Soil Land Use Research Articles

The effect of catchment area management on biogenic element concentrations in the water of small ponds

Abstract The aim of this study, conducted during the 1997-2001 period in the Olsztyn Lakeland, was to determine the effect of soil type and land use in the catchment areas of small ponds, on the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, as well as calcium and potassium, in water. The concentrations of all the nutrients (except for nitrite ions) in the water of small ponds were found to be significantly correlated with the soil type dominating in the catchment area. The domination of loamy sands in the catchment areas of small ponds caused an increase in the concentrations of nitrates, phosphorus and potassium, while the domination of light silty loam caused an increase the calcium content of the water. The highest and lowest concentrations of phosphorus compounds and potassium were recorded in water from small ponds located in agricultural (arable land - AL, fallow - FA) and afforested catchments, respectively.

A GIS-based technique for linking landscape characteristics to non-point source nitrogen export potential: implications for contributing areas management

A Nitrate-N Leaching Index (NLI) is calculated and the results indicate that nitrogen loss in the study area occurs through both leaching and surface runoff. A non-linear regression model of trapping efficiency was combined with a first order decay model to examine the impact of soil characteristics, slope, vegetative cover, land use and distance to streams on the spatial pattern of non-point source nitrogen inputs to streams. The model evaluates the statistical significance of each landscape factor and provides an easy interpretation of the landscape delivery ratio of nitrogen based on a pixel-based characterisation of the watershed. The model was validated by comparing the distributions of the observed and estimated monthly nitrogen concentrations. The exploratory GIS-based method presented here can improve the understanding of the impact of landscape characteristics on nitrate-nitrogen contributing areas and therefore assist watershed management efforts.

Expert System Approach for Soil Structure Interaction and Land Use

The application of expert systems has emerged as a cost efficient tool in civil engineering over the past decades. Use of these tools for decision making in land use will be outlined in this paper. In this study, soil-structure interaction (SSI) is discussed by using expert systems, namely, neural network (NN) approaches. This method provides a new point of view for evaluations of SSI and land use. Data from 58 local sites in California, namely, earthquake, structure, and soil property data, are used. In the expert system approach, two NN architectures are used: the back propagation NN architecture and the general regression NN (GRNN) architecture. There are 21 parameters considered as input and 4 output parameters. The four output parameters chosen are soil-to-structure rigidity ratio, period lengthening, foundation damping, and whether SSI effects can be neglected or not. The results show that the GRNN approaches are more useful and powerful for evaluation of SSI and land use.

Temperature dependence of soil nitrogen mineralization rate: Comparison of mathematical models, reference temperatures and origin of the soils

Accurate prediction of soil nitrogen (N) mineralization in agricultural soils is of major concern because uncertainty in making fertilizer N recommendations can lead to economic losses and environmental pollution. This study examined the suitability of three temperature functions ( Q 10, Arrhenius, Logistic) as predictors of the temperature dependence of soil N mineralization rate, k, in soil using previously published data sets. Each function fits k/k 0, where k 0 is the reference mineralization rate, against soil temperature T, where k/ k 0 = 1 at the reference temperature, T 0. No single value of soil temperature was common to all data sets, and consequently a series of values of T 0 from 5 °C to 35 °C were tested. The influence of the temperature zone, land use and soil textural class of soils in the data set on the temperature response function was also tested. Despite the different mathematical forms of the functions evaluated, the fitted curves for each function were very similar and choice of temperature response function had a limited effect on prediction of soil N mineralization rate. An additional model, the Logistic Fixed M model, is proposed which fits the data sets as well as the previous models, but also takes into account the existence of optimal and maximal temperatures in a reasonable temperature range for biological organisms. In contrast, choice of T 0 had a much more pronounced impact on the k/ k 0 values, and thus on the predicted N mineralization rate, than choice of temperature model. A greater response of N mineralization rate (i.e. k/ k 0) to changes in temperature was observed in soils originating from colder climatic zones (mean annual temperature < 2 °C) compared with warmer climate zones (mean annual temperature > 6 °C). There was also a greater temperature response of soil N mineralization rate for agricultural compared with forested soils. Among agricultural soils, sand-loam soils had a greater temperature response compared with clay soils. Overall, selection of temperature response model did not appear to be critical to prediction of soil N mineralization rate, and consequently a form of the model which best represents the biological system is therefore preferable, whereas more attention should be given to the choice of the appropriate T 0 for field prediction of N mineralization.

