Search Results (10)

Wind erosion poses a major threat to ecosystem stability and land productivity in arid and semi-arid regions. Accurate identification of its spatiotemporal dynamics and underlying driving mechanisms is a critical prerequisite for effective risk forecasting and targeted erosion control. This study applied the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ) model to assess the spatial distribution, interannual variation, and seasonal dynamics of the Soil Wind Erosion Modulus (SWEM) across Inner Mongolia from 1990 to 2022. The GeoDetector model was further employed to quantify dominant drivers, key interactions, and high-risk zones via factor, interaction, and risk detection. The results showed that the average SWEM across the study period was 35.65 t·ha⁻¹·yr⁻¹ and showed a decreasing trend over time. However, localised increases were observed in the Horqin and Hulun Buir sandy lands and central grasslands. Wind erosion was most intense in spring (17.64 t·ha⁻¹·yr⁻¹) and weakest in summer (5.57 t·ha⁻¹·yr⁻¹). Gale days, NDVI, precipitation, and wind speed were identified as dominant drivers. Interaction detection revealed non-linear synergies between gale days and temperature (q = 0.40) and wind speed and temperature (q = 0.36), alongside a two-factor interaction between NDVI and precipitation (q = 0.19). Risk detection indicated that areas with gale days > 58, wind speed > 3.01 m/s, NDVI < 0.2, precipitation of 30.17–135.59 mm, and temperatures of 3.01–4.23 °C are highly erosion-prone. Management should prioritise these sensitive and intensifying areas by implementing site-specific strategies to enhance ecosystem resilience. Full article

In desertified regions, monitoring vegetation phenology and elucidating its relationship with climatic factors are of crucial significance for understanding how desertification responds to climate change. This study aimed to extract the spatial-temporal evolution of land surface phenology metrics from 2001 to 2020 using MODIS NDVI products (NASA, Greenbelt, MD, USA) and explore the potential impacts of climate change on land surface phenology through partial least squares regression analysis. The key results are as follows: Firstly, regionally the annual mean start of the growing season (SOS) ranged from day of year (DOY) 130 to 170, the annual mean end of the growing season (EOS) fell within DOY 270 to 310, and the annual mean length of the growing season (LOS) was between 120 and 180 days. Most of the desertified areas demonstrated a tendency towards an earlier SOS, a delayed EOS, and a prolonged LOS, although a small portion exhibited the opposite trends. Secondly, precipitation prior to the SOS period significantly influenced the advancement of SOS, while precipitation during the growing season had a marked impact on EOS delay. Thirdly, high temperatures in both the pre-SOS and growing seasons led to moisture deficits for vegetation growth, which was unfavorable for both SOS advancement and EOS delay. The influence of temperature on SOS and EOS was mainly manifested during the months when SOS and EOS occurred, with the minimum temperature having a more prominent effect than the average and maximum temperatures. Additionally, the wind in the pre-SOS period was found to adversely impact SOS advancement, potentially due to severe wind erosion in desertified areas during spring. The findings of this study reveal that the delayed spring phenology, precipitated by the occurrence of a warm and dry spring in semi-arid desertified areas of northern China, has the potential to heighten the risk of desertification. Full article

Soil fugitive dust (SFD) is a significant contributor to environmental particulate matter (PM), which not only pollutes and affects air quality but also poses risks to human health. The emission inventory can provide a basis for the effective prevention and control of SFD pollution. However, current emission inventories with low resolution and frequency make it difficult to assess dust emissions accurately. Obtaining monthly high-resolution bare soil information is one of the solutions for compiling SFD emission inventories. Taking Daxing District, Beijing, as a case study, this study first extracted bare soil for each month of 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively, using high-spatial-resolution remote sensing satellite data, and then constructed a 10 m-size emission grid and monthly SFD emission inventories based on the wind erosion equation by inputting vegetation cover factor, meteorological data, and soil erosion index. The total emissions of TSP, PM₁₀, and PM_2.5 in Daxing District from 2020 to 2022 were 3996.54 tons, 359.26 tons, and 25.25 tons, respectively. Temporally, the SFD emissions showed a decreasing trend over the years and were mainly concentrated in the winter and spring seasons. Spatially, the SFD emissions were predominantly concentrated in the southern and northern areas. And the emissions of PM₁₀ exhibit a significantly stronger correlation with wind speed and the extent of bare soil area. Full article

