The Infona portal uses cookies, i.e. strings of text saved by a browser on the user's device. The portal can access those files and use them to remember the user's data, such as their chosen settings (screen view, interface language, etc.), or their login data. By using the Infona portal the user accepts automatic saving and using this information for portal operation purposes. More information on the subject can be found in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By closing this window the user confirms that they have read the information on cookie usage, and they accept the privacy policy and the way cookies are used by the portal. You can change the cookie settings in your browser.
Southern Appalachian Mountain wetlands support important habitat and serve several hydrologic functions. However, they may be threatened by human activities and global climate change. These wetlands are often located in remote, biogeographically isolated locations at high elevations. One of the largest of these wetlands — the peatlands within the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area — was assessed for...
The Roglio basin, in the relatively arid Central Tuscany (Italy), is characterised by the presence of 191 badlands that have developed on Pliocene fine-grained blue clays. A morphometric analysis on the badlands has highlighted that these landforms formation and distribution are primarily related to the steepness of the hill flanks, which favour runoff and gravitational processes, along with favourable...
Local communities often have substantial knowledge related to trends in soil quality and the associated limiting factors. Despite this, soil quality (SQ) degradation is a critical problem in Ethiopia and there is little or insufficient scientific information documenting local community experience in assessing SQ. This paper presents experiences of local communities in diagnosis of SQ and assesses...
Topography has an important influence on the distribution of soils and their properties, especially in hilly lands, and related data are easily available, measurable and recognizable from digital elevation models (DEMs). To our knowledge, little attention has previously been paid to the effect of DEM attributes on the distribution of soils, using ordination methods. The objective of this study was...
When changing from spatially random to spatially connected appearances as conditions become wetter in their seasonal time dynamics, soil moisture spatial patterns show a behaviour similar to phase transition processes. In a previous work, once implemented an ad-hoc methodology, we have demonstrated that such a phase change shows critical point behaviour. Moreover, the value of the critical probability...
Changes of agricultural land use often induce changes in hydrological behavior of watersheds. Hence, effective information regarding runoff responses to future land use scenarios provides useful support for decision-making in land use planning and management. The objective of this study is to develop a methodology to assess land use change scenario impacts on runoff at the watershed scale. This objective...
Soil surface crusting and sealing are frequent but unfavorable processes in Mediterranean areas. Soil crust and seals form on bare soil subject to high-intensity rainfall, resulting in a hard, impenetrable layer that impedes infiltration and hampers the germination and establishment of plants. The adverse consequences of overland flow and reduced fertility can lead to erosion and ongoing degradation...
Soil fertility is important for vegetation growth and productivity. The relationship between vegetation and soil fertility is important for both scientific and practical reasons. However, the effects of soil fertility on vegetation development and succession are poorly documented on the Loess Plateau. In this study, we compared soil properties of the Yanhe Watershed in northern Shaanxi across five...
Straw coverage on soil surface is a well-known practice for conserving soil and water. Seasonal variability of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and basal respiration (BR) in surface soil (0–5cm) was compared between conventional straw removal (SR) and straw coverage (SC) in a maize (Zea mays L.) field experiment, Northeast China. The straw coverage treatment significantly increased microbial energy,...
We examined how hydrology influenced water chemistry, vegetation, nutrient status, aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and litter decomposition rates in two mires on the South-Eastern Alps of Italy. One of the mires had a modest hydraulic gradient and prevalently acted as a recharge system, although there were short phases of vertical flow reversal during dry periods. This mire was, therefore,...
Semiarid karst landscapes represent an important ecosystem surrounding the Mediterranean Basin for which little is known on runoff generation. Knowledge of the sources and patterns of variation in infiltration–runoff processes and their controls is important for understanding and modelling the hydrological functions of such ecosystems. The objectives of this paper are to determine the infiltration...
At the global scale peatlands are an important soil organic carbon (SOC) pool. They sequester, store and emit carbon dioxide and methane and have a large carbon content per unit area. In Ireland, peatlands cover between 17% and 20% of the land area and contain a significant, but poorly quantified amount of SOC. Peatlands may function as a persistent sink for atmospheric CO 2 . In Ireland the...
Low altitude humid tropical mountains in Central America have experienced a process of livestock expansion during recent decades. However, the use of sloping areas for cattle grazing may lead to significant soil degradation and therefore we examined the influence of the slope gradient on soil degradation in pastures in a humid tropical mountainous area in northern Honduras. Understanding this relationship...
To better assess the impacts of conservation buffers and grasslands on water quality at large spatial scales, development and integration of novel approaches are crucial to ensure that these land management practices are functioning properly and meeting their original goals. Recent developments in remote sensing technology have greatly enriched the availability of geospatial data that can be used...
Soil conservation design is generally based on the estimation of average annual soil loss but it should be developed taking into account storms of a given return period. However, use of frequency analysis in soil erosion studies is relatively limited. In this paper, an investigation on statistical distribution of soil loss measurements was firstly carried out using a relatively high number of simultaneously...
A survey consisting of 146 first order gullies selected from five sites with different land use, soil and watershed properties was carried out to estimate the parameters of the empirical power function in order to describe the relationship between the gully volume and length in Fars province, Iran. Subsequently, the gullies were clustered into seven groups (“A” to “G”) based on nine morphometric factors...
The cross-referencing of sedimentological, stratigraphic, geoarchaeological and radiocarbon data enables us to establish the geomorphologic evolution of the Late Holocene coastal flood plain of the Turia River. The Holocene marine transgression formed a coastal barrier lagoon environment in the coastal plain. During the Late Holocene, increased sediments supplied to the low reach of the river promoted:...
Set the date range to filter the displayed results. You can set a starting date, ending date or both. You can enter the dates manually or choose them from the calendar.