Soil Aggregate and Organic Carbon Stability under Different Land Uses in the North China Plain

Soil aggregates and organic matter are considered to be important indicators of soil quality. The objective of this study was to determine land-use effects on the distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) associated with aggregate-size fractions. Bulk soil samples were collected from incremental soil depths (0–10, 10–20 20–40, 40–70, and 70–100 cm) under three land-use types: fruit tree orchards established in 1987, cropland, and forage field. Soil samples collected from these plots were analyzed for aggregate stability after wet sieving into four aggregate-size classes (>2000, 250–2000, 53–250, and <53 μm), and the concentration of SOC was determined in each size fraction. Cropland and forage field soils were significantly more alkaline than the fruit tree soil. Bulk densities were greater in cropland and forage field (1.40–1.52 g cm−3) than in fruit tree orchards (1.33–1.37 g cm−3). The total weight of soil aggregates varied in the order of forage field > cropland > fruit tree orchard. Aggregate stability was greater in cropland and forage field than under fruit tree orchards. Soil organic C decreased with increasing soil depth but was greater under fruit tree orchards than others and was mainly concentrated in the topsoil layer (0–20 cm). Sieved fraction (<53 μm) had a greater SOC concentration, regardless of soil depth or land use. Our data supported the hypothesis that perennial vegetation (fruit tree orchard) and the proportion of aggregates with diameter <53 μm are suitable indicators of SOC accumulation and may therefore have a greater potential for SOC sequestration than the cropland.

Flow pathways of bromide and Brilliant Blue FCF tracers in caliche soils

Land use of caliche soils in limestone regions of Texas is increasingly shifting from traditional ranchland to residential and industrial development. However, little information is available on water flow and solute transport through soils of these landscapes, or their potential suitability for wastewater disposal and bioremediation. This study determined the impacts of landscape position on soil hydrologic functions by using Brilliant Blue FCF and Br − tracers to characterize flow pathways through soils of stepped terrains. Aqueous tracer solution was applied to surface (and in some cases subsurface) horizons of selected riser, tread, floodplain, and upland summit sites. Brilliant Blue FCF and Br − pathways were analyzed based on vertical sections excavated through each application site. While Brilliant Blue FCF demonstrated preferential flow along macropores, Br − moved through soil matrix primarily in piston flow pattern. In most cases, Br − was less retarded and moved to greater vertical and horizontal distances than Brilliant Blue FCF. Cemented Bk, Bkm, C, Cr, Crk, and R horizons acted as aquitards, resulting in considerable horizontal transport of both tracers beyond the direct infiltration zone. Significant volumes of limestone rock clasts, together with soil, were involved in solute transport and thus contributed to the soil’s ability to serve as bioremediation and moisture storage media. High limestone gravel content and rapid solute transport through subsurface horizons to aquitards in deep riser soils indicate that they may serve as hydrological recharge sites with potential for ephemeral water tables, increased water storage and greater bioremediation potential. Shallow tread sites may be capable of producing seasonal saturation above restrictive horizons and increased surface runoff, becoming local hydrological discharge sites. This could conceivably lead to surface water contamination; however, these locales are hydrologically buffered by recharge into downslope risers. In these stepped landforms, water flow from uplands to valley floors is conducted through series of cascading recharge/discharge microtopographic units associated with risers and treads.

