Soil & Tillage Research 82 (2005) 15–18 www.elsevier.com/locate/still
SIDASS project Part 1. A spatial distributed simulation model predicting the dynamics of agro-physical soil state for selection of management practices to prevent soil erosion C. Simotad, R. Horna,*, H. Fleigea, A. Dexterc, E.A. Czyzc, E. Diaz-Pereirab, F. Mayolb, K. Rajkaie, D. de la Rosab a
Christian-Albrechts-University zu Kiel, Olshausenstrasse 40, D-24118 Kiel, Germany Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology, CSIC, Av. Reina Mercedes 10, 41012 Sevilla, Spain c Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation (IUNG), ul. Czartoryskich 8, 24-100 Pulawy, Poland d Research Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry, Bd. Marasti 61, 71331 Bucarest, Romania e Research Institute for Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Herman O. 15, 1022 Budapest, Hungary b
Abstract The SIDASS model was developed to predict losses due to mechanical and hydraulic processes and it also enables users to simulate prevention strategies if the required basic datasets are available. SIDASS model is linking under the same umbrella of a spatially distributed information framework, the experimental and theoretical researches from various fields of soil physics directly to farming practices (soil mechanics, soil compaction, soil erosion, and soil hydrology) in order to have a tool for recommendations of site-specific land use and management practices, and to evaluate agriculture policies at local and regional scales. SIDASS is validated on some precise datasets from specific areas, and was proved to forecast the effects of soil mechanical processes like soil deformation on soil erosion. It may be also used to couple the effects of hydraulic and mechanical properties on soil erosion processes. Thus, in its final stage, it provides a tool for recommendations of site-specific land use and management strategies. In the validation tests, the predicted values according to the model equations were in very good agreement with independent datasets taken from experimental fields in Spain, Hungary, and Romania. Several application examples (GIS maps) with reference to European soils are shown pointing to the ‘‘hot’’ areas of Europe where soil erosion or soil compaction problems are high, and are furthermore increased by soil management using heavy machinery or non-site-specific management strategies. # 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: SIDASS model; Soil erosion; User-friendly; Pedotransfer functions; Hydraulic and mechanical properties
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 43 1880 3190; fax: +49 43 1880 2940. E-mail address:
[email protected] (R. Horn). 0167-1987/$ – see front matter # 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.still.2005.01.003
16
C. Simota et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 82 (2005) 15–18
1. Introduction Soil erosion and compaction processes affect to a great extent sustainable land use and can also result in a tremendous soil loss as well as it results in onsite and offsite damages. At present, the annual tillage induced damages to the environment (atmospheric, biological, and groundwater effects) are estimated to more than several hundred s/(ha a) only in Germany as well as it also results in secondary soil deformation dependent increased frequency of high flooding of rivers not only in Germany (Giska et al., 2003; van der Ploeg et al., 1999, 2001). The interaction between external stress application and the consequences for soil deformation in conjunction with an intense increase in machine mass and frequency of wheeling is repeatedly documented (vanden Akker et al., 1999; Horn et al., 2000; Scha¨ ferLandefeld et al., 2004; Berli et al., 2004) and must be considered as one of the major threats for a reduced sustainability of soils and agricultural farming practice. If in addition, the present day machine masses will be compared with the actual list of masses, allowed to be transported, e.g. on German streets, it becomes obvious that numerous agricultural machines must be classified as violating the streets, but there are no legislative restrictions for wheeling arable soils (Ehlers et al., 2004; Oldeman, 1998; Sommer, 1994). Thus, the determination of soil erosion and compaction and their interrelations requires on the one side a very detailed process analysis as well as the definition of prevention methods, but it must be also site-specific and have to include the given climatic conditions for the various land use systems. In order to create a user-friendly model which can be applied on the macro-, meso- and micro-scale, process oriented algorithms must in generally be developed and included in existing models. However, Horn et al. (2000) and Pagliai and Jones (2002) stated that although intense basic and applied research has been carried out throughout the last decades on physical processes and consequences for site-specific land use strategies, no adequate complete and user-friendly models are available up to now. The first approach in this context is the formulation, testing and application of the SIDASS model which was developed to link physical, mechanical, and hydraulic processes with respect to predict subsoil
compaction effects as well as the consequences for soil erosion and the general sustainability approaches. The SIDASS model enables in a user-friendly manner the prediction of soil losses by wind and water due to mechanical and hydraulic processes and it also enables users to simulate prevention strategies if the required basic datasets are available. Thus, the SIDASS model is linking under the same umbrella of a spatially distributed information framework, the experimental and theoretical researches from various fields of soil physics (i.e. directly related to farming practices: soil mechanics, soil compaction, soil erosion, and soil hydrology) in order to have a tool for: 1. recommendations of site-specific land use and management practices; 2. the evaluation of agriculture policies at local, regional, and global levels. The basic of the SIDASS model will be defined in this paper, while the specific applications will be described in the following papers.
