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Land
Special Issues
Surface Runoff and Soil Erosion in the Mediterranean Region
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Surface Runoff and Soil Erosion in the Mediterranean Region

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land, Soil and Water".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 6155

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hanoch Lavee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography and the Environment, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
Interests: surface runoff; soil erosion; land use; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lea Wittenberg

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa 3102102, Israel
Interests: fire effects on soils; wildfires in the Mediterranean; soil erosion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Surface runoff and soil erosion are natural processes affected by natural factors and human activity. They change the landscape and affect ecosystems and the environment by influencing the soil properties and the water composition and may cause pollutant migration. The Mediterranean region includes the lands around the Mediterranean Sea and has mostly Mediterranean and semi-arid climates.

In discussions about a sustainable future, the soil is increasingly understood as an important non-renewable resource that not only regulates humans as a food provider, but more recently as a key factor in the hydrological cycle, carbon cycle, and global biodiversity.

The goal of this Special Issue is to present articles (original research articles and review papers) giving insights into “Surface Runoff and Soil Losses in the Mediterranean Region”. This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link the following themes:

  • Mechanisms and processes of surface runoff and soil erosion generation, frequency, and magnitude;
  • The effect of natural factors and human activity on surface runoff and soil loss;
  • Impacts of surface runoff and soil erosion on soil properties and structure, crop production, ecosystems, and the environment;
  • Sustainable land management and preventing negative impacts of surface runoff and soil erosion;
  • Monitoring and modeling the controlling factors, processes, and impacts of surface runoff and soil erosion.

Prof. Dr. Hanoch Lavee
Dr. Lea Wittenberg
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • surface runoff
  • soil erosion
  • processes, monitoring
  • temporal and spatial scales
  • conservation, management
  • land-use and climate change
  • simulation and predicting models
  • Mediterranean

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 22884 KiB  
Article
Disconnected Flows, Eroded Landscapes: A Case Study of Human Impact on a Judean Desert Water System
by Nurit Shtober-Zisu and Boaz Zissu
Land 2024, 13(10), 1679; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13101679 - 15 Oct 2024
Viewed by 608
Abstract
The Bir el-Umdan cistern, a prominent archaeological site in the Judean Desert, is one of the largest and best preserved water systems in the region. Hewn in chalk, the cistern area measures 114 m2 and has a ~700 m3 volume. Two [...] Read more.
The Bir el-Umdan cistern, a prominent archaeological site in the Judean Desert, is one of the largest and best preserved water systems in the region. Hewn in chalk, the cistern area measures 114 m2 and has a ~700 m3 volume. Two massive columns, each with a base diameter of 2.5 m, support the ceiling within the cistern’s interior. This impressive structure is estimated to date back to the Hellenistic to Late Antiquity periods based on its architectural characteristics. Historical records indicate that the cistern was documented on 19th-century maps but disappeared from the 1935 and 1943 British Mandate maps. Its reappearance on the 1967 Survey of Israel map includes an upstream road disconnecting the cistern from its natural drainage basin. Despite its renovation in the 2010s, the cistern’s water supply remains limited due to its reduced catchment area, which now constitutes only 25% of its original size. Runoff coefficients calculated for the cistern’s drainage basin are relatively low (1.4% to 8.1%) compared to other desert regions. We analyzed the 21st-century runoff coefficient and recurrence interval over the original drainage basin (0.12 km2) to estimate the water volumes in antiquity. Our analysis suggests that using an 8.1% runoff coefficient, the estimated water volume is 806 m3, implying a cistern overflow every 6–7 years. A more conservative estimate using a 5% runoff coefficient yields a water volume of 500 m3 and a 15-year recurrence interval. Sediment analysis reveals that silt particles dominate the sediment accumulated in the cistern and its upstream sedimentation basins. The consistent grain size distribution throughout the system indicates rapid water flow during flood events. Reconstructing the sedimentation history is challenging due to potential maintenance and possible dredging and cleaning operations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Runoff and Soil Erosion in the Mediterranean Region)
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22 pages, 3327 KiB  
Article
Erosion Control Performance of Improved Soil Management in Olive Groves: A Field Experimental Study in NE Portugal
by Renecleide Santos, Felícia Fonseca, Paula Baptista, Antonio Paz-González and Tomás de Figueiredo
Land 2023, 12(9), 1700; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091700 - 30 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1448
Abstract
Olive groves rank among the cropping systems facing higher erosion risk in Mediterranean Europe. The adoption of erosion control soil management practices is key for reducing such risk and driving olive production towards sustainability. This field experimental study aimed to quantify the erosion [...] Read more.
Olive groves rank among the cropping systems facing higher erosion risk in Mediterranean Europe. The adoption of erosion control soil management practices is key for reducing such risk and driving olive production towards sustainability. This field experimental study aimed to quantify the erosion control performance of improved soil management as compared to conventional soil management in olive groves of NE Portugal. The design aimed to compare the effects of introducing no-tillage (NT) to a conventionally managed (T) olive grove and those with complementing ground cover by adventitious species (NS) with a sown cover (S) and comprised four treatments: TNS (reference for conventional), TS, NTNS and NTS. Erosion microplots (4 m2) were installed (two per treatment), recording soil loss, runoff and ground cover in seven erosion events throughout one year. The best erosion control performance was found in NTNS (low-cost improved soil management treatment) with 50% and 85% reductions in soil loss, respectively, in the annual total and in erosion events following large precipitation periods. Plots with adventitious vegetation ground cover performed better in soil loss control than the sown ones. Converting to no-tillage, as compared to sowing herbaceous vegetation to increase ground cover, proved more performant and less hazardous for improving erosion control in olive groves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Runoff and Soil Erosion in the Mediterranean Region)
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20 pages, 3810 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Impact of Soil and Water Conservation Measures on Soil Erosion in a Tunisian Semi-Arid Watershed
by Fathia Jarray, Taoufik Hermassi, Mohamed Mechergui, Claudio Zucca and Quang Bao Le
Land 2023, 12(8), 1537; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081537 - 3 Aug 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2267
Abstract
Understanding and long-term assessment of the efficacy of soil and water conservation (SWC) techniques is essential for sustainable watershed management. There have been few studies measuring the long-term impact of SWC on soil erosion at the catchment scale due to a lack of [...] Read more.
Understanding and long-term assessment of the efficacy of soil and water conservation (SWC) techniques is essential for sustainable watershed management. There have been few studies measuring the long-term impact of SWC on soil erosion at the catchment scale due to a lack of historical data. This research aims to measure and analyze the impact of SWC interventions on sediment yield using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in the Wadi Rmel watershed between 2000 and 2020. The study approach has simultaneously three main aspects: (i) long-term and temporally dynamic, (ii) large-scale landscape distribution, and (iii) empirical evidence of impacts induced by terracing measures. Historical data on SWC in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 were used for running the model. The monthly calibration (2001–2014) using the SUFI2 algorithm was implemented with 22 input parameters and displayed a good model performance, with a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of 0.61 for daily runoff and a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.66. A satisfactory result was obtained for the monthly validation process (2015–2020) with NSE value equal to 0.83 and R2 value of 0.85. The result showed the increase in terracing areas led to a cumulative decrease in watershed sediment yield in long-term, i.e., the reduced erosion per one hectare of the expanded terracing area after 10–20 years were about 9–33 times higher than those in the first 5 years. This finding suggests that maximal benefits of SWC should be expected in the long-term, i.e., beyond a decade. Additionally, the study revealed variations in sediment yield contribution among sub-basins, with the southwestern region being the degradation hotspot areas (having erosion exceeding tolerable thresholds) needing prioritization for erosion controls. These findings enable stakeholders to plan effective management in semi-arid wheat-based agricultural areas with scarce data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Runoff and Soil Erosion in the Mediterranean Region)
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Other

