Abstract
ABSTRACT This study presents the first mapping of soil erosion risk modelling based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) at a sub-annual (monthly) temporal resolution and national scale (100 m spatial resolution). The monthly maps show highest water erosion rates on Swiss grasslands in August (1.25 t ha–1 month–1). In summer, the mean monthly soil loss by water erosion is 48 times higher than the mean soil loss in winter. Considering the annual average fraction of green vegetation cover of 54%, the predicted soil erosion rate for the Swiss national grassland area would add up to a total eroded soil mass of 5.26 Mt yr–1. The RUSLE application with an intact 100% vegetation cover would largely reduce the soil loss to an average annual rate of 0.14 t ha–1 year–1. These findings clearly highlight the importance to consider and maintain the current status of the vegetation cover for soil erosion prediction and soil conservation, respectively.
Highlights
Soil erosion is a serious threat to soils worldwide
The grasslands in the Alps are more prone to soil erosion in most of the months than those in the Swiss lowlands, owing to the influence of topography on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model
Considering the actual fraction of green vegetation cover the annual sum of soil loss as cumulative sum of the monthly soil losses rises up to 4.55 t ha−1 yr−1
Summary
6.1% of the global land surface is affected by severe soil erosion that exceeds a global tolerable soil loss threshold of 10 t ha−1 yr−1 (Borrelli et al, 2017). The annual global soil loss by water is estimated to be 35.9 billion tons for the year 2012 (Borrelli et al, 2017). Soil erosion by water in Switzerland is modelled on an annual basis despite known temporal variations of soil loss (Prasuhn et al, 2013) and rainfall erosivity(Meusburger, Steel, Panagos, Montanarella, & Alewell, 2012; Schmidt, Alewell, Panagos, & Meusburger, 2016). Since grassland areas are the dominant agricultural land use unit in Switzerland (Hotz & Weibel, 2005) they should be included in Swiss soil erosion risk maps. The common assumption of nearly zero soil loss on grasslands by the protective characteristics of the closed vegetation cover should be reconsidered, as about 6.5% of the land surface is covered by grassland (based on global CCI Land Cover 2015 data; Arino & Ramoino, 2017) with a high percentage of the grassland having low and/or damaged vegetation cover (Gallo et al, 2001; Meusburger, Bänninger, & Alewell, 2010a)
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