Periodic Reporting for period 1 - iMPACt-erosion (Robust and accessible modelling for an effective management of agricultural soil erosion in Europe)
Période du rapport: 2023-02-01 au 2025-11-30
Soil erosion modelling can help define efficient and targeted mitigation strategies by identifying the long-term controlling factors and the areas where, and periods during which, soil is at high risk of erosion. However, to define such strategies, there remains a lack of modelling approaches a) able to provide with longer term baseline information which to measure the success or otherwise of mitigation strategies at the catchment scale and b) accessible and robust enough to be used, understood, and trusted by users with more or less expertise, including researchers, land managers and policy makers. In response, this project will improve the robustness and accessibility of quantitative methods for supporting agricultural land management. For this purpose, we will develop a parsimonious soil erosion modelling toolbox, iMPACt-erosion, to support agricultural land management in Europe at the catchment scale. The development philosophy will be based on three principles: robustness, transparency, and accessibility. For a robust model evaluation, model simulations will be compared to multi-decadal soil loss estimations estimated from fallout radionuclides and tree mound measurements. The toolbox and its code will be easy to read and understand by users with more or less expertise. The modelingl accessibility will be achieved by using interactive Jupyter Notebooks (jupyter.org) a modelling environment that combines executable code, rich media and interactive visualization of data and model results. This translates into a more fluent conversation between the user and the model and an easier exploration of the model results and the impact of possible agricultural management scenarios.
Objectives:
- to develop an accessible and transparent soil erosion modellling toolbox, iMPACt-erosion, to support agricultural land management in Europe at the catchment scale.
- to achieve greater confidence in modelling predictions by creating a robust evaluation framework both in terms of model behaviour, i.e. whether the ‘right’ parameters control the model response, and in simulating observed past changes and their corresponding measured/estimated erosion impacts over time scales that encompass at least several decades.
- to identify soil erosion controlling processes and vulnerable areas and periods to define targeted and effective mitigation strategies until 2100.
Objectives:
- to develop an accessible and transparent soil erosion modellling toolbox, iMPACt-erosion, to support agricultural land management in Europe at the catchment scale.
- to achieve greater confidence in modelling predictions by creating a robust evaluation framework both in terms of model behaviour, i.e. whether the ‘right’ parameters control the model response, and in simulating observed past changes and their corresponding measured/estimated erosion impacts over time scales that encompass at least several decades.
- to identify soil erosion controlling processes and vulnerable areas and periods to define targeted and effective mitigation strategies until 2100.
1. Literature review on soil erosion in Mediterranean olive orchards to develop a better understanding the most influential factors driving surface runoff and soil loss. 50 published studies were systematically analysed and cathegorised according to measurement methodology and spatial scale
2. Development of soil erosion modelling toolbox, iMPACT-erosion and its website (impact-erosion.github.io). iMPACT-erosion offers a comprehensive set of interactive Jupyter Notebooks and Python functions that guide users through the entire hydrological + soil erosion modelling process. These resources are organized into three stages: Start, Test and Explore. Additionally, development of tools to optimize the soil sampling process and to spatially interpolate and map the results of the sampled locations
3. Evaluation and comparison of two methods to estimate long-term (multi-decadal) soil loss rates: fallout radionuclides (FRN) and tree mound measurements.
- over 100 soil samples were sampled in two olive orchard catchments in South Spain and analysed to estimate their Pu isotope concentration to estimate the soil loss rate since the fallout peak period (early 1960s)
- over 100 olive tree mound measurements were taken and transformed into soil loss rates since the tree planting year
- aerial photographs from different years were analysed to estimate the age of the studied olive trees
2. Development of soil erosion modelling toolbox, iMPACT-erosion and its website (impact-erosion.github.io). iMPACT-erosion offers a comprehensive set of interactive Jupyter Notebooks and Python functions that guide users through the entire hydrological + soil erosion modelling process. These resources are organized into three stages: Start, Test and Explore. Additionally, development of tools to optimize the soil sampling process and to spatially interpolate and map the results of the sampled locations
3. Evaluation and comparison of two methods to estimate long-term (multi-decadal) soil loss rates: fallout radionuclides (FRN) and tree mound measurements.