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20 pages, 15708 KiB  
Perspective
Returning to Integrated Landscape Management as an Approach to Counteract Land Degradation in Small Mediterranean Islands: The Case Study of Stromboli (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)
by Rita Biasi, Francesco Valerio Collotti and Stefano Baia Curioni
Land 2024, 13(11), 1949; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111949 - 19 Nov 2024
Viewed by 322
Abstract
The small Mediterranean islands, unique geographical places where coastlines and mountains converge due to volcanic genesis, are among the most threatened environments on Earth. Their marginality, which has historically led to their use as places of detention and punishment, coupled with the extreme [...] Read more.
The small Mediterranean islands, unique geographical places where coastlines and mountains converge due to volcanic genesis, are among the most threatened environments on Earth. Their marginality, which has historically led to their use as places of detention and punishment, coupled with the extreme climate and rugged geomorphology shaped by terracing practices, has resulted in the loss of systematic land management. This loss stems from the abandonment of cropland in favor of alternative activities and migrations, impacting essential ecosystem services such as the water cycle, soil fertility, and the cultural landscape. The need to counteract the land degradation in these vulnerable areas has been acknowledged for some Mediterranean small islands, including the UNESCO heritage site of Stromboli in the Aeolian Islands, Sicily, Italy—an especially captivating location due to its active volcano. The agricultural abandonment on terraces, intensively cultivated with olives groves and vineyards until the mid-20th century, has rendered the area highly fragile and susceptible to risks such as fires and soil erosion, particularly as a consequence of extreme weather events, as proven in 2022, which saw a destructive fire followed by storms. To mitigate the negative effects of hydrogeological disruptions, the implementation of integrated landscape management—managing ecosystems at the landscape level—has been proposed. Specifically, an agroforestry intervention, coupled with the restoration of dry stone walls, the shaping of soil slopes by recovering the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), and the design of water-collecting devices incorporated with the traditional hydraulic knowledge, may be proposed as a strategic approach to minimize the soil erosion risks, adapt to climate change, and extensively restore the use of traditional agrobiodiversity to support the local economy and tourism. A pilot intervention by local stakeholders based on these principles is described as an emblematic agrobiodiversity-based landscape design project in a vulnerable area, aiming at the preservation of the cultural landscapes of the small Mediterranean islands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Runoff and Soil Erosion in the Mediterranean Region)
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