A semi‐analytical model for solute transport in layered dual‐porosity media

The vulnerability of groundwater from chemical leaching through soil is a concern at some locations. Because measurements are laborious, time‐consuming, and expensive, simulation models are frequently used to assess leaching risks. But the significance of simulated solute movement through a layered soil is questionable if vertical homogeneity of physical soil properties has been assumed. In the present study, a semi‐analytical model for solute leaching in soils is presented. The model is relatively simple, but it does account for soil layers having different physical properties. The model includes the mobile‐immobile model (MIM) to describe one‐dimensional (1‐D) nonequilibrium, transient solute transport under steady‐state flow conditions. The MIM is rewritten as a second‐order differential equation and solved by a numerical scheme. Differing from fully analytical or fully numerical solutions, the new approach solves the differential equation numerically with respect to time and analytically with respect to distance. Numerical experiments for a single layered soil profile show that the semi‐analytical solution (SA‐MIM) is numerically stable for a wide range of parameter values. The accuracy of SA‐MIM predictions is comparable to that of analytical solutions. Numerical experiments for a multilayered profile indicate that the model correctly predicts effluent curves from finite layered soil profiles under steady‐state flow conditions. The SA‐MIM simulations with typical parameter values suggest that neglecting vertical heterogeneity of flow paths in a layered soil can lead to inaccurate prediction of soil‐solute leaching. The quality of predictions is generally improved if parameter estimates for the different soil layers are considered. However, the mobile‐immobile‐parameter estimates obtained in a number of previous studies may not be transferable to a field situation that is characterized by a slow and steady flow of water. Further field experiments to determine mobile‐immobile parameters under such conditions are desirable.     

Effect of artificial soil compaction in landfill capping systems on anisotropy of air‐permeability

Soil air permeability is an important parameter which governs the aeration in soils that significantly promotes the root growth of field and grassland species and leads, in turn, to higher levels of evapotranspiration. The German Landfill Directive (2009) requires a rigid or a minimal shrinking capping system that ensures a high evapotranspiration rate to decrease the infiltration rate through the underlying waste body and therefore the leachate generation. This research is focussed on the questions if compacted glacial till can ensure the required rigidity and if and how air permeability is affected by soil compaction. The objective was to compare air‐filled porosity and the direction‐dependency of air permeability of a capping soil when assuming rigid and non‐rigid conditions considering a shrinkage factor. Intact soil cores were sampled in vertical and horizontal direction in 0.05, 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8 m depths at two profiles of a mineral landfill capping system at the Rastorf landfill in Northern Germany. Desiccation experiments were carried out on differently‐compacted soils and soil shrinkage was measured with a 3D laser triangulation device, while the air permeability was estimated with an air flow meter. The results indicate that the “engineered” soil structure which was predominately platy due to a layered installation, led to a more anisotropic behaviour and therefore to higher air permeability in horizontal than in vertical direction. The compacted installation of the capping system seems to be effective and observes the statutory required more‐or‐less rigid system, otherwise, soil shrinkage would lead to vertical cracks and a more pronounced isotropic behaviour.     

Soil compaction and sealing in Al‐Salmi area,western Kuwait

In the deserts of Kuwait in general and in Al‐Salmi area in particular, soil compaction and sealing are the most significant mechanisms of land degradation. In the present study, soil compaction and sealing in the Al‐Salmi area are assessed. The study is based on analysis of satellite images and aerial photographs, besides field measurements and laboratory investigations. Based on this study, a recent map is prepared for the concerned area. It shows three different soil classes. These are highly compacted (8\8 per cent), slightly compacted (1\7 per cent), and almost non‐compacted or natural (89\5 per cent). Soil compaction in Al‐Salmi area causes adverse changes in soil physical properties, e.g. infiltration rate, bulk density and soil strength. The infiltration capacity of the compacted soils has decreased by 18\46 to 91\96 per cent in comparison with non‐compacted soils. The bulk density for the compacted soil varies between 1\6 and 1\7 g cm⁻³, whereas it varies between 1\2 and 1\35 g cm⁻³ in the non‐compacted soils, that is an increased of 29\97 per cent. In some sites, the physical properties show small or no difference between compacted and natural soils due to the effect of soil sealing (crustation). Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi‐element stable isotopic dilution and multi‐surface modelling to assess the speciation and reactivity of cadmium and copper in soil

