Mediterranean valleys revisited: Linking soil erosion, land use and climate variability in the Northern Levant

Casana, Jesse

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2007.04.031

Cited by 82 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(50 reference statements)

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“…Analysis of such sediments revealed the presence of pottery and other archaeological remains, which indicates that infilling (and erosion on the hillslopes) occurred in relatively recent times, and suggests the interaction of Holocene climate fluctuations with human activity. Peña et al (1995Peña et al ( , 2000Gutiérrez-Elorza and Peña-Monné, 1998;Harvey and Gutiérrez-Elorza, 2005;Casana, 2008;Constante et al, 2010). However, some authors have suggested the importance of the geomorphological effects of the Little Ice Age (Vita Finzi, 1969;Grove, 2001).…”

Section: Soil Erosion and Landscape Transformation: Short-term And Lomentioning

confidence: 99%

Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: Changes and future challenges

et al. 2013

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Intense erosion processes are widespread in the Mediterranean region, and include sheet wash erosion, rilling, gullying, shallow landsliding, and the development of large and active badlands in both subhumid and semi-arid areas. This review analyses the main environmental and human features related to soil erosion processes, and the main factors that explain the extreme variability of factors influencing soil erosion, particularly recent land use changes. The importance of erosion in the Mediterranean is related to the long history of human activity in a region characterized by low levels of annual precipitation, the occurrence of intense rainstorms and long-lasting droughts, high evapotranspiration, the presence of steep slopes and the occurrence of recent tectonic activity, together with the recurrent use of fire, overgrazing and farming. These factors have resulted in a complex landscape in which intensification and abandonment, wealth and poverty can co-exist. The changing conditions of national and international markets and the evolution of population pressure are now the main drivers explaining land use changes, including farmland abandonment in mountain areas, the expansion of some subsidized crops to marginal lands, and the development of new terraces affected by landslides and intense soil erosion during extreme rainstorm events. The occurrence of human-related forest fires affecting thousands of hectares each year is an increasing problem in both the northern and southern areas of the Mediterranean basin. Here, we highlight the rise of new scientific challenges in controlling the negative consequences of soil erosion in the Mediterranean region: (i) to reduce the effects and extent of forest fires, and restructure the spatial organization of abandoned landscapes; (ii) to provide guidance for making EU agricultural policy more adapted to the complexity and fragility of Mediterranean environments; (iii) to develop field methods and models to improve the identification of runoff and sediment contributing areas; (iv) to contribute to the conservation of landscapes (i.e. bench-terraced fields) having high cultural and productivity values; (v) to improve knowledge of the hydrological and geomorphological functioning of badlands, with the aim of reducing sediment yield and accessibility; (vi) to better understand the effect of climate change on soil erosion in the Mediterranean region; and (vii) to improve quantitative information on long-term soil erosion. COVER LETTER

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Section: Soil Erosion and Landscape Transformation: Short-term And Lomentioning

confidence: 99%

Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: Changes and future challenges

et al. 2013

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“…A fundamental role in settlement distribution was probably associated with drainage network evolution and alluvial plain aggradation, as stated by classical authors (Strabo and Ptolemy), and later by Ramsay [38] and Russel [39], and currently by evidence in other areas of the Mediterranean [16,[20][21][22][25][26][27][28][29]40,41]. The mutations in the drainage network of the Ceyhan River plain are documented by old maps, and by old channel traces highlighted by means of remote-sensing analysis [42].…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 81%

“…In particular, the Mediterranean alluvial plains, where an enduring synergic relationship occurs among landscape, ancient cultures and society evolution [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29], may represent critical areas for investigation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of Leveled Archeological Mounds (Höyük) in the Alluvial Plain of the Ceyhan River (Southern Turkey) by Satellite Remote-Sensing Analyses

et al. 2018

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Abstract:The alluvial plain of the Ceyhan River (SE Turkey) has been populated since the Neolithic. In 1954, Marjory Veronica Seton-Williams described for this area several archeological mounds (höyük), which are the remains of ancient settlements. Today, according to the archeological research carried out in the area, some of these mounds result to have been leveled by agricultural activities. In this work, we identified many color anomalies by low-cost remote-sensing analyses of satellite images. We checked the nature of these anomalies in a dedicated survey and we found a good correspondence between color anomalies and archeological remains consistent with leveled höyük. We compared the grain size and chemical characteristics of the soil collected inside the color anomalies with the soil collected in other areas of the alluvial plain. We found irrelevant differences in grain-size characteristics, but a higher content of CaCO 3 in soils collected inside the anomalies with respect to those collected outside. Therefore, the content of CaCO 3 could be considered the feature that makes the color anomalies visible. The reason for this higher content of CaCO 3 is related to the anthropogenic material used in the different phases of höyük growth. This work suggests a low-cost analysis useful for rapid identification and preservation of archeological information on the history of Mediterranean settlement.

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“…The geological framework of Crete has been studied thoroughly [16][17][18] and soil development appears mainly in limestones, ultramafic rocks, calcareous marls, metamorphic rocks (phyllites-quartzites), and alluvial sediments. Moreover, Crete exhibits a semiarid 2 Applied and Environmental Soil Science Mediterranean climate (long hot-summers [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] ∘ C) which remained unchanged the last 20 Ma (late Miocene-early Pliocene till present) [19]. Thus, soils appear relatively fragile with low organic content, sparse vegetation, and being prone to desertification [20,21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Crete will also be affected by climate change and represents an area of high desertification risk. Although many studies on the soil degradation have been published for Mediterranean countries, very few are reporting the current state of uncultivated and undisturbed soils [28][29][30]. The reason behind it is that very few places in Europe are still intact of manmade activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical and Physical Characteristics in Uncultivated Soils with Different Lithology in Semiarid Mediterranean Clima

Moraetis

Lydakis-Simantiris

Pentari

et al. 2016

Applied and Environmental Soil Science

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The aim of this study is to identify the chemical and physical characteristics in uncultivated soils derived from different parent materials under semiarid Mediterranean climatic conditions which favoured the formation of fragile soils. The current work is of great interest in the agriculture and environmental stakeholders for providing a "benchmark" of undisturbed soil quality regarding organic content and nutrients availability. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used as the primary tool to demonstrate the soil quality stage, regarding nutrient availability. The statistical analysis revealed that one of the major physicochemical characteristics such as cation exchange capacity (CEC) is controlled exclusively from mineralogy and not from organic matter. Mineralogy and bulk chemical analysis is directly related to soil parent material lithology. The availability of inorganic nutrients (macro-and micronutrients) is low and relatively identical to most of the soils. PCA shows the unusual correlation of K + with not only illite content but also the OM in soils. The development of soils which are already of low quality in respect of organic content and nutrients is evident in Crete in most of the 54 samples investigated.

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Mediterranean valleys revisited: Linking soil erosion, land use and climate variability in the Northern Levant

Cited by 82 publications

References 49 publications

Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: Changes and future challenges

Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: Changes and future challenges

Identification of Leveled Archeological Mounds (Höyük) in the Alluvial Plain of the Ceyhan River (Southern Turkey) by Satellite Remote-Sensing Analyses

Chemical and Physical Characteristics in Uncultivated Soils with Different Lithology in Semiarid Mediterranean Clima

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