Wind erosion on arable land in Scania, Sweden and the relation to the wind climate—a review

Abstract

This paper addresses variations in the wind climate in relation to changes in the impact of wind erosion on agricultural lands with Scania, the southernmost province of Sweden, as an example. The literature concerning wind erosion in the region is reviewed and the conclusions are linked to recent analyses of the regional wind climate. Presently, wind erosion occasionally induces problems in light soil areas of the intensively cultivated Scania. It is not a new phenomenon that results from modern farming practice; it was documented already in the 18th century. This was an era of major land use changes because the increasing population required new and more vulnerable areas to be cultivated, which resulted in an ecological crisis due to increased wind erosion. Partly overlapping in time, a series of land amalgamation reforms transformed the land-use resulting in larger fields. Analyses of the frequency of wind directions indicate that variations in the large-scale wind climate occurred at that time. Wind erosion again became a topic of concern in the 20th century. Extensive analyses of several aspects of the wind climate (e.g., storminess and cyclone intensity) of Scandinavia and northwestern Europe show that there have been interdecadal variations but no sign of an overall long-term trend. The recurring periods of intensified wind erosion problems can best be explained as the combined result of a varying wind climate and the lack of appropriate long-term maintenance strategies for protective measures through the intervening periods of benign wind climate.