LIFE+ Programme (European Commission)
LIFE08ENV/IT/000428
EXPLAINATION OF THE CREATION OF SMS MODELS
Model
usle_vulnerability
potential_eros_risk
usle_sensibility
erosion_risk_years
soc_decline_ton_ha_y
Explanation
The model has been elaborated on the base of RUSLE, excluding the C
and P factor, i.e. calculating the potential water erosion rate. For a
diffuse explanation on the model application, see the annexed file:
TESSALONIKY_ARTICLE_10PAGES.doc.
The model has been elaborated on the base of the consideration that
the soil erosion risk increase when the soils are thinner. In fact the
years enough to have a complete loss of fertile soil (the soil stratum
which is explored and efficiently used by plant cultivations) depends
not only on the rate of soil loss, but also on the soil depth. By dividing
soil depth with the soil potential erosion rate it is possible to estimate
the years potentially enough to have a complete loss of fertile soil.
The model has been elaborated on the base of RUSLE, including the C
factor and excluding the P, i.e. calculating the actual water erosion
rate, supposing the absence of soil protection measures. For a diffuse
explanation on the model application, see the annexed file:
TESSALONIKY_ARTICLE_10PAGES.doc.
The model has been elaborated on the base of the consideration that
the soil erosion risk increase when the soils are thinner. In fact the
years enough to have a complete loss of fertile soil (the soil stratum
which is explored and efficiently used by plant cultivations) depends
not only on the rate of soil loss, but also on the soil depth. By dividing
soil depth with the soil actual erosion rate it is possible to estimate the
years actually enough to have a complete loss of fertile soil.
This model has been extracted from the published study <Fantappiè,
M., L’Abate A., Costantini E.A.C., (2011). The influence of climate
change on the soil organic carbon content in Italy from 1961 to 2008,
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SOCdeclineRISK_years
soil_compaction_risk
salinization_risk
Geomorphology (2011), doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.02.006>. The
coefficients used consider just 3 great group of land uses (arable
lands, forests and meadows) and the mean changes occurred in soil
organic carbon content before and after the 1990.
The model has been elaborated on the base of the consideration that
the soil organic carbon decline risk increase when the soils have less
soil organic carbon content. By dividing soil organic carbon content
with the soil organic carbon content decline rate it is possible to
estimate the soil organic carbon decline risk.
The model was extracted from the study elaborated by: Pellegrini, S.,
Vignozzi, N., Costantini, E.A.C. and L’Abate, G. (2007). A new
pedotransfer function for estimating soil bulk density. In: C. Dazzi
(ed.), Changing Soils in a Changing Wold: The Soils of Tomorrow.
Book of Abstracts. 5th International Congress of European Society for
Soil Conservation, Palermo, 25–30 June 2007. ISBN: 978–88–9572–
09–2.
The model for salinization risk is a model which predicts the electrocunductivity of soils on the base of a multiple regression analysis
which has been specifically produced with soil data of Sicily and
auxiliary data such as lithology, DEM, distance from coast, irrigation.
The model has not been published till now.
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