An assessment of the global impact of 21st century land use change on soil erosion

Borelli, Pasquale; Robinson, David A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7290-4867; Fleischer, Larissa R.; Lugato, Emanuele; Ballabio, Cristiano; Alewell, Christine; Meusburger, Katrin; Modugno, Sirio; Schütt, Brigitta; Ferro, Vito; Bagarello, Vincenzo; Van Oost, Kristof; Montanalerra, Luca; Panagos, Panos. 2017 An assessment of the global impact of 21st century land use change on soil erosion. Nature Communications, 8, 2013. 13, pp. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02142-7

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Abstract/Summary

Human activity and related land use change are the primary cause of accelerated soil erosion, which has substantial implications for nutrient and carbon cycling, land productivity and in turn, worldwide socio-economic conditions. Here we present an unprecedentedly high resolution (250 × 250 m) global potential soil erosion model, using a combination of remote sensing, GIS modelling and census data. We challenge the previous annual soil erosion reference values as our estimate, of 35.9 Pg yr−1 of soil eroded in 2012, is at least two times lower. Moreover, we estimate the spatial and temporal effects of land use change between 2001 and 2012 and the potential offset of the global application of conservation practices. Our findings indicate a potential overall increase in global soil erosion driven by cropland expansion. The greatest increases are predicted to occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. The least developed economies have been found to experience the highest estimates of soil erosion rates.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02142-7
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Soils and Land Use (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	2041-1723
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	carbon cycle, environmental impact, geomorphology, sustainability
NORA Subject Terms:	Agriculture and Soil Science
Date made live:	11 Dec 2017 15:15 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/518637

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