Chemical extraction, multi‐element stable isotopic dilution (ID) and multi‐surface modelling were used to investigate the lability of cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) in nine types of soil with different properties and contaminated or not with Cd and Cu. The chemical extraction and ID analyses both showed that Cd was more labile than Cu in all the soil types studied. From the ID results, 32.8–93.3% of total Cd and 14.7–71.8% of total Cu were isotopically exchangeable after 3 days of equilibration. A single extraction in 0.43 m HNO₃ gave similar results to the 3‐day ID assay for Cu in most of the soils and for Cd in the non‐calcareous soils. However, an eight‐step selective sequential extraction (SSE) procedure gave different results from the ID assay for both metals. Predictions of the multi‐surface model for the amounts of Cd and Cu adsorbed, based on measured metal ion activities in the soil solution and the concentrations of reactive surfaces in the soil, agreed with the ID results. The model predicted that soil organic matter was the predominant sorbent for Cd and Cu in the soils and that manganese oxide was the least important sorbent. The contributions of iron oxides to sorption were predicted to be small except in soil with a high pH and little organic matter. The predicted sorption on different soil components did not match SSE measurements.     

Tillage effects on the accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls in biosolid‐amended soils

Soil tillage along with the application of organic waste probably affects the concentrations of organic carbon and the enrichment of introduced polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In a three‐year experiment the PCB status of soils from three different field sites (silty clay loam, silt loam, sandy loam) which were long‐term differently tilled (NT = no‐tillage, CT = conventional plough tillage) and amended with two different organic wastes such as sewage sludge and compost (biosolids) was examined. No significant alteration in soil‐PCB quality and quantity with biosolid application could be proven within the course of the experiments. This indicates soil‐air exchange of PCBs dominates their concentrations in soil. Organic carbon in soil was significantly tillage‐dependent and determined the fate of PCBs resulting in a generally elevated PCB‐level in the non tilled soils. Linear regression of PCB load and organic matter content of all investigated untreated soils was highly significant (R² = 0.73). Due to already elevated PCB levels in non tilled soils with a maximum of 65 μg kg^—1 in the superficial layer of the silt loam control plot, any additional potential input, i. e. through the amendment with organic wastes, should therefore be avoided.     

An evaluation of Colwell‐P as a measure of plant‐available phosphorus in soils of volcanic and non‐volcanic origins in the highlands of Papua New Guinea

Various soil test methods including Olsen, Colwell, Bray and Truog have been used to assess the levels of plant‐available P (PAP) in soils situated in the highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Up until now, though, there has been no guarantee that these tests provide valid assessments of PAP in these somewhat atypical organic matter‐rich tropical soils. Furthermore, the critical soil‐P concentrations associated with the tests have been based on studies conducted elsewhere in sub‐tropical and temperate latitudes and as such may or may not be valid for soils or cropping situations in PNG. Soil (Colwell)‐P and leaf‐P data collected during a recent survey of sweet potato gardens in the highlands of PNG were therefore used to determine if useful relationships existed between these variables for different groups of soils, and if they do, to use these relationships to evaluate critical soil Colwell‐P concentrations corresponding to a known critical concentration of P in sweet potato index leaf tissue. Separate, highly significant linear relationships were obtained between leaf‐P and Colwell‐P for soils of volcanic and non‐volcanic origins. Based on these relationships, the critical Colwell‐P concentration for volcanic soils was found to be four times greater than that for non‐volcanic soils, presumably because much of the P extracted from the former soils with alkaline sodium bicarbonate had been chemically ‘fixed’ via sorption and precipitation reactions with sesquioxides and rendered unavailable to plants at ambient soil pH. These critical Colwell‐P concentrations if adopted as benchmark values for the soil groups in question should ensure that the results of future soil fertility surveys involving Colwell‐P assessments are correctly interpreted.     

Pedo‐ecological consequences of lithological discontinuities in soils—examples from Central Europe

Soil profiles having lithological discontinuities, i.e., stratified or layered profiles, occur worldwide. Their genesis as part of the upper‐regolith formation is comparatively well understood, particularly in Central Europe where extensive research on relic periglacial cover beds has been done. But the pedogenetic and ecological implications of lithologically discontinuous soils (LDS) are less well known. Most textbooks rely on the so‐called A‐B‐C‐model as a climate‐driven approach to soil formation. After reviewing definitions and concepts of lithological discontinuities and how they form, we present a pedogenetic model extending the traditional approach by considering substrate genesis and regolith dynamics. The consequences in the interpretation of vertical distributions of parameters of soil acidification and of heavy metals are investigated for typical soil profiles from the W Ore Mountains and the central‐German lowlands. Results show how lithological discontinuities influence the depth gradients and that properties inherited from substrate should be distinguished, if possible, from those developed by pedogenesis.     

