This study aims a) to investigate the stoniness (relative volume of stones and boulders) of representative forest soils in central Sweden, b) to evaluate the possibilities to predict soilstoniness with non-destructive surface penetration methods
, particularly the rod penetration method suggested by Viro in 1952. The general evaluation of surface penetration methods revealed that large errors in very stonysoils cannot be avoided. It is inherent in the method and not caused by sampling. This conclusion
may lower expectations that ground-penetrating radar systems will become useful for predicting stoniness.
[b1] Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Dept. of Forest soils, Uppsala, Suede
Soil erosion by surface water flow on a stony, semiarid hillslope
Arizona ; Gully erosion ; Rill wash ; Semi-arid area ; Slope ; Slope gradient ; Soil erosion ; United States of America ; Water erosion
The objectives of this study were to evaluate the hydraulics and erosion by surface water flow of stonysoil in a semiarid, rangeland environment. Methods for directly measuring rill erosion rates on undisturbed soil surfaces allowed measurements
over a wide range of slopes and discharge rates. The measurements were used to evaluate flow velocity as a function of slope, discharge and rock cover, and to evaluate soil detachment rates as a function of hydraulic shear stress, stream power
Field-scale estimation of the volume percentage of rock fragments in stonysoils by electrical resistivity
Bassin parisien ; Beauce ; Electrical resistivity ; France ; Geophysics ; Model ; Quantitative analysis ; Rock fragment ; Soil ; Soil properties ; Soil water ; Stonysoil
of the rock fragment content in stonysoils can be performed efficiently in the surface horizon as well as all along the soil profile.
soil units with varying quantities of rock fragments in the Beauce region (Villamblain, France). The developed model strongly depends on the water content in the soil and the rock type and must be calibrated in each context. Nevertheless, estimations
In Las Cuevas north of Azua 80 farmers were interviewed about their soils : 48% of them were aware of soil erosion, but had little interest in soil conservation. None of the farmers named more than six kinds of soil. Stoniness or soil depth were
not considered by them to be important in defining soil quality. - (DWG)
Soil erosion and flooding on the eastern South Downs, southern England, 1976-2001
Agricultural land use ; Damage ; England ; Flood ; Flood control ; Gully erosion ; Land use ; Rill wash ; Soil conservation ; Soil erosion ; Sustainable development ; United Kingdom
in the 1970s. Soil conservation measures have been negligible. In the longer term, increasing stoniness of soils, the economic incentives for arable farming in marginal areas, and the success of legal proceedings relating to flood damage, will determine
The South Downs in southern England have been farmed for 5000 years : the initial loess cover is now a thin, stony remnant as a result of erosion. Flood damage to property has been a regular event since the conversion of this area to winter cereals
This paper investigates the effects of rock fragment properties on interrill soil surface roughness. Therefore, the surface roughness evolution of 13 simulated plough layers with different rock fragment content, rock fragment size and initial
moisture content was studied during rainfall in the laboratory. In order to evaluate the long-term effects of rainfall and sheet erosion on surface roughness of stony interrills, two abandoned hillslopes in southeastern Spain were investigated. Relations
obtained can be used to improve erosion models on stony hillslopes.
The interpretation of soil marks on aerial photographs recorded over the Famenne (Belgium) natural region
Soil marks are closely related to small differences in soil depth and stoniness. Therefore they are valuable for a more appropriate interpolation between sample points in order to delimit soil boundaries. Soil moisture is not directly connected
to the contrast of the soil marks on the image, although it has been a factor causing growth differences of the vegetation. (LW).
Field enquiries and measurements of soil resistance to crushing in different parts of Belgium have shown that : (a) hydromorphic and slightly stony silty soils are most sensitive to damages due to skidding machines, (b) this sensitivity is mainly
related to the duration of the soil waterlogging. These observations are used as a basis for the definition of limitation classes, in view of the transformation of the soil map of Southern Belgium into specific maps of forest land practicability. - (L'A.).
, namely : 1) crusted surfaces with embedded gravel widespread on gentle slopes which induce high runoff and erosion rates; and 2) stony surfaces, where freepebbles and blocks protect the top soil against raindrops and overland flow kinetic energy and lead
This study examines the role of different soil surface features and their influence on runoff formation and on soil erosion in an area seriously affected by overgrazing. Two main surface features were identified and hydraulically characterised
Stone and gravel contents of arable soils influence estimates of C and N stocks
Arable land ; Biogeochemistry ; Carbon ; Nitrogen ; Nutrient ; Soil ; Soil properties ; Stoniness ; Sweden
In this study, relative volumes of stones and gravel were investigated in the top soils, i.e. down to 30 cm depth, of five Swedish arable sites. Bulk density and gravel volume were determined by soil coring and stone volume using the rod penetration
to an overestimation of C and N stocks by 8-9%. It was concluded that the inclusion of stone and gravel volume of arable soils may be important if nutrient stocks of different sites are compared, or the effects of land use changes are scaled up to regional or global
Variation in the degree of clast exposure on stony desert slopes is examined in an area of northeast Jordan. Geological influences on the characteristics of stone mantles are modified by relative slope position. Observations that the nature
Assessing the impact of soil surface characteristics on vineyard erosion from very high spatial resolution aerial images (Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France)
Agropedology ; Burgundy ; France ; Remote sensing ; Soil erosion ; Soil properties ; Spatial distribution ; Spectral radiance ; Stoniness ; Vinegrowing area
carbon, calcium carbonate, and total nitrogen contents. This work shows that the spatial distribution of soil erosion is related to the local slope steepness but also to the spatial distribution of stoniness that results from water and tillage erosion
The AA. describe a new method to map intra-plot soil surface heterogeneities at a 5 cm spatial resolution. Their approach unites aerial image classification acquired at very high spatial resolution (VHSR) with local soil sampling. This method has
been applied to a plot area located on the hillslopes of Burgundy vineyards (Monthelie, France), where decennial erosion data were already available, in order to assess the effect of soil surface characteristics and slope angle on erosion intensity
and localisation. From this method, 4 classes of radiance were distinguished and interpreted as 4 soil surface state classes (SSC), defining specific areas within the studied plot. These SSCs have been characterised by their grain-size distribution, their organic
Boundary bunds or piles of stones ? Using farmers' practices in Bolivia to aid soil conservation
Agricultural practice ; Agriculture ; Bolivia ; Crop ; Farm ; Farmer behaviour ; Hill ; Soil conservation ; Terrace ; Water management
Indigenous soil and water conservation practices of farmers provide considerable information on biophysical performances in the field, economic impacts on farm households, and constraints on the adoption or non-adoption of new strategies. Data
in paper were collected in field study in the Transition Zone in Tiraque Province, Cochabamba Department, Bolivia. There piles of stones and boundary bunds are traditional practices used to clear stones before the cultivation of steep stony land. Why
Deforestation ; Historical geography ; Holocene ; Human impact ; Land use ; Mass movement ; Mountain ; Mudflow ; Pastureland ; Pyrénées ; Soil erosion ; Spain
pasture for transhumant livestock. Hillslopes below 1,600 m were frequently burned for farming and pasturing. Consequences have included more sediment transport, more mass movement features, surface stoniness, debris flows, and altered river regimes
The A. presents the meeting and its objective: to discuss the various concepts of soil horizons and the role that soil horizons play in soil characterization, classification and mapping. This number of Catena contains selected papers of this meeting.