Soil erosion on agricultural land in the north of Ireland: past, present and future potential

Abstract

Abstract Soil erosion in Ireland is a considerable environmental problem with respect to the ‘off-site’ transport of sediment and pollutants out of fields and into nearby water courses and the neighbouring environment. This paper examines this important issue by presenting evidence for past and present-day soil erosion in Ireland through the use of secondary documentary and primary observational evidence. An original modelling-based study is also conducted at six locations across the north of Ireland in order to project future soil erosion rates for Ireland under a changing environment. Results reveal that numerous incidences of soil erosion occur across Ireland in the present day, and that past erosion was more widespread due to increased cultivation to support a growing pre-famine population. Projected rates of soil erosion under the impacts of future climate change reveal the potential for increased erosion and indicate that off-site impacts associated with declining water quality and ‘muddy flooding’ of infrastructure and property may become more widespread in the future. This illuminates the need to begin monitoring the problem in the present day in order to better manage a problem projected to escalate in the coming decades.