Effective land management in the Djeffara plain, southeastern Tunisia, is being constrained by increasing land degradation issues due to arid climate conditions and soil erosion. Thus, this study aims to assess the impact of the integrated control measures, namely windbreaks and controlled grazing, on the restoration of land cover dynamics in six managed rangeland areas. Land cover changes were monitored using satellite data and the derived vegetation indices (the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI)) from Landsat 8 (OLI), both within and outside the protected areas. The findings reveal that the implemented protection measures lead to an increase in vegetation cover, diversity, and plant density. They play an important role in stabilizing the upper soil layer. The oldest protected areas, particularly those that are well-maintained with controlled seasonal grazing, experienced a reduction in sand movement. The reintroduction of grazing should, however, be controlled to prevent degradation risks. The results show strong correlations between vegetation cover and both calculated vegetation indices, (0.73 < R² < 0.91), with more accurate estimating for the SAVI. The findings of this research can guide decision-makers for restoring degraded rangelands and planning effective control measures for wind erosion. Full article

Many coasts suffer from prevailing erosion, with them being particularly vulnerable to predicted climate change impacts, threatening coastal ecosystems, their services, infrastructures and populations. Understanding coastal morpho-sedimentary dynamics is thus essential for coastal management. However, coastal vulnerability may differ locally, depending on exposure/protection and local geological and morpho-hydrodynamical features, suggesting that a local approach to erosion risk assessment is needed to identify and understand local patterns. Digital elevation models of a 14 km long coastal stretch in northern Portugal that were extracted from aerial surveys obtained between November 2008 and February 2019 were analysed to quantify changes in shoreline position and sediment budgets, both for the whole study area and for distinct beach segments. The observed dynamics were subsequently analysed by considering prevailing wave and wind intensities and directions. Overall and during the decade analysed, the beach–dune system of the studied stretch slightly increased in volume (0.6%), although the shoreline retreated (by 1.6 m on average). Temporal variability in coastal dynamics was observed at all of the temporal scales considered—from seasons to 5-year periods—with them being related to variability in ocean and wind patterns. There was a trend from accretional to erosional conditions, with the first 5-year period showing a mean increase in the beach–dune system’s volume of 0.6% and a mean shoreline progradation of 1.5 m, followed by 5-years with 0.0% volume change and 3.1 m shoreline retreat. Locally, the dynamics were very variable, with shoreline dynamics ranging from 24.0 m regression to 51.5 m progradation, and sediment budgets from 213.8 m³ loss to 417.0 m³ gain, per segment and for the decade. Stretches with relatively stable morphologies and others with erosional or accretional trends were found, depending on the beach type, shoreline orientation and the presence of defence structures. Rocky beaches were the least dynamic and sandy beaches the most dynamic, with mean shoreline position changes of 0.0 m and −3.4 m, respectively, and mean sediment budgets of −1.1 m³ and −2.9 m³ per linear meter of coastline, respectively, for the studied decade. The observed dynamics showed how local conditions interacted with meteo-ocean conditions in shaping local morpho-sedimentary dynamics, stressing the importance of a local approach to coastal erosion monitoring and risk assessment. Full article

