Publication date: January 2015
Source:Geoderma, Volumes 237–238
Author(s): G.R. Hancock , Tony Wells , C. Martinez , Chris Dever
Soil erosion and its spatial and temporal variabilities are rarely placed in the context of soil production and soil depth. This study examines the question of sustainable soil erosion and soil loss in a conservatively managed grassland catchment in South East Australia in what at first appears to be a catchment with a tolerable soil loss. Catchment erosion rates are determined using the environmental tracer 137Cs. A thorough examination of the accuracy and reliability of this method is conducted across a number of spatial scales and years providing confidence in the method and results. Soil depth is measured across the study catchment providing the first bedrock map of a basalt derived soil catchment. Both soil erosion and soil depth are topographically assessed using a high resolution digital elevation model. Results show that soil depth was strongly correlated with elevation and also wetness indices indicating a strong relationship with soil moisture in soil production. Interestingly bedrock topography was decoupled from surface topography. Erosion rates using the 137Cs method and calibrated against independent field data produced a maximum erosion rate of between 0.8 and 2.9
Source:Geoderma, Volumes 237–238
Author(s): G.R. Hancock , Tony Wells , C. Martinez , Chris Dever