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Publication
Connecting present and future soil erosion risk in the upper Tagus river Region of Portugal
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Soil water erosion causes soil degradation, affecting its fertility and, consequently, leading to the loss of its productive capacity and may contribute to a process of desertification. Countries in the Mediterranean basin are under the influence of a climate pattern that is unfavorable to maintaining effective soil cover, with peak precipitation events occurring, and an increase in soil erosion rates is expected in changing scenarios. Climate, where the occurrence of extreme meteorological phenomena will be more frequent. The aim of this study is to evaluate the present situation and estimate the future soil erosion risk of in the upper region of the Portuguese part of the Tagus River basin, where agricultural use and livestock activities are dominant in soils that are highly susceptible to erosion. The soil loss estimation was carried out for the current situation and for the climatic conditions projected for 2050, considering two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5). We use the RUSLE methodology to determine the risk of soil water erosion. Although annual precipitation decreases for both RCPs, the erosivity index will increase in both scenarios. Our findings provide insights into the consequences of socioeconomic development options on physical land degradation and loss. To understand the process of soil water erosion, using modeling and other tools, is very important for the design of policy instruments that minimize the effects of climate change on soil.
Description
Keywords
Climate change Land cover Rainfall Soil loss
Pedagogical Context
Citation
DUARTE, A.C., QUINTA-NOVA, L.C., HORTA, C. (2025) - Connecting present and future soil erosion risk in the upper Tagus river Region of Portugal. In MedGU Annual Meeting, Istambil, 2023 - Recent Research on Environmental Earth Sciences, Geomorphology, Soil Science, Paleoclimate, and Karst. Springer, Cham. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-86866-5_1
Publisher
Springer
CC License
Without CC licence