Xinjiang has a serious wind erosion problem due to its fragile ecological condition and sensitivity to climate change. Wind erosion climatic erosivity is a measure of climatic factors influencing wind erosion; evaluating its spatiotemporal variations and relationship with the large-scale circulation pattern can contribute to the understanding of the climate change effect on wind erosion risk. Thus, this study quantified the wind erosion climatic erosivity and examined the connections between climatic erosivity and climate indices using trend analysis, geo-statistical analysis, and cross-wavelet analysis based on the observed daily meteorological data from 64 weather stations in Xinjiang, China during 1969–2019 (50 years). The results indicated that the climatic erosivity showed a significant downward trend at seasonal and annual scales over the past 50 years. Strong seasonality in the C-factor was found, with its highest values in the spring and summer and its lowest values in the winter. The average climatic erosivity was weaker during El Niño events than during La Niña events. The impact of El Niño events on climatic erosivity in Xinjiang continued from the beginning of the event to two months after the end of the events. The La Niña events had a lag effect on the climatic erosivity in Xinjiang, with a lag period of 4 months. From a statistical perspective, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and Arctic Oscillation (AO) indices showed relationships to the climatic erosivity in Xinjiang in terms of their correlation and periodicity. The relationships between the climatic erosivity and ENSO were not clearly positive or negative, with many correlations advanced or delayed in phase. The NAO and AO indices showed a consistent in-phase relationship with climatic erosivity on significant bands, whereas the profound mechanisms involved in this require further study. The results of this study provide a preliminary perspective on the effect of large-scale atmospheric circulation on wind erosion risk in arid and semi-arid regions. Full article

Various large-scale risk maps show that the eastern part of Austria, in particular the Pannonian Basin, is one of the regions in Europe most vulnerable to wind erosion. However, comprehensive assessments of the severity and the extent of wind erosion risk are still lacking for this region. This study aimed to prove the results of large-scale maps by developing high-resolution maps of wind erosion risk for the target area. For this, we applied a qualitative soil erosion assessment (DIN 19706) with lower data requirements and a more data-demanding revised wind erosion equation (RWEQ) within a GIS application to evaluate the process of assessing wind erosion risk. Both models defined similar risk areas, although the assignment of severity classes differed. Most agricultural fields in the study area were classified as not at risk to wind erosion (DIN 19706), whereas the mean annual soil loss rate modeled by RWEQ was 3.7 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. August was the month with the highest modeled soil loss (average of 0.49 t ha⁻¹ month⁻¹), due to a low percentage of vegetation cover and a relatively high weather factor combining wind speed and soil moisture effects. Based on the results, DIN 19706 is suitable for a general classification of wind erosion-prone areas, while RWEQ can derive additional information such as seasonal distribution and soil loss rates besides the spatial extents of wind erosion. Full article

This paper presents an overview of the favorable risk factors in agriculture in terms of encumbering this area of inevitable climate change. The development of a sustainable agriculture is combined in the paper by pointing out the needs on which agricultural productions maintain their productivity using the technique of adapting to the motivational scale of Maslow, analyzing the evolution of needs determined based on the Martonne Index in the analysis of the cause of soil erosion in the water and wind equation. We highlighted the need to apply agricultural techniques depending on climatic zones due to the non-uniformity of geographical areas, the character of buffer zones in the protection of zonal biodiversity of natural resources. Methods of agricultural practice in the use of pesticides cause concern according to FAOSTAT data, some techniques of careful use of fertilizers are a factor in reducing plant protection products through other soil protection techniques. The implications for the adoption of the most innovative production techniques, the security in the handling of fertilizers can reduce the risk of pollution the importance of soil water in agricultural production practices being revealed in the paper. Avoiding environmental damage by caring for agricultural plantations contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in step with the need for refurbishment. A factor of research analysis was the more efficient assessment of the challenges of climate change solutions to reduce the carbon footprint on agricultural production indicates the need to depend agricultural production methods the effect of fertilizer imports on exports still indicates the need for fertilizers and not the cause of abandonment of the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. New type agriculture in the conditions of cross-compliance imposed by the New Agricultural Policy implies precision alternatives involves the introduction of high-performance technologies and equipment to streamline the agricultural process and ensure production control. This method helps farmers to better understand and manage their crops, to take advantage of potential soils, but also to protect their crops from pollutants and pests. Agricultural management becomes efficient, (J. Bouma, et al., 1999) because field measurements and analysis of environmental factors weather phenomes, soil type and texture, seasonality, stage of plant development, provide farmers with the necessary resources to understand and effectively manage their crop. In the research stages we collected data and information that, in our opinion, are important for reorienting agricultural practices by standardizing agro-environmental measures in rural areas complete the ability to adapt agricultural practices as part of the economy. Full article