2. General construction and input parameters of the model The risk of permanent soil agro physical degradation due to trafficking was characterized by the following predefined indicators for: 1. effective stress, 2. stress dependent changes of ecological relevant properties, 3. tillage effects on the parameters describing soil erosion. Consequently, the SIDASS algorithms and software for deriving the soil parameters and functions (pedotransfer functions) include: indirect estimation of pedotransfer functions (water retention curve, saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, soil cohesion, angle of internal friction, precompression stress, concentration factor, void ratio versus load) from available data on soils at a European scale (soil texture class, soil structure class, organic matter);
C. Simota et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 82 (2005) 15–18
calculating soil bulk density profiles considering various loads on the soil surface corresponding to characteristics of machinery (axle load, inflation pressure) used for tillage works; calculating the parameters for erosion evaluation (interrill and rill soil erodibility, critical shear stress for rill erosion) from available pedotransfer functions and soil parameters; calculating the soil parameters characterising soil water infiltration (weighted integral of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity). The required datasets and methods to validate the SIDASS model include the following eight main blocks: data of soil physical properties related to soil compaction and soil erosion in various soil and climate conditions over Europe; development of indirect methods estimating the soil compaction and soil erosion parameters from soil data available in standard soil surveys (soil maps);
17
development of methods for predicting the soil water workability limits (optimum, wet, and dry limit) using the soil water retention curve; developing indices characterising the risk of permanent soil agro physical degradation due to surface traffic; developing methods predicting wind erosion; developing soil and agricultural management databases as a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) facilitating the integration of geo-referenced attributes; spatial distribution of soil parameters characterising the risk for compaction and erosion over the Europe by linking SIDASS software with existing Geographical Information System (GIS) soil databases; dynamic simulation of water balance in soil, and of the key parameters for soil compaction and soil water and wind erosion, considering the effects of surface traffic and tillage works. The general flowchart of the SIDASS model is shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1. General flowchart of the analysed soil properties and required data sets.
18
C. Simota et al. / Soil & Tillage Research 82 (2005) 15–18
3. Conclusions Soil erosion and compaction processes affect to a great extent sustainable land use and can result in a tremendous soil loss as well as it results in onsite and offsite damages. The determination of soil erosion and compaction and their inter-relations requires very detailed analysis as well as the definition of prevention methods has also to include the mechanical and hydrological aspects. The newly developed model SIDASS can be used to predict losses due to mechanical and hydraulic processes and it also enables users to simulate prevention strategies if the required basic datasets are available. SIDASS is based on some precise datasets from specific areas, and is able to forecast the effects of soil mechanical processes like soil deformation on soil erosion and it may be also used to couple the effects of hydraulic and mechanical properties on soil erosion processes. Thus, in its final stage, it provides a tool for recommendations of site-specific land use and management strategies. SIDASS is finally producing output variables of interest for other models developed at local, regional, and European scale predicting soil erosion (EUROSEM) or land use changes (IMPEL).
References Berli, M., Kulli, B., Attinger, W., Leuenberger, J., Flu¨ hler, H., Springman, S., Schulin, R., 2004. Compaction of agricultural
and forest subsoils by tracked heavy construction machinery. Soil Till. Res. 75, 37–52. Ehlers, W., vander Ploeg, R., Horn, R., 2004. Subsoil compaction in Germany, the loss of soil functionality, and some environmental implications. In: Proceedings of ASA Meeting, Seattle, CD. Giska, M., van der Ploeg, R., Schweigert, P., Pinter, N., 2003. Physikalische Bodendegradierung in der Hildesheimer Bo¨ rde und das Bundes-Bodenschutzgesetz. Berichte u¨ ber Landwirtschaft 81, 485–511. Horn, R., van den Akker, J.J.H., Arvidsson, J., 2000. Subsoil compaction—distribution, processes and consequences. Adv. Geoecol. 32, ISBN 3-923381-44-1, 462S Oldeman, L.R., 1998. Soil Degradation: A Threat to Food Security? Report 98/01. International Soil Reference and Information Centre, Wageningen. Pagliai, M., Jones, R., 2002. Advances in Geoecology, 35. Catena, Reiskirchen, ISBN: 3-923381-48-4. Scha¨ fer-Landefeld, L., Brandhuber, R., Fenner, S., Koch, H.J., Stckfisch, N., 2004. Effects of agricultural machinery with high axle load on soil properties of normally managed fields. Soil Till. Res. 75, 75–86. Sommer, C., 1994. Belastung, Beanspruchung und Verdichtuing von Bo¨ den durch landwirtschaftliche Maschinen und deren Auswirkungen auf Bodengefu¨ ge, Bodenorganismen und bodenbiologische Prozesse sowie Pflanzenwachstum und Ertrag. Landbauforschung Vo¨ lkenrode 147 , 206 pp. vanden Akke, J.J.H., Arvidsson, J., Horn, R., 1999. Experiences with the Impact and Prevention in the European Community. Report 168. ISSN: 0927-4499 van der Ploeg, R., Ehlers, W., Sieker, F., 1999. Floods and other possible adverse environmental effects of meadow land area deckline in former West Germany. Naturwissenschaften 86, 313–319. van der Ploeg, R., Gieska, M., Schweigert, P., 2001. Landschaftshydrologische und hochwasserrelevante Aspekte der ackerbaulichen Bodenbewirtschaftung in der deutschen Nachkriegszeit. Berichte u¨ ber Landwirtschaft 79, 447–465.