Catchment-scale relief development as the result of long-term agricultural activity, case study on Szekszárd hills, Hungary

Human impact has played important role in the relief development of Szekszárd Hills, as the history of viniculture dates back to the Roman Times. Approximately 17 % of the area is used as vineyard. As viniculture is one of the most intensive land-use type and soil erosion is very severe on the loose loessy material of these hills, relief development is quite fast in the area. The aim of the study to estimate the catchmentscale erosional loss of the area caused by viniculture and to evaluate the role of artificial terraces on landscape development. Three smaller catchments were chosen as study areas in the north-east part of the hills. Based on the digital elevation model of the area the minimum net erosion was calculated. The calculations reflect that the amount of erosion was higher (1) on the slopes with southern exposure and (2) in tributary valleys close to the town. The accelerated erosion altered the longitudinal profile of the tributaries and the terraces changed the profile of the intercollin ridges.

Clustering of temporal profiles using a Bayesian logistic mixture model: Analyzing groundwater level data to understand the characteristics of urban groundwater recharge

The hydrogeologic conditions of groundwater can be examined by carefully studying the patterns of fluctuations in groundwater levels. These fluctuations are spatially and temporally influenced by many complicated factors, including rainfall, topography, land use, and hydraulic properties of soils and bedrock (i.e., aquifers). In this article we report a methodology based on the Bayesian logistic mixture model to simultaneously cluster profiles of groundwater level changes over time and estimate the relationships between the characteristics of each cluster and environmental variables. We apply the proposed method to analyze groundwater level profiles from 37 monitoring wells in Seoul, South Korea, and we find four clusters of wells. Using the estimated relationship between the clusters and the environmental variables, we discern the hydrogeologic conditions of each cluster, thus gaining insight into the recharge and subsurface flow of bedrock groundwater in an urban setting and the vulnerability of groundwater to the inflow of potential pollutants from ground surface. This article has supplementary material online.

Distribution and cultivation intensity of agricultural peat and gyttja soils in Sweden and estimation of greenhouse gas emissions from cultivated peat soils

Digitised maps of Quaternary deposits, 40K radiation data and Integrated Agricultural Control System databases (IACS) were used in a GIS analysis to estimate the distribution and land use of agricultural peat and gyttja soils in Sweden. The total area of agricultural land (cropland and pastures) in Sweden was estimated at 3,496,665 ha and 8.6% of this area (301,489 ha) was classified as agricultural peat and gyttja soils, with 202,383 ha of deep peat, 50,191 ha of shallow peat and 48,915 ha of gyttja soils. Using detailed information on crop distribution from agricultural databases, it was possible to estimate the cultivation intensity (land use) of the agricultural land. One-quarter of the agricultural area of peat soils was intensively cultivated with annual crops and the remaining area was extensively used, dominated by managed grasslands and pastures. There was great variation in cultivation intensity between areas, from 50% annual crops down to 10%. The gyttja soils were in general more intensively cultivated than the peat soils. The improved estimates of acreage and cultivation intensity of agricultural peat soils were used to calculate annual greenhouse gas emissions from subsidence data. The total carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions from Swedish agricultural peat soils in 2003 were estimated to be between 3100 Gg CO 2 and 4600 Gg CO 2, which is similar to or lower than previously reported values. Emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2O) were estimated at 3.2 Gg N 2O in 2003. Estimated combined total emissions of CO 2 and N 2O from agricultural peat soils in Sweden in 2003 amounted to 4000–5600 Gg CO 2-equivalents, which corresponds to approximately 6–8% of the total emissions of all greenhouse gases reported by Sweden (excluding the sink for land use, land use change and forestry — LULUCF). Agricultural peat soils represent a minor fraction of the agricultural land in Sweden but still have a significant effect on total national greenhouse gas emissions.