Sulfur speciation in well‐aerated and wetland soils in a forested catchment assessed by sulfur K‐edge X‐ray absorption near‐edge spectroscopy (XANES)

In forested catchments, retention and remobilization of S in soils and wetlands regulate soil and water acidification. The prediction of long‐term S budgets of forest ecosystems under changing environmental conditions requires a precise quantification of all relevant soil S pools, comprising S species with different remobilization potential. In this study, the S speciation in topsoil horizons of a soil toposequence with different groundwater influence and oxygen availability was assessed by synchrotron‐based X‐ray absorption near‐edge spectroscopy (XANES). Our investigation was conducted on organic (O, H) and mineral topsoil (A, AE) horizons of a Cambisol–Stagnosol–Histosol catena. We studied the influence of topography (i.e., degree of groundwater influence) and oxygen availability on the S speciation. Soil sampling and pretreatment were conducted under anoxic conditions. With increasing groundwater influence and decreasing oxygen availability in the sequence Cambisol–Stagnosol–Histosol, the C : S ratio in the humic topsoil decreased, indicating an enrichment of soil organic matter in S. Moreover, the contribution of reduced S species (inorganic and organic sulfides, thiols) increased systematically at the expense of intermediate S species (sulfoxide, sulfite, sulfone, sulfonate) and oxidized S species (ester sulfate, SO ). These results support the concept of different S‐retention processes for soils with different oxygen availability. Sulfur contents and speciation in two water‐logged Histosols subject to permanently anoxic and temporarily oxic conditions, respectively, were very different. In the anoxic Histosol, reduced S accounted for 57% to 67% of total S; in the temporarily oxic Histosol, reduced S was only 43% to 54% of total S. Again, the extent of S accumulation and the contribution of reduced S forms to total S closely reflected the degree of O₂ availability. Our study shows that XANES is a powerful tool to elucidate key patterns of the biogeochemical S cycling in oxic and anoxic soil environments. In contrast to traditional wet‐chemical methods, it particularly allows to distinguish organic S compounds in much more detail. It can be used to elucidate microbial S‐metabolism pathways in soils with different oxygen availability by combining soil inventories and repeated analyses of a sample in different stages of field or laboratory incubation experiments under controlled boundary conditions and also to study (sub)microspatial patterns of S speciation in aggregated soils.     

Belowground Attributes on Reclaimed Surface Mine Lands over a 40‐year Chronosequence

Reclamation following mining activities often aims to restore stable soils that support productive and diverse native plant communities. The soil re‐spread process increases soil compaction, which may alter soil water, plant composition, rooting depths, and soil organic matter. This may have a direct impact on vegetation establishment and species recruitment. Seasonal wet/dry and freeze/thaw patterns are thought to alleviate soil compaction over time. However, this has not been formally evaluated on reclaimed landscapes at large scales. Our objectives were to (1) determine soil compaction alleviation, (2) rooting depth, and (3) spatial patterns of soil water content over a time‐since‐reclamation gradient. Soil resistance to penetration varied by depth, with shallow compaction remaining unchanged, but deeper compaction increased over time rather than being alleviated. Root biomass and depth did not increase with time and was consistently less than the values in the reference location. Plant communities initially had a strong native component, but quickly became dominated by invasive species following reclamation, and soil water content became increasingly homogeneous over the 40‐year chronosequence. Seasonal weather patterns and soil organic matter additions can reduce soil compaction if water infiltration is not limited. Shallow and strongly fibrous‐rooted grasses present in reclaimed sites added organic matter to shallow soil layers, but did not penetrate the compacted layers and allow water infiltration. Strong linkages between land management strategies, soil properties, and vegetation composition can advance reclamation efforts and promote heterogeneous landscapes. However, current post‐reclamation management strategies are incompletely utilizing natural seasonal weather patterns to reduce soil compaction. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimation of soil texture from permanent wilting point measured with a chilled‐mirror dewpoint technique

Soil texture is an important factor governing a range of physical properties and processes in soil. The clay and fine fractions of soil are particularly important in controlling soil water retention, hydraulic properties, water flow and transport. Modern soil texture analysis techniques (x‐ray attenuation, laser diffraction and particle counting) are very laborious with expensive instrumentation. Chilled‐mirror dewpoint potentiameters allows for the rapid measurement of the permanent wilting point (PWP) of soil. As the PWP is strongly dictated by soil texture, we tested the applicability of PWP measured by a dewpoint potentiameter in predicting the clay, silt and sand content of humid tropical soils. The clay, silt, and sand content, organic matter and PWP were determined for 21 soils. Three regression models were developed to estimate the fine fractions and validated using independent soil data. While the first model showed reasonable accuracy (RMSE 16.4%; MAE 13.5%) in estimating the clay, incorporating the organic matter into the equation improved the predictions of the second model (RMSE 17.3%; MAE 10.9%). When used on all soil data, the accuracy of the third model in predicting the fine fraction was poor (RMSE 31.9%; MAE 24.5%). However, for soils with silt content greater than 30%, the model prediction was quite accurate (RMSE 7–12%; MAE 7–9%). The models were used to estimate the sand content and soil textures of soils, which proved relatively accurate. The dewpoint potentiometer can serve a dual purpose of rapidly estimating the PWP and the clay, fine fraction, and soil texture of soils in a cost efficient way.     

