Abstract
The historical agrarian landforms (AL) represent man-made features that alter the hydrological process on cultivated hillslopes. Soil water content (SWC) and its spatial and temporal variability represent an important state indicator for understanding of these processes. In order to assess the differences between individual AL in terms of SWC stability, continuous soil moisture measurements at five different monitoring localities characterized by a specific combination of AL and environmental factors were performed. Temporal SWC stability was evaluated using mean relative difference (MRD) and its standard deviation (SDRD). Differences in mean SWC and MRD values demonstrated the difference between saturated inner part of the AL and external parts such as terraced slopes and mounds, soil depths, and slope positions. In order to analyze the relationship between SWC and environmental variables, the methods of constrained ordination were applied. The most influential factors that regulate SWC variability during the periods of rain were identified as: stone content, sand fraction content, slope orientation, type of agrarian landform, and its orientation against the contour lines. Results also pointed to the fact that different factors predominate among individual localities and, therefore, SWC variability reflects the effect of combination of various environmental factors rather than effect of single parameter. Besides the improved understanding of SWC variability, our results also highlight the importance of AL in regulating the hydrological processes at historical agricultural landscape of the West Carpathian region.
Highlights
Received: 20 November 2021Agrarian man-made features such as terraces, mounds, stone walls, etc., have been one of the most visible human alterations to Earth’s environments since prehistoric times
The main intention of our study was to obtain and analyze experimental data from continued soil moisture measurements in order to demonstrate the impact of various agrarian landforms (AL) and diverse environmental factors on variability and temporal stability of soil water content (SWC)
Our results revealed several patterns concerning SWC regime and its stability in a traditional agricultural landscape with the presence of AL
Summary
Agrarian man-made features such as terraces, mounds, stone walls, etc., have been one of the most visible human alterations to Earth’s environments since prehistoric times. They represent important anthropological characteristics in the landscape and very often are recognized as important part of nation’s cultural heritage [1]. Their primary function was to support an agriculture in less favorable environmental conditions and to provide a suitable flat area for cultivation operations. The effectiveness of stone bounds and trenches in reducing runoff and soil loss in Accepted: 25 January 2022
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