Optimal Land-Use Management for Surface Source Water Protection Under Uncertainty: A Case Study of Songhuaba Watershed (Southwestern China)

The water supply to Chinese cities is increasingly degrading from pollution due to watershed activities. Consequently, water source protection requires urgent action using optimal land-use management efforts. An inexact linear programming model for optimal land-use management of surface water source area was developed. The model was proposed to balance the economic benefits of land-use development and water source protection. The maximum net economic benefit (NEB) was chosen as the objective of land-use management. The total environmental capacity (TEC) of rivers and the minimum water supply (MWS) were considered key constraints. Other constraints included forest coverage, government requirements concerning the proportions of various land-use types, soil loss, slope lands, and technical constraints. A case study was conducted for the Songhuaba Watershed, a reservoir supplying water to Kunming City, the third largest city in southwestern China. A 15-year (2006 to 2020) optimal model for land-use management was developed to better protect this water source and to gain maximum benefits from development. Ten constraints were involved in the optimal model, and results indicated that NEB ranged between 893 and 1,459 million US$. The proposed model will allow local authorities to better understand and address complex land-use systems and to develop optimal land-use management strategies for balancing source water protection and local economic development.

The Soil-Land use System in a Sand Spit Area in the Semi-Arid Coastal Savanna Region of Ghana – Development, Sustainability and Threats

The development and sustainability of a horticultural system at the Keta sand spit in south-eastern Ghana is described and discussed. The main crop is shallot grown on pure sandy soils in a semi-arid climate. It is a cash crop system highly dependent on a substantial input of manure and irrigation water from a shallow aquifer. The investigation comprises soil profile descriptions and analyses on the dominant soil type on the sand spit, measurement of electrical conductivity of well water and in the soil, crop experiments and interviews of farmers for local knowledge. The findings show that the farmers have developed a very intensive horticulture system on soils with low nutrient contents and low water holding capacity, and in a climate with a long drought period and a short period of about 3 months where percolation takes place recharging the fresh water lens. West African Journal of Applied Ecology Vol. 13 2008: pp. 132-143

State and sustainability of grasslands and their soils established in the Atlantic-Montane zone of Hungary

The original soil type of both examined areas was Luvisol, originally covered by forests. Soils undergone extreme changes in the Bukk Mountains, following the forest cuttings, in most of the area lacking the humic layer. The area of thinner soils and sediment areas increased. In the Putnok Hills area the reason of relatively low erosion rate originates in soil texture (clay-clayey loam) and land use (household crop cultivation by hand tools, frequent monitoring of the area and dense grass vegetation). After erosive rainfall events surface is smoothed soon, therefore erosion cannot develop any further on the arable control area. The other reason for slower erosion is the shorter slope and a relatively long non-erosive plateau above the arable land, covered by alfalfa.

Implications of soil substrate and land use for properties of fen soils in North-East Germany Part II: Aspects of structure in the peat soil landscape

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of peat soil substrate governed by the hydrological type of mire, land use and state of anthropogenic changes on the fen soil structure in terms of the water retention curve, soil aggregates and topsoil strength. Our hypothesis was that morphological parameters of the peat soil landscape, like peat thickness and water table, are correlated with functional parameters of internal soil structure like water retention or cone resistance. These parameters were measured along several transects in fens of the Rhin-Havelluch and the Uckermark region. Results confirmed our hypothesis. The peat thickness was cross-correlated with the state of anthropogenic soil changes and soil structure. The type of land use (grassland, forest) had significant implications for the moisture status and structure in terms of density, strength, pore size distribution and aggregate sizes of topsoils.

Implications of soil substrate and land use for properties of fen soils in North-East Germany Part I: Basic soil conditions, chemical and biological properties of topsoils

The objective of the paper was to analyse the implications of the origin of peat (muck) soil substrate, the current type of land use and the state of anthropogenic soil development for the topsoil properties of fens. Chemical and biological properties of peat soils of the Rhin-Havelluch lowland and the Uckermark rural landscape were analyzed. The unit water content according to Ohde and the ash content were utilized to characterize the anthropogenic development status of peat topsoils. Several chemical properties were significantly influenced by soil substrate, in particular by the proportion and kind of the mineral component. The substrate was associated with the hydrological type of mire and the soil development state. TOC/N ratio and microbial activity were increased in cases of high lime spring mires and moorshified low ash peat. The proportion of easily soluble organic carbon increased, whereas the sulphur content decreased with the soil development state. The nitrogen content and the proportions of oxalate soluble iron and aluminium reached maxima in the moorshified state. The type of land use (grassland, forest) significantly influenced the topsoil pH and the proportion of oxalate soluble phosphorus. Soils under forest were clearly determined by topsoil acidification.

