Towards estimates of future rainfall erosivity in Europe based on REDES and WorldClim datasets

Panagos, Panos; Ballabio, Cristiano; Meusburger, Katrin; Spinoni, Jonathan; Alewell, Christine; Borrelli, Pasquale

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.03.006

Cited by 151 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Generally, predictions on soil erosion changes in the future are mainly dependent on modeling future rainfall erosivity (R-factor). R-factor is an average index that measures rainfall kinetic energy and intensity describing the effect of rainfall on sheet and rill erosion [43]. As discussed by many authors, a possible increase of precipitation intensity will bring to enhance the erosive power of rainfall.…”

Section: Climate Change Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As discussed by many authors, a possible increase of precipitation intensity will bring to enhance the erosive power of rainfall. In this context, Panagos et al [43] estimated the expected change in R-factors and its impact on soil erosion in Europe during the first half of the 21st century based on the IPCC climate change scenarios (according to the Representative Concentration Pathway of 4.5 (RCP4.5)) [30]. This study focused on the R-factor changes without considering the impact of climate change on vegetation cover.…”

Section: Climate Change Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study focused on the R-factor changes without considering the impact of climate change on vegetation cover. Compared to previous studies, Panagos et al [43] used as inputs the high-temporal-resolution Rainfall Erosivity Database at European Scale (REDES) and climatic data derived from the WorldClim database, which is set on global climate grids with a spatial resolution of about 1 km 2 . The temporal scale considered by these authors was more than half a century.…”

Section: Climate Change Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The erosive power of rainfall can be expected to change with increase of precipitation intensity [13,43,86,87]. Consequently, the increased erosion rates can elevate the sediment delivery from The PCA analyses also allowed finding relationships between physical-chemical characters of sediments (fine fraction < 2 mm, TOC, sedimentation rate and percent sedimentation) and morphometric features of reservoirs (altitude, surface area, maximum depth and volume) (Figure 3).…”

Section: Potential Effects Of Climate Change On Sediment Quality In Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Potential Effects Of Climate Change On Sediment Quality In Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate Change Impacts on Sediment Quality of Subalpine Reservoirs: Implications on Management

Marziali

Tartari

Salerno

et al. 2017

Water

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Abstract:Reservoirs are characterized by accumulation of sediments where micropollutants may concentrate, with potential toxic effects on downstream river ecosystems. However, sediment management such as flushing is needed to maintain storage capacity. Climate change is expected to increase sediment loads, but potential effects on their quality are scarcely known. In this context, sediment contamination by trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and organics (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons PAHs, Polychlorinated Biphenyls PCBs and C > 12 hydrocarbons) was analyzed in 20 reservoirs located in Italian Central Alps. A strong As and a moderate Cd, Hg and Pb enrichment was emphasized by I geo , with potential ecotoxicological risk according to Probable Effect Concentration quotients. Sedimentation rate, granulometry, total organic carbon (TOC) and altitude resulted as the main drivers governing pollutant concentrations in sediments. According to climate change models, expected increase of rainfall erosivity will enhance soil erosion and consequently the sediment flow to reservoirs, potentially increasing coarse grain fractions and thus potentially diluting pollutants. Conversely, increased weathering may enhance metal fluxes to reservoirs. Increased vegetation cover will potentially result in higher TOC concentrations, which may contrast contaminant bioavailability and thus toxicity. Our results may provide elements for a proper management of contaminated sediments in a climate change scenario aiming at preserving water quality and ecosystem functioning.

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Section: Climate Change Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Climate Change Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Climate Change Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Potential Effects Of Climate Change On Sediment Quality In Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Potential Effects Of Climate Change On Sediment Quality In Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Climate Change Impacts on Sediment Quality of Subalpine Reservoirs: Implications on Management

Marziali

Tartari

Salerno

et al. 2017

Water

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Soil erosion in the Anthropocene: Research needs

Poesen

2017

Earth Surf Processes Landf

540

272

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Soil erosion is a geomorphological and, at the same time, a land degradation process that may cause environmental and property damage, loss of livelihoods and services as well as social and economic disruption. Erosion not only lowers soil quality on-site, but causes also significant sediment-related problems off-site. Given the large number of research papers on this topic, one might therefore conclude that we know now almost everything about soil erosion and its control so that little new knowledge can be added. This conclusion can be refuted by pointing to some major research gaps. There is a need for more research attention to (1) improved understanding of both natural and anthropogenic soil erosion processes and their interactions, (2) scaling up soil erosion processes and rates in space and time, and (3) innovative techniques and strategies to prevent soil erosion or reduce erosion rates. This is illustrated with various case studies from around the world. If future research addresses these research gaps, we will (1) better understand processes and their interactions operating at a range of spatial and temporal scales, predict their rates as well as their onsite and off-site impacts, which is academically spoken rewarding but also crucial for better targeting erosion control measures, and (2) we will be in a better position to select the most appropriate and effective soil erosion control techniques and strategies which are highly necessary for a sustainable use of soils in the Anthropocene.

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Cost of agricultural productivity loss due to soil erosion in the European Union: From direct cost evaluation approaches to the use of macroeconomic models

et al. 2018

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Much research has been carried out on modelling soil erosion rates under different climatic and land use conditions. Although some studies have addressed the issue of reduced crop productivity due to soil erosion, few have focused on the economic loss in terms of agricultural production and gross domestic product (GDP). In this study, soil erosion modellers and economists come together to carry out an economic evaluation of soil erosion in the European Union (EU). The study combines biophysical and macroeconomic models to estimate the cost of agricultural productivity loss due to soil erosion by water in the EU. The soil erosion rates, derived from the RUSLE2015 model, are used to estimate the loss in crop productivity (physical change in the production of plants) and to model their impact on the agricultural sector per country. A computable general equilibrium model is then used to estimate the impact of crop productivity change on agricultural production and GDP. The 12 million hectares of agricultural areas in the EU that suffer from severe erosion are estimated to lose around 0.43% of their crop productivity annually. The annual cost of this loss in agricultural productivity is estimated at around €1.25 billion. The computable general equilibrium model estimates the cost in the agricultural sector to be close to €300 million and the loss in GDP to be about €155 million. Italy emerges as the country that suffers the highest economic impact, whereas the agricultural sector in most Northern and Central European countries is only marginally affected by soil erosion losses. Soil erosion is the biggest threat to soil fertility and productivity, as it removes organic matter and important nutrients and prevents vegetation growth, which negatively affects overall biodiversity (Scherr, 2000). In particular, soil erosion changes the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of soil, which leads to a drop in potential agricultural productivity and gives rise to concerns about food security, especially in the context of a growing world population (Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], 2015a;Graves et al., 2015;Pimentel, 2006). ----------------------------------------------------------------This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Towards estimates of future rainfall erosivity in Europe based on REDES and WorldClim datasets

Abstract: Graphical abstract

Cited by 151 publications

References 59 publications

Climate Change Impacts on Sediment Quality of Subalpine Reservoirs: Implications on Management

Climate Change Impacts on Sediment Quality of Subalpine Reservoirs: Implications on Management

Soil erosion in the Anthropocene: Research needs

Cost of agricultural productivity loss due to soil erosion in the European Union: From direct cost evaluation approaches to the use of macroeconomic models

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