A New Innovative Tool to Measure Soil Erosion

Abstract

Soil erosion is a one of the most serious environmental problems worldwide. This is the result of unsustainable anthropogenic activities such as agriculture, deforestation and urbanization. In addition, the extreme events caused by climate change are expected to accelerate soil erosion. The Mediterranean region, due to the sparse vegetation, topography, frequent wildfires and being inhabited for thousands of years has higher soil erosion rates compared to the rest of Europe. These facts indicate that new tools need to be developed and utilized in order to be able to mitigate effectively and efficiently soil erosion in the Mediterranean. The goal of this study was to develop a new monitoring system of sensors that measures erosion accurately but also measures other important environmental variables that influence erosion. The erosion measurements were based on ultrasonic technology that allows accuracy of up to 1 mm. The system also measures precipitation, soil and air temperature and soil moisture. These measurements can be continuous something very important to understand soil erosion mechanisms. Two systems with sensors were installed in September 2015, in the Kallirahi torrent watershed of Thasos Island in Greece. The specific watershed had a wildfire in August of 2013, and the impact is still evident on the landscape. One of the system of sensors was installed in an area with tree cover and gradual slopes while the other area had no overstory and steep slopes. Evaluating the preliminary results show that the measured variables by the sensor provides very accurate data.