Environmental drivers of dynamic soil erosion change in a Mediterranean fluvial landscape
<h4>Background</h4> Rainfall and other climatic agents are the main triggers of soil erosion in the Mediterranean region, where they have the potential to increase discharge and sediment transport and cause long-term changes in the river system. For the Magra River Basin (MRB), located i...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8782323/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1798024833680801792 |
|---|---|
| author | Nazzareno Diodato Francesco Fiorillo Massimo Rinaldi Gianni Bellocchi |
| author_facet | Nazzareno Diodato Francesco Fiorillo Massimo Rinaldi Gianni Bellocchi |
| author_sort | Nazzareno Diodato |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4> Rainfall and other climatic agents are the main triggers of soil erosion in the Mediterranean region, where they have the potential to increase discharge and sediment transport and cause long-term changes in the river system. For the Magra River Basin (MRB), located in the upper Tyrrhenian coast of Italy, we estimated changes in net erosion as a function of the geographical characteristics of the basin, the seasonal distribution of precipitation, and the vegetation cover. <h4>Methods and findings</h4> Based on rainfall erosivity and surface flow and transport sub-models, we developed a simplified model to assess basin-wide sediment yields on a monthly basis by upscaling the point rainfall input. Our calibration dataset of monthly data (Mg km-2 month-1, available for the years 1961 and 1963–1969) revealed that our model satisfactorily reproduces the net soil erosion in the study area (R2 = 0.81). For the period 1950–2020, the reconstruction of an annually aggregated time-series of monthly net erosion data (297 Mg km-2 yr-1 on average) indicated a moderate decline in sediment yield after 1999. This is part of a long-term downward trend, which highlights the role played by land-use changes and reforestation of the mountainous areas of the basin. <h4>Conclusion</h4> This study shows the environmental history and dynamics of the basin, and thus the varying sensitivity of hydrological processes and their perturbations. Relying on a few climatic variables as reported from a single representative basin location, it provides an interpretation of empirically determined factors that shape active erosional landscapes. In particular, we showed that the most recent extreme storms associated with sediment yield have been characterised by lower cumulative rainfall, indicating a greater propensity for the basin to produce sediment more discontinuously over time. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:09:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dd3d359d23354d1c98745fd92f002f22 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:09:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-dd3d359d23354d1c98745fd92f002f222022-12-22T04:10:13ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01171Environmental drivers of dynamic soil erosion change in a Mediterranean fluvial landscapeNazzareno DiodatoFrancesco FiorilloMassimo RinaldiGianni Bellocchi<h4>Background</h4> Rainfall and other climatic agents are the main triggers of soil erosion in the Mediterranean region, where they have the potential to increase discharge and sediment transport and cause long-term changes in the river system. For the Magra River Basin (MRB), located in the upper Tyrrhenian coast of Italy, we estimated changes in net erosion as a function of the geographical characteristics of the basin, the seasonal distribution of precipitation, and the vegetation cover. <h4>Methods and findings</h4> Based on rainfall erosivity and surface flow and transport sub-models, we developed a simplified model to assess basin-wide sediment yields on a monthly basis by upscaling the point rainfall input. Our calibration dataset of monthly data (Mg km-2 month-1, available for the years 1961 and 1963–1969) revealed that our model satisfactorily reproduces the net soil erosion in the study area (R2 = 0.81). For the period 1950–2020, the reconstruction of an annually aggregated time-series of monthly net erosion data (297 Mg km-2 yr-1 on average) indicated a moderate decline in sediment yield after 1999. This is part of a long-term downward trend, which highlights the role played by land-use changes and reforestation of the mountainous areas of the basin. <h4>Conclusion</h4> This study shows the environmental history and dynamics of the basin, and thus the varying sensitivity of hydrological processes and their perturbations. Relying on a few climatic variables as reported from a single representative basin location, it provides an interpretation of empirically determined factors that shape active erosional landscapes. In particular, we showed that the most recent extreme storms associated with sediment yield have been characterised by lower cumulative rainfall, indicating a greater propensity for the basin to produce sediment more discontinuously over time.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8782323/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | Nazzareno Diodato Francesco Fiorillo Massimo Rinaldi Gianni Bellocchi Environmental drivers of dynamic soil erosion change in a Mediterranean fluvial landscape PLoS ONE |
| title | Environmental drivers of dynamic soil erosion change in a Mediterranean fluvial landscape |
| title_full | Environmental drivers of dynamic soil erosion change in a Mediterranean fluvial landscape |
| title_fullStr | Environmental drivers of dynamic soil erosion change in a Mediterranean fluvial landscape |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental drivers of dynamic soil erosion change in a Mediterranean fluvial landscape |
| title_short | Environmental drivers of dynamic soil erosion change in a Mediterranean fluvial landscape |
| title_sort | environmental drivers of dynamic soil erosion change in a mediterranean fluvial landscape |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8782323/?tool=EBI |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nazzarenodiodato environmentaldriversofdynamicsoilerosionchangeinamediterraneanfluviallandscape AT francescofiorillo environmentaldriversofdynamicsoilerosionchangeinamediterraneanfluviallandscape AT massimorinaldi environmentaldriversofdynamicsoilerosionchangeinamediterraneanfluviallandscape AT giannibellocchi environmentaldriversofdynamicsoilerosionchangeinamediterraneanfluviallandscape |