Soil erosion in the Swiss midlands: Results of a 10-year field survey

Abstract

Long-term field monitoring of soil erosion by water was conducted on arable land in the Swiss midlands. All visible erosion features in 203 fields were continuously mapped and quantified over 10 years. The eroded soil volume associated with linear erosion features was calculated by measuring the length and cross-sectional area in rills at representative positions and the extent of interrill erosion was estimated. Averaged across the 10 study years, just under one-third (32.2%) of the fields exhibited erosion. With 0.75 t ha −1 yr −1 (mean) and 0.56 t ha −1 yr −1 (median), the average annual soil loss of the region was relatively small. The year-to-year variation in soil loss of the region was great and ranged from 0.16 to 1.83 t ha −1 yr −1. The maximum annual soil erosion in a single field was 96 t yr −1 or 58 t ha −1 yr −1, thus demonstrating that only a few erosion events on a few fields may decisively contribute to the total extent of soil erosion in a region. Linear and interrill erosion accounted for 75% and 25% of total soil loss, respectively. Wheel tracks, furrows, headlands, and slope depressions were important on-site accelerators of erosion. Run-on from adjacent upslope areas was an important trigger of erosion. Of the soil moved by erosion, 52% was deposited within the field of origin. A high proportion (72%) of the linear erosion features caused off-site damage. Part of the total eroded soil (20%) was transported into water, thereby contributing to their contamination. The long-term field assessment of soil erosion helps to fill existing knowledge gaps concerning temporal and spatial variability of soil erosion on arable land, the extent and severity of soil erosion and its sources and causes, as well as subsequent off-site damage.