Implications of soil substrate and land use for properties of fen soils in North-East Germany Part III: Soil quality for grassland use

The aim of the study was to analyse aspects of fen soil quality for grassland use with regard to the different topsoil structure and their status of earthification/moorshification (degradation). Fifty fens of different origin, structural status and land use intensity were sampled, analysed and scored by different methods: Visual Soil Assessment, Peerlkamp test and Muencheberg Soil Quality Rating. Suitable soil structure scores were found at different land use intensities with the exception of stock tracks on pastures. These had lower water and air permeability and lower soil strength. Highest visual scores of macrostructure were found where the water table was deeper; while highest overall soil quality scores occurred where the water table was optimum. The accelerated status of moorshification had no effect on the soil quality scores and on the crop yield. At lower levels of soil development (earthification) the crop yield was slightly lower due to higher proportions of inedible plants. It may be concluded that degraded peat soils will have no loss of soil quality and have relatively high soil quality for grassland use if the water table can be managed in a suitable range and the sward quality is maintained.

Influence of regional-scale soil heterogeneity and land use on water discharge formation in the “Stettiner Haff” catchment in North-East Germany

The influence of regional soil distribution and land use on discharge formation in the “Stettiner Haff” catchment (8,456 km2) was investigated. The model ABIMO was used to calculate mean discharge for a long period (1961 – 1990) in consideration of regional differences in hydrological site conditions and soil heterogeneity. The highest discharge was found on settlement areas (276 mm a−1), on devastated plots (319 mm a−1) and on the non-hydromorphic agriculturally used sandy soils (214 mm a−1). Due to their small size these sub-areas were found to influence regional discharge for a limited extent only. On loam and clay soils only about 100 mm a−1 of discharge was formed. However, this share proved to be most important for the height of regional discharge because of the high area proportion in the region. Mineral soils of comparable parent material produce lower discharge under hydromorphic conditions than under non-hydromorphic conditions. With increasing clay content of the soils these differences decreased. The agriculturally used areas were found to be most important for the region's water discharge. They accounted for 83% of the discharge, i.e. they originated 119 mm a−1 on average. At forest sites, the discharge height was about 52 mm a−1. Sites close to groundwater table (groundwater level <1 m) proved to act as depletive areas.

Effect of land use on group and fractional composition of humus in rendzina soils in Serbia

The effect of land use on group and fractional composition of humus was examined in 13 rendzina profiles under forests, 12 profiles under grassland and 8 profiles under arable fields in different parts of Serbia where rendzinas are typically found. The difference regarding land use of rendzina soils (depending on cultural practices or absence of any, and different amounts and quality of plant residues) under forest, grassland or arable fields had a highly significant statistical effect on humus group composition and the fractional composition of humic and fulvic acids. Human activities have brought about some positive changes regarding humus composition by promoting its stable component in rendzinas under grassland and arable fields, which is not the case in forest rendzina. The conversion of forests into grasslands and arable fields did not significantly affect the type of humus in rendzina soils, which remained characteristic of that soil type.

