Modeling the Soil Erosion Regulation Ecosystem Services of the Landscape in Polish Catchments

Mustafa Nur Istanbuly,Bahman Jabbarian Amiri,Tomáš Dostál

doi:10.3390/w13223274

Mustafa Nur Istanbuly, Bahman Jabbarian Amiri + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223274

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Abstract

In this study, the soil erosion regulation ecosystem services of the CORINE land use/ land cover types along with soil intrinsic features and geomorphological factors were examined by using the soil erosion data of 327 catchments in Poland, with a mean area of 510 ± 330 km2, applying a multivariate regression modeling approach. The results showed that soil erosion is accelerated by the discontinuous urban fabric (r = 0.224, p ≤ 0.01), by construction sites (r = 0.141, p ≤ 0.05), non-irrigated arable land (r = 0.237, p ≤ 0.01), and is mitigated by coniferous forest (r = −0.322, p ≤ 0.01), the clay ratio (r = −0.652, p ≤ 0.01), and the organic content of the soil (r = −0.622, p ≤ 0.01). The models also indicated that there is a strong relationship between soil erosion and the percentage of land use/land cover types (r2 = [0.62, 0.82, 0.83, 0.74]), i.e., mixed forest, non-irrigated arable land, fruit trees and berry plantations, broad-leaf forest, sport and leisure facilities, construction sites, and mineral extraction sites. The findings show that the soil erosion regulation ecosystem service is sensitive to broadleaf forests, rainfed agriculture, soil water content, terrain slope, drainage network density, annual precipitation, the clay ratio, the soil carbon content, and the degree of sensitivity increases from the broadleaf forest to the soil carbon content.

Highlights

Soil plays an essential role in the functioning of natural ecosystems [1]
The results indicated (Table 2) that among the Corine land use/land cover types, there are five land use/land covers that correlate positively with the soil erosion rate. These covers are discontinuous urban fabric (r = 0.224, p ≤ 0.01), construction sites (r = 0.141, p ≤ 0.05), non-irrigated arable land (r = 0.237, p ≤ 0.01), land principally occupied by agriculture, with significant areas of natural vegetation (r = 0.147, p ≤ 0.01), and complex cultivation patterns (r = 0.247, p ≤ 0.01)
This study has shown that out of thirty-one Corine land use/land cover types, three man-made land-use types; two semi-natural land cover types; and three natural land cover types can be observed in the models that have been developed, and can be used as key land use/land cover types in determining and managing soil erosion at catchment scale

Summary

Introduction

Soil plays an essential role in the functioning of natural ecosystems [1]. Each soil ecosystem provides goods and services for the community, which can be called a soil ecosystem service [2]. Soil-based ecosystem services can be supportive (e.g., primary production, gene pool biodiversity, and habitat), regulatory (e.g., erosion control, water infiltration, water purification, nutrient retention, nutrient cycling, and pest control), and cultural (e.g., aesthetic) [1,3]. Soil ecosystem services depend on the properties of the soil and on their interactions [1]. The health of a soil ecosystem can be determined from its physical, chemical and biological properties, e.g., activity level, stability, flexibility, and organization [2]. Soil ecosystem services are more affected by land use/land cover, land management, and soil erosion [1]. The type and the quality of soil ecosystem services are related to the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the soil, and these characteristics are influenced by various factors, such as soil erosion [4]

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