Dust and sand storms are among the major threats to central Iran. These phenomena pose irreparable risks to natural ecosystems and human societies, including effects on health. In this study, the spatial and temporal pattern of vertical dust flux (VDF) was used to identify dust sources as well as areas with high potential for dust generation. To simulate VDF, two intense dust storms, from 21 February 2015 and 14 February 2018, were selected using synoptic data and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images. These dust storms were identified as responsible for a reduction of horizontal visibility to less than 1000 m, using remote sensing tools and Ackerman Dust Index. MODIS images show that these two storms covered most of Central Plateau of Iran. The Weather Research and Forecasting model with chemistry (WRF-Chem) was used to simulate the storms, with either the Global Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) or Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) scheme to calculate VDF. Modeled vertical dust fluxes in both events indicate that the Arabian deserts in Saudi Arabia and in southwestern Iran can be identified as main sources of the dust in the central Iranian plateau. The other source of dust is the Hirmand Basin, located in the country of Afghanistan and in the southeast of Iran. The results of VDF simulations indicate that central southeast Iran could be the main dust source of internal origin. Additionally, over seasonal wetlands in Iran, the amount of VDF was simulated to be sometimes over 4000 μg/(m²s), an indication that these areas are sensitive to wind erosion in dry conditions and can be a source of dust. The WRF-Chem results were compared with the horizontal visibility measured in synoptic stations in the area. The results showed that the coefficients of determination of GOCART results with the measured horizontal visibility on 21 February 2015 and 14 February 2018 were 0.72 and 0.76, respectively, while the coefficient values from the simulations with AFWA scheme on 21 February 2015 and 14 February 2018 with the measured horizontal visibility were lower, 0.44 and 0.50, respectively. Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA2) re-analysis data also showed timing of peak dust levels consistent with the GOCART scheme. Full article

Amending soil with biochar is a promising approach to persistently improve soil health and promote crop growth. The efficacy of soil biochar amendment, however, is soil specific, biochar dependent, and influenced by the biochar application programs. To maximize the benefits of biochar application, this paper proposes the 3R principles for applying biochar to soils: right biochar source, right application rate, and right placement in soil. The quality of biochar as a soil amendment varies significantly with the feedstock and the production conditions. Biochar products capable of everlastingly sustaining soil health are those with high stable organic carbon (OC) content and high water- and nutrient-holding capacities that are manufactured from uncontaminated biomass materials. Acidic, coarse-textured, highly leached soils respond remarkably more to biochar amendment than other types of soils. Soil amendment with particular biochars at as low as 0.1 mass% (equivalent to 2 Mg ha⁻¹) may enhance the seasonal crop productivity. To achieve the evident, long-term soil health improvement effects, wood- and crop residue-derived biochars should be applied to soil at one time or cumulatively 2–5 mass% and manure-derived biochars at 1–3 mass% soil. Optimal amendment rates of particular biochar soil systems should be prescreened to ensure the pH of newly treated soils is less than 7.5 and the electrical conductivity (EC) below 2.7 dS m⁻¹ (in 1:1 soil/water slurry). To maximize the soil health benefits while minimizing the erosion risk, biochar amendment should be implemented through broadcasting granular biochar in moistened conditions or in compost mixtures to cropland under low-wind weather followed by thorough and uniform incorporation into the 0–15 cm soil layer. Biochars are generally low in plant macronutrients and cannot serve as a major nutrient source (especially N) to plants. Combined chemical fertilization is necessary to realize the synergic beneficial effects of biochar amendment. Full article