Examining spatio-temporal relationships of landuse change, population growth and water quality in the SWFWMD

There are many pressures on Florida's water resources. Industrial, agricultural and urban development over the years has impacted water quality adversely. Deterioration of groundwater quality, a major source of fresh water, is a major concern for long–term sustainable growth. The study area, Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) of Florida contains one of the nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas. Although landuse changes as a result of population growth is inevitable, it is not too late to try to understand the relationship among landuse change, population growth and environmental dynamics. A thorough understanding of the population growth, landuse change and environmental dynamics is necessary for managing the urban sprawl with minimal environmental impact viz. their impact on water quality and quantity. The objectives of this study were: to explore if there is a spatial relationship exists among NO3 and Bromacil contamination and critical physical/environmental variables and 2) to create a dataset that will be the basis for future study. This was accomplished by studying landuse (1988 and 1999), population (1990s and 2000s), soils, groundwater quality data (1990 and 2000), Floridan Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment (FAVA) and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). Preliminary results show that contaminated wells were associated with urban and agricultural landuse and sandy soils with high permeability. No significant relationship between population and groundwater quality exists for NO3 and Bromacil contaminated wells.

Losses of glomalin-related soil protein under prolonged arable cropping: A chronosequence study in sandy soils of the South African Highveld

Residues of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may be important for agroecosystem functioning due to their ability to promote soil aggregation, especially in coarse textured soils with little biomass input and low capacity to conserve soil organic matter (SOM). Our aim was to assess the fate of AMF residues with prolonged arable cropping in coarse textured soils in a subtropical savannah assuming that glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP), especially the MAb32B11-immunoreactive fraction, mainly constitutes material of AMF origin. In three agroecosystems on the South African Highveld, surface soils were sampled. The former grassland soils had a history of up to 98 yr of cropping. We measured four GRSP fractions: Bradford-reactive soil protein (BRSP) and immunoreactive soil protein (IRSP), and easily extractable fractions of both. The primary grassland sites exhibited generally low contents of SOM and low GRSP contents. Prolonged arable land use of former grassland soils reduced the content of GRSP further. The decline could be described with a mono-exponential function with rate constants ranging from 0.04 to 0.41 yr −1. Depending on the GRSP fraction, steady-state conditions were reached after 11–92 yr on a level of 39–69% of the initial contents. We conclude that even though GRSP fractions had the same hypothesized origin, they comprised pools with different stability or replacement rate. Easily extractable IRSP was lost most rapidly. In contrast to carbon, nitrogen and microbial residue dynamics, GRSP contents were not reduced below a certain steady-state level, despite potentially negative management effects on AMF, such as tillage, inclusion of fallows into crop rotation and fertilization with inorganic phosphorus. The steady-state GRSP contents coincided with low, but steady agroecosystem yields under the given cropping management.

Towards optimum sampling for regional-scale N2O emission monitoring in Canada

There is an increasing need for field monitoring studies of N2O emissions to assess the reliability of process models. Our goal is to review the issues surrounding the design of monitoring and regional upscaling of fieldmeasured N2O emissions for Canadian conditions. Management history creates a range of controlling conditions and emission responses for each land use present in the study region and multiple fields should be sampled within each land use class. The requirement for multiple sample fields necessitates chamber-based sampling designs (ideally in conjunction with site-specific micrometeorological measurements). Uniformly minimum variance unbiased (UMVU) estimators have been recommended for estimation of the mean and variance of the sample distributions, but use of these estimators is limited where zero or negative values occur. Three basic annual emission patterns are observed across a range of N2O studies: background, seasonal, and event + seasonal. The event + seasonal pattern (where short duration, high emission events are superimposed on an underlying seasonal pattern) is common in Canadian agroecosystems. Background and seasonal annual patterns can be effectively captured with biweekly or even triweekly samplings. For the event + seasonal patterns more frequent samplings at periods when emission are believed to be higher (e.g., snow melt or post-fertilization events) are required. Linear interpolation of emissions between the sporadic measurements is the simplest and most reproducible method of temporal interpolation. Spatial extrapolation of the measured emissions is typically done by a measure and multiply approach, where the measured emissions for a given class are multiplied by the area of the class. The methods used to define the soil wetness, land use, and management classes should be clearly defined and consistently applied. The lack of information on the duration and magnitude of event-based emissions and the diurnal pattern of emissions is a major limitation to temporal interpolation. Key words: Greenhouse gas, upscaling, geographical information systems, landscape