Spatiotemporal Changes in the Erosion and Deposition Processes in a Small Catchment in the North of the Central Russian Upland
V. N. Golosov, E. N. Shamshurina, G. I. Kolos, А И Петелько, А. П. Жидкин
Abstract
Abstract Soil erosion is for the first time comprehensively studied in a catchment of 41 ha (near the village of Lomovets, Orel oblast) in the zone of gray forest soils (Luvic Phaeozems), which are considerably more susceptible to erosion as compared with chernozems. Analysis of archive data and historical cartographic materials shows that the catchment has been plowed for 200 ± 10 years. The rates of soil erosion and deposition over the entire cultivation period with/without taking into account soil self-restoration, last 50 ± 25 years, post-Chernobyl period (1986–2022), and the single erosion event on May 31, 2022 have been determined using field methods (soil- profile truncation, radiocesium technique, and rill methods, as well as a detailed UAV survey) and the model computations using the WaTEM/SeDEM model. The spatial distribution of soil erosion/deposition pattern is assessed. The estimates of soil losses and accumulation demonstrate considerable fluctuations in the rates of erosion and deposition over the past 200 years, which are mainly determined by the conditions of snowmelt runoff formation, repetition and distribution of runoff-forming rainfalls in the warm season, set of cultivated crops, tillage frequency and practices, and changes in field boundaries. The long-term average annual estimates of soil erosion over the agricultural period are higher than the estimates for the post-Chernobyl period, because the rates of soil erosion have decreased over the last 30 years. The WaTEM/SeDEM-based estimates of soil losses are generally comparable to the soil losses assessed according to soil morphology, provided that the redistribution of sediments to the lower boundaries of arable land is taken into account. The spatial structure of a single erosive event is to a considerable degree close to the spatial arrangement of the eroded and aggraded soil areas formed over the entire agricultural period.