal imagery from the online Google Earth for the period 2002–2019. In parallel, rill and sheet erosion signs, land uses, and presence of terraces and other anti-erosion features, were recorded within every sample. One hundred fifty-three ephemeral gullies were identified in total, inside 22 examined agricultural surfaces. The mean length of the gullies was 55.6 m, with an average slope degree of 9.7%. Vineyards showed the largest proportion of gullies followed by olive groves and arable land, while pastures exhibited limited presence of gullies. Spatial clusters of high gully severity were observed in the north and east of the country. In 77% of the surfaces with gullies, there were no terraces, although most of these surfaces were situated in slopes higher than 8%. It was the first time to use visual interpretation with Google Earth image time-series on a country scale producing a gully erosion inventory. Soil conservation practices such as contour farming and terraces could mitigate the risk of gully erosion in agricultural areas

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/2/603

An indicator to reflect the mitigating effect of Common Agricultural Policy on soil erosion
An indicator to reflect the mitigating effect of Common Agricultural Policy on soil erosion
Resource Type: Maps & Documents, Documents, Publications in Journals
Year: 2020

This study presents the updated version of the recently published LANDUM model [Land Use Policy 48, 38–50 (2015)]. LANDUM is integrated into the 100 m resolution RUSLE-based pan-European soil erosion risk modelling platform of the European Commission. It estimates the effects of local land use and management practices on the magnitude of soil erosion across each NUTS2 region of the European Union. This is done based on a spatially explicit estimation of the so-called cover-management factor of (R)USLE family models which is also known as C-factor. In this updated version, the data on soil conservation measures (i.e., reduced tillage, cover crops and plant residues) reported in the latest EU Farm Structure Survey (2016) were integrated and elaborated in LANDUM in order to estimate the changes of the C-factor in Europe between 2010 and 2016. For 2016, a C-factor of 0.2316 for the arable land of the 28 Member States of the European Union was estimated. This implies an overall decrease of C-factor of ca. -0.84 % compared to the 2010 survey. The change in C-factor from 2010 to 2016 could be an indication for the effectiveness of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) soil conservation measures in reducing soil erosion in Europe, especially key CAP policies such as Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions and Greening.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026483771931172X

The potential of straw mulch as a nature-based solution in olive groves. A biophysical and socio-economic assessment
The potential of straw mulch as a nature-based solution in olive groves. A biophysical and socio-economic assessment
Resource Type: Documents, Publications in Journals, Maps & Documents
Year: 2020

Fifty paired plots under simulated rainfall showed that the use of a cover of straw mulch of 50% (1 mg ha−1) in olive orchards results in a reduction of soil erosion. An economic survey based on interviews shows that the use of straw mulch in olive plantation would cost €174.7 ha−1, from which €54.7 ha−1 is needed for the application work, €52.3 ha−1 for the purchase cost, and €67.7 ha−1 for the transport of 20‐kg bales. The cost of the straw is 22.5% of the total income of the farmers. We found that their perception was negative about the use of straw mulch, as the tradition is to keep the soil clean from any weed or cover, except the crop. However, farmers would use it if they would be subsidized with a minimum of €267 ha−1, which is €92 ha−1 more than the costs estimated on the basis of the surveys. We conclude that soil erosion can be controlled with the use of straw mulch but that to convince farmers to adopt this management strategy, it needs to be subsidized.

Reconstruction of past rainfall erosivity and trend detection based on the REDES database and reanalysis rainfall
Reconstruction of past rainfall erosivity and trend detection based on the REDES database and reanalysis rainfall
Resource Type: Documents, Publications in Journals, Maps & Documents
Year: 2020

Rainfall erosivity is the driving force of soil erosion and it is characterized by a large variability in space and time. In order to obtain robust estimates of rainfall erosivity, long series of high-frequency rainfall data are needed, which are often not available for large study areas. In this study we reconstructed past rainfall erosivity in Europe for the period 1961–2018, with the aim to investigate temporal changes in rainfall erosivity. As input data, we used the Rainfall Erosivity Database at European Scale (REDES) and Uncertainties in Ensembles of Regional Reanalyses (UERRA) rainfall data. Using a set of regression models, which we derived with the application of the k-fold cross-validation approach, we computed the annual rainfall erosivity for the 1675 stations forming the REDES database. Based on the reconstructed data, we derived a rainfall erosivity trend map for Europe where the results were qualitatively validated. Among the stations showing a statistically significant trend, we observed a tendency towards more positive (15%) than negative trends (7%). In addition, we also observed an increasing tendency of the frequency of years with maximum erosivity values. Geographically, large parts of regions such as Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Baltic countries, Great Britain and Ireland, part of the Balkan Peninsula, most of Italy, Benelux countries, northern part of Germany, part of France, among others, are characterized by a positive trend in rainfall erosivity. By contrast, negative trends in annual rainfall erosivity could be observed for most of the Iberian Peninsula, part of France, most of the Alpine area, Southern Germany, and part of the Balkan Peninsula, among others. The new dataset of rainfall erosivity trends reported in this study scientifically provides new information to better understand the impacts of the ongoing erosivity trends on soil erosion across Europe, while, from a policy perspective, the gained findings provide new knowledge to support the development of soil erosion indicators aiming at promoting mitigation measures at regional and pan-European level.

