Long-Term Impact of Wind Erosion on the Particle Size Distribution of Soils in the Eastern Part of the European Union.

Lenka Lackóová,Krystyna Michałowska,Jozefína Pokrývková,Jana Kozlovsky Dufková,Agnieszka Policht-Latawiec,Jolanta Dąbrowska

doi:10.3390/e23080935

Abstract

Wind erosion is the leading cause of soil degradation and air pollution in many regions of the world. As wind erosion is controlled by climatic factors, research on this phenomenon is urgently needed in soil and land management in order to better adapt to climate change. In this paper, the impact of wind erosion on the soil surface in relation to particle size distribution was investigated. Changes in percentage of sand, silt and clay fractions based on historical KPP data (1961–1970), LUCAS data base (2009), and field measurements (2016) were analysed in five cadastral areas impacted by wind erosion (Záhorie Lowlands, Slovakia). With the use of GIS tools, models of spatial distribution of sand, silt, clay and erodible fraction (EF) content were developed based on those measurements. Our findings proved that soil texture change driven by wind erosion could happen relatively quickly, and a significant proportion of soil fine particles may be carried away within a few years. The results indicate that the soil surface became much rougher over the period of more than 50 years, but also that the accumulation of fraction of the silt particles occurred in most of the areas affected by the erosive effect.

Highlights

This study examines the effect of wind erosion on the soil in damaged
Our results show that the surface of the soil in some places has become significantly rougher in over 50 years, but in most areas of interest, the erosive phenomenon was manifested in the form of accumulation of a fraction of silt particles (Figure 3) The analysis of changes in the abundance of soil types in the monitored time period indicates a trend of growth of soil types with a significant proportion of silt particles (Figure 8)
Wind erosion is a phenomenon known for years, affecting more than one third of the

Summary

Introduction

Soil erosion is a major cause of global-scale land degradation, and has increased by. The main reasons for this increase are considered to be deforestation and cropland expansion [1,2]. Soil erosion by wind is the process of destruction, separation, transportation and deposition of soil particles that affects negatively land and human health, agricultural production, as well as ecosystem services [3,4,5]. The process is controlled by several factors such as: wind speed and direction, temperature, precipitation, soil wetness, surface roughness, soil texture and aggregation, soil organic matter, vegetation cover, field size, agricultural activities and protective measures [6,7]. Wind erosion involves three distinct steps: (1) Initiation of the soil particle movement (detachment and deflation);

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