- over 100 soil samples were sampled in two olive orchard catchments in South Spain and analysed to estimate their Pu isotope concentration to estimate the soil loss rate since the fallout peak period (early 1960s)
- over 100 olive tree mound measurements were taken and transformed into soil loss rates since the tree planting year
- aerial photographs from different years were analysed to estimate the age of the studied olive trees
1. Literature review on soil erosion in Mediterranean olive orchards:
- we have discerned clearer patterns and trends that are often obscured by the overall heterogeneity of the published data. The results demostrate that reported rates are highly dependent on the measurement methodology.
- for different soil loss estimation methodologies we have obtained avergage values that can be used to evaluate soil erosion models
- we have identified the most influential factors influential soil loss in Mediterranean olive orchards, in particular the effect of vegetation cover
2. Development of soil erosion modelling toolbox, iMPACT-erosion:
- this toolbox is open-source and can be run instantly in a web browser, with no software installation required
- democratise soil erosion modelling by fostering a more educational, playful and exploratory experience
- it adopts a learn-by-doing approach, allowing users of varying modeling expertise – from novices to experts – to get familiar with soil erosion modeling concepts and procedures simply by interacting with modelling tools.
- these characteristics facilitate the communication and understanding of technical modelling concepts
3. Evaluation and comparison of two methods to estimate long-term (multi-decadal) soil loss rates: fallout radionuclides (FRN) and tree mound measurements
- in the literature, these methods are usually applied in isolation obtaining soil loss estimates that are unvalidated and uncertain
- in this study we apply a dual-method or the direct comparison of two methodologies to reveal opportunities but also systematic biases and uncertainties that may not be apparent when methods are applied in isolation
- our findings highlight the critical influence of land management (e.g. tillage) and methodological assumptions (e.g. Pu reference site location and identification of the original soil surface using tree mound measurements) on erosion estimates.
- we demostrate that these methods show physical coherence, in particular FRN and that they can be valuable tools to identify areas of higher soil erosion risk.
- achieving accurate average soil loss rates requires minimizing methodological uncertainties. In this study we provide with guidance to reduce these uncertainties
- further research is clearly needed to standardize the identification of the original soil surface from tree mounds
- we have discerned clearer patterns and trends that are often obscured by the overall heterogeneity of the published data. The results demostrate that reported rates are highly dependent on the measurement methodology.
- for different soil loss estimation methodologies we have obtained avergage values that can be used to evaluate soil erosion models
- we have identified the most influential factors influential soil loss in Mediterranean olive orchards, in particular the effect of vegetation cover
2. Development of soil erosion modelling toolbox, iMPACT-erosion:
- this toolbox is open-source and can be run instantly in a web browser, with no software installation required
- democratise soil erosion modelling by fostering a more educational, playful and exploratory experience
- it adopts a learn-by-doing approach, allowing users of varying modeling expertise – from novices to experts – to get familiar with soil erosion modeling concepts and procedures simply by interacting with modelling tools.
- these characteristics facilitate the communication and understanding of technical modelling concepts
3. Evaluation and comparison of two methods to estimate long-term (multi-decadal) soil loss rates: fallout radionuclides (FRN) and tree mound measurements
- in the literature, these methods are usually applied in isolation obtaining soil loss estimates that are unvalidated and uncertain
- in this study we apply a dual-method or the direct comparison of two methodologies to reveal opportunities but also systematic biases and uncertainties that may not be apparent when methods are applied in isolation
- our findings highlight the critical influence of land management (e.g. tillage) and methodological assumptions (e.g. Pu reference site location and identification of the original soil surface using tree mound measurements) on erosion estimates.
- we demostrate that these methods show physical coherence, in particular FRN and that they can be valuable tools to identify areas of higher soil erosion risk.
- achieving accurate average soil loss rates requires minimizing methodological uncertainties. In this study we provide with guidance to reduce these uncertainties
- further research is clearly needed to standardize the identification of the original soil surface from tree mounds