Marques, S.M.; Campos, F.S.; David, J.; Cabral, P. Modelling Sediment Retention Services and Soil Erosion Changes in Portugal: A Spatio-Temporal Approach. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf.2021, 10, 262.
Marques, S.M.; Campos, F.S.; David, J.; Cabral, P. Modelling Sediment Retention Services and Soil Erosion Changes in Portugal: A Spatio-Temporal Approach. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2021, 10, 262.
Marques, S.M.; Campos, F.S.; David, J.; Cabral, P. Modelling Sediment Retention Services and Soil Erosion Changes in Portugal: A Spatio-Temporal Approach. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf.2021, 10, 262.
Marques, S.M.; Campos, F.S.; David, J.; Cabral, P. Modelling Sediment Retention Services and Soil Erosion Changes in Portugal: A Spatio-Temporal Approach. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2021, 10, 262.
Abstract
Soils provide important regulating ecosystem services and have crucial implications for human well-being and environmental conservation. However, soil degradation and particularly soil erosion jeopardize the maintenance and existence of these services. This study explores the spatio-temporal relationships of soil erosion to understand the distribution patterns of sediment retention services in mainland Portugal. Based on Corine Land Cover maps from 1990 to 2018, the InVEST Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR) model was used to evaluate the influence of sediment dynamics for soil and water conservation. Spatial differences in the sediment retention levels were observed within the NUTS III boundaries, showing which areas are more vulnerable to soil erosion processes. Results indicated that the Region of Leiria, Douro and the coastal regions have decreased importantly sediment retention capacity over the years. However, in most of the territory (77.52%) changes in sediment retention were little or not important (i.e., less than 5%). The statistical validation of the model proved the consistency of the results, highlighting the usefulness of this methodology to analyse the state of soil erosion in the country. These findings can be relevant to support strategies for more efficient land use planning regarding soil erosion mitigation practices.
Keywords
Ecosystem Services; Spatial Modelling; Soil Erosion; Sediment retention; InVEST model
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Atmospheric Science and Meteorology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