Integrated management for sustainable cropping systems: Looking beyond the greenhouse balance at the field scale
Integrated management for sustainable cropping systems: Looking beyond the greenhouse balance at the field scale
Resource Type: Documents, Publications in Journals, Maps & Documents
Year: 2020

Cover crops (CC) promote the accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC), which provides multiple benefits to agro‐ecosystems. However, additional nitrogen (N) inputs into the soil could offset the CO2 mitigation potential due to increasing N2O emissions. Integrated management approaches use organic and synthetic fertilizers to maximize yields while minimizing impacts by crop sequencing adapted to local conditions. The goal of this work was to test whether integrated management, centered on CC adoption, has the potential to maximize SOC stocks without increasing the soil greenhouse gas (GHG) net flux and other agro‐environmental impacts such as nitrate leaching. To this purpose, we ran the DayCent bio‐geochemistry model on 8,554 soil sampling locations across the European Union. We found that soil N2O emissions could be limited with simple crop sequencing rules, such as switching from leguminous to grass CC when the GHG flux was positive (source). Additional reductions of synthetic fertilizers applications are possible through better accounting for N available in green manures and from mineralization of soil reservoirs while maintaining cash crop yields. Therefore, our results suggest that a CC integrated management approach can maximize the agro‐environmental performance of cropping systems while reducing environmental trade‐offs.

Comparison of sampling with a spade and gouge auger for topsoil monitoring at the continental scale
Comparison of sampling with a spade and gouge auger for topsoil monitoring at the continental scale
Resource Type: Documents, Publications in Journals, Maps & Documents
Year: 2020

The sampling method is a key aspect when designing a soil monitoring network. The determination of any physical and chemical property can be subject to uncertainties because of the sampling method. In this study, we compared the efficiency of sampling with a spade and a gouge auger for the physicochemical characterization of topsoil samples from 150 mineral soils under various land cover (LC) classes in Switzerland taken within the LUCAS 2015 Survey. The sampling methods differed in their scheme, accuracy of litter removal and control of sampling depth, which were more rigorous with the gouge auger than the spade method. Values of root mean square error of properties ranged between 1/2 and 1/30 of their mean values. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient showed that the spade and gouge auger methods produced similar results for all properties (LCCC ≥0.73), with a better relation for arable land than other LC classes. A poor relation was observed for potassium (LCCC = 0.35) in coniferous forest because of its shallow distribution in depth. We concluded that the simpler and cheaper spade method is an accurate method for topsoil sampling at the continental scale. From this study, it is clear that some improvements in the control of sampling depth and the accuracy of litter removal are needed, especially when monitoring forest soils and properties that change rapidly with depth. Spade sampling can help to expand the implementation of soil monitoring surveys at the continental scale at relatively low sampling cost.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ejss.12862

Plutonium aided reconstruction of caesium atmospheric fallout in European topsoils
Plutonium aided reconstruction of caesium atmospheric fallout in European topsoils
Resource Type: Documents, Publications in Journals, Maps & Documents
Year: 2020

Global nuclear weapon testing and the Chernobyl accident have released large amounts of radionuclides into the environment. However, to date, the spatial patterns of these fallout sources remain poorly constrained. Fallout radionuclides (137Cs, 239Pu, 240Pu) were measured in soil samples (n = 160) collected at flat, undisturbed grasslands in Western Europe in the framework of a harmonised European soil survey. We show that both fallout sources left a specific radionuclide imprint in European soils. Accordingly, we used plutonium to quantify contributions of global versus Chernobyl fallout to 137Cs found in European soils. Spatial prediction models allowed for a first assessment of the global versus Chernobyl fallout pattern across national boundaries. Understanding the magnitude of these fallout sources is crucial not only to establish a baseline in case of future radionuclide fallout but also to define a baseline for geomorphological reconstructions of soil redistribution due to soil erosion processes.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-68736-2