Approaches to quantify progressive soil development with time in Mediterranean climate—I. Use of field criteria

Soil‐chronosequence studies are useful to assess relationships between land‐surface ages and stages of soil formation. Such relationships may then be applied to establish relative chronologies of development of land surfaces of unknown ages, contributing to landscape‐history reconstruction. For this purpose, it is important to identify those soil properties that are most closely related to soil age. This article reviews soil‐chronosequence studies from Mediterranean regions in Europe and California. Soil properties described in the field and soil‐development indices based on field criteria that have been used in the studies are evaluated. The properties total texture, rubification, clay films, dry consistence, and soil thickness are identified as useful and easy‐to‐obtain soil parameters, which are generally closely related to soil age. Most soil properties exhibit their greatest changes during certain phases of soil development, e.g., soil structure in soils < 10,000 y and rubification in soils > 100,000 y. The specific time spans of major changes of soil properties need to be considered, when looking for appropriate parameters to study a particular chronosequence. Indices, which combine several soil properties having their greatest changes in different phases of soil development, are useful to study soil chronosequences comprising large time spans, e.g., from Holocene to Middle Pleistocene. It is important to be aware that soil chronofunctions obtained from Pleistocene soils integrate rates of soil‐forming processes over periods of very variable climate and environment, and that soil development crossed internal and external pedogenic thresholds that are not reflected in soil chronofunctions.     

Soil structure and microbial activity dynamics in 20‐month field‐incubated organic‐amended soils

Soil structure formation is essential to all soil ecosystem functions and services. This study aims to quantify changes in soil structure and microbial activity during and after field incubation and examine the effect of carbon, organic amendment and clay on aggregate characteristics. Five soils dominated by illites, one kaolinitic soil and one smectitic soil were sieved to 2 mm, and each soil was divided into two parts and one part amended with ground rape shoots (7.5 t ha^?1) as an organic amendment. Samples were incubated in the field for 20 months with periodic sampling to measure water‐dispersible clay (WDC) and fluorescein diacetate activity (FDA). After incubation, WDC and FDA were measured on air‐dried 1–2‐mm aggregates. Tensile strength was measured on four aggregate classes (1–2, 1–4, 4–8 and 8–16 mm) and results used to assess soil friability and workability. Intact cores were also sampled to determine compressive strength. During incubation, the amount of WDC depended on soil carbon content while the trends correlated with moisture content. Organic amendment only yielded modest decreases (mean of 14% across all sampling times and soils) in WDC, but it was sufficient to stimulate the microbial community (65–100% increase in FDA). Incubation led to significant macroaggregate formation (>2 mm) for all soils. Friability and strength of newly‐formed aggregates were negatively correlated with clay content and carbon content, respectively. Soil workability was best for the kaolinite‐rich soil and poorest for the smectite‐rich soil; for illitic soils, workability increased with increasing organic carbon content. Organic amendment decreased the compression susceptibility of intact, incubated samples at smaller stress values (<200 kPa).     

Transferability of continuous‐ and class‐pedotransfer functions to predict water retention properties of semiarid Syrian soils

Hydraulic properties of soils, particularly water retention, are key for appropriate management of semiarid soils. Very few pedotransfer functions (PTF s) have been developed to predict these properties for soils of Mediterranean regions, where data are particularly scarce. We investigated the transferability of PTF s to semiarid soils. The quality of the prediction was compared to that for soils originating from temperate regions for which most PTF s were developed. We used two soil data sets: one from the Paris basin (French data set, n  = 30) and a Syrian data set (n  = 30). Soil samples were collected in winter when the water content was near field capacity. Composition and water content of the samples were determined at seven water potentials. Continuous‐ and class‐PTF s developed using different predictors were tested using the two data sets and their performance compared to those developed using artificial neural networks (ANN ). The best performance and transferability of the PTF s for both data sets used soil water content at field capacity as predictor after stratification by texture. The quality of prediction was similar to that for ANN ‐PTF s. Continuous‐ and class‐PTF s may be transferable to other countries with performances that vary according to their ability to account for variation in soil composition and structure. Taking into account predictors of composition (particle size distribution, texture, organic carbon content) and structure (bulk density, porosity, