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[Implementation]
[Events and Output]
[Membership and Contributions]
[Joining
the Network]
[Contact]
[Links]
[Publications]
[Report
6]
[Activity
3.3 and other Soils Components]
Introduction
and Rationale
Soil
erosion is a very widespread phenomenon, and is usually irreversible. Once
the nutrient-rich surface soil has been lost, the ability to sustain
plant growth is severely reduced, and increased runoff from the
more impermeable subsoil results in a decrease in plant-available
water. Furthermore, erosion brings various associated "off-site"
problems, including reduced water quality from increased sediment
loads and poorer air quality due to dust.
The
severity, frequency and extent of erosion will be altered by changes
in rainfall amount and intensity, and by changes in wind. Global
change will thus amplify many current problems of soil erosion,
and as certain soil thresholds are exceeded, potentially new and
different problems could arise. It is therefore crucial to understand
the potential impacts of global change on soils to allow the developments
in predictive capability necessary to improve their management
in the future. The GCTE Soil Erosion Network is dedicated to this
goal, and forms a key component of GCTE's soil research.
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Objectives:
To
design and undertake experimental and monitoring programmes to provide
a predictive understanding of the impacts of changes in climate and
land-use on soil erosion.
To
refine and adapt current erosion models for use in global change studies
from plot to regional scales.
Implementation
Erosion
processes are both varied and complex, and several modelling approaches
have been developed for a range of temporal and spatial scales,
for erosion by both water and wind. To identify which approaches
are most robust for global change studies, models need to be compared
using datasets from a wide range of environments. This will best
be done in a systematic way, using internationally agreed protocols
for data storage and exchange. Particular questions are:
(i) Which erosion models are most
robust for global change studies? and
(ii) Which experimental and monitoring
data sets will best help in model development?
Experimental
studies test a clearly defined hypothesis whilst monitoring studies
involve the measurement of baseline variables (e.g. rainfall and
wind intensity, soil moisture, surface roughness, soil erosion
rates, etc.) over several years but need not involve the testing
of a clear initial hypothesis. Both experimental and monitoring
data are however essential to calibrate, initialise, validate
and improve soil erosion models.
The
Network is coordinated by the GCTE Soil Erosion Network Working
Group, Dr Christian Valentin (chair), Professor Dr Jean
Poesen, Professor Mike Kirkby, Professor Peter Gregory, Dr Mark
Nearing, Dr John Boardman, Dr Ted Zobeck and John Ingram, assisted
by the Focus 3 Office.
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Events
and Output
1997 |
Publication
of Report 6
Soils Erosion Network Model and Experimental Metadata |
1999 |
Launch
of the European COST Action 623 "Soil Erosion and Global Change" |
1999 |
Gully
Erosion Workshop, Rio, Brazil |
1999 |
Joint
Workshop at GCTE Focus 3 Conference, Reading, UK |
2002 |
ICAR5/GCTE-SEN
Wind Erosion and Aeolian Processes Conference
Joint meeting
of the Fifth International Conference on Aeolian Research and
the Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems-Soil Erosion Network
(Wind) at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
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2003 |
Soil
Erosion under Climate Change: Rates, Implications, and Feedbacks,
Tucson, Arizona, USA, November 17-19, 2003
The theme
of this GCTE-SEN meeting is climate change and soil erosion. This
includes considerations of rates, processes, impacts, and feedbacks
within the context of an interdependent hydrologic system. Both
the impacts of climate change on erosion and its feedback to the
climate may be addressed, and both wind- and water-induced erosion
will be considered. All scientific issues related to the topic
are encouraged.
The program
will include two days of meetings and a day touring the Walnut
Gulch Experimental Watershed in Tombstone, AZ, USA.
For further
information contact Dr Mark
Nearing
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Collaboration
with other Networks, Activities and Programmes
The Soil Erosion Network is working in collaboration with the
European Cooperation in the Field of Scientific and Technical
Research (COST) Action 623, Soil Erosion and Global Change.
[COST]
[COST623]
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Network
Membership and Meta Data
[Full
List]
42
Members from 20 Countries
14
Models from 6 Countries
19
Experimental sets from 14 Countries
18
Monitoring sets from 10 Countries
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For
further information, please contact:
Dr
Christian Valentin
IRD-Ambassade de France
BP 06 IRD Vientiane
RPD LAOS
Tel: +856 20 50 26 80
FAX: +856 21 41 29 93
valentinird@laopdr.com
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