The Rise of Climate-Driven Sediment Discharge in the Amazonian River Basin
The Rise of Climate-Driven Sediment Discharge in the Amazonian River Basin
Resource Type: Documents, Publications in Journals, Maps & Documents
Year: 2020

The occurrence of hydrological extremes in the Amazon region and the associated sediment loss during rainfall events are key features in the global climate system. Climate extremes alter the sediment and carbon balance but the ecological consequences of such changes are poorly understood in this region. With the aim of examining the interactions between precipitation and landscape-scale controls of sediment export from the Amazon basin, we developed a parsimonious hydro-climatological model on a multi-year series (1997–2014) of sediment discharge data taken at the outlet of Óbidos (Brazil) watershed (the narrowest and swiftest part of the Amazon River). The calibrated model (correlation coefficient equal to 0.84) captured the sediment load variability of an independent dataset from a different watershed (the Magdalena River basin), and performed better than three alternative approaches. Our model captured the interdecadal variability and the long-term patterns of sediment export. In our reconstruction of yearly sediment discharge over 1859–2014, we observed that landscape erosion changes are mostly induced by single storm events, and result from coupled effects of droughts and storms over long time scales. By quantifying temporal variations in the sediment produced by weathering, this analysis enables a new understanding of the linkage between climate forcing and river response, which drives sediment dynamics in the Amazon basin.

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/2/208

Land susceptibility to water and wind erosion risks in the East Africa region
Land susceptibility to water and wind erosion risks in the East Africa region
Resource Type: Documents, Publications in Journals, Maps & Documents
Year: 2020

Land degradation by water and wind erosion is a serious problem worldwide. Despite the significant amount of research on this topic, quantifying these processes at large- or regional-scale remains difficult. Furthermore, very few studies provide integrated assessments of land susceptibility to both water and wind erosion. Therefore, this study investigated the spatial patterns of water and wind erosion risks, first separately and then combined, in the drought-prone region of East Africa using the best available datasets. As to water erosion, we adopted the spatially distributed version of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation and compared our estimates with plot-scale measurements and watershed sediment yield (SY) data. The order of magnitude of our soil loss estimates by water erosion is within the range of measured plot-scale data. Moreover, despite the fact that SY integrates different soil erosion and sediment deposition processes within watersheds, we observed a strong correlation of SY with our estimated soil loss rates (r2 = 0.4). For wind erosion, we developed a wind erosion index by integrating five relevant factors using fuzzy logic technique. We compared this index with estimates of the frequency of dust storms, derived from long-term Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor Level-3 daily data. This comparison revealed an overall accuracy of 70%. According to our estimates, mean annual gross soil loss by water erosion amounts to 4 billion t, with a mean soil loss rate of 6.3 t ha−1 yr−1, of which ca. 50% was found to originate in Ethiopia. In terms of land cover, ca. 50% of the soil loss by water erosion originates from cropland (with a mean soil loss rate of 18.4 t ha−1 yr−1), which covers ca. 15% of the total area in the study region. Model results showed that nearly 10% of the East Africa region is subject to moderate or elevated water erosion risks (>10 t ha−1 yr−1). With respect to wind erosion, we estimated that around 25% of the study area is experiencing moderate or elevated wind erosion risks (equivalent to a frequency of dust storms >45 days yr−1), of which Sudan and Somalia (which are dominated by bare/sparse vegetation cover) have the largest share (ca. 90%). In total, an estimated 8 million ha is exposed to moderate or elevated risks of soil erosion by both water and wind. The results of this study provide new insights on the spatial patterns of water and wind erosion risks in East Africa and can be used to prioritize areas where further investigations are needed and where remedial actions should be implemented.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969719350089

Positive cascading effect of restoring forests
Positive cascading effect of restoring forests
Resource Type: Documents, Publications in Journals, Maps & Documents
Year: 2020

Recent assessment of global tree restoration potential reports that under current climate conditions there would be room for additional 0.9 billion hectares of woodlands and forests Bastin (2019). This could store 205 gigatonnes of carbon making forest restoration a viable strategy for climate change mitigation. Commenting on Bastin (2019), Chazdon and Brancalion (2019) call for holistic approaches because forest restoration is a mechanism to achieve multiple goals that go beyond climate mitigation, also including biodiversity conservation, socioeconomic benefits, food security, and ecosystem services. A timely scientific debate considering the recent decision of the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, to declare the coming decade 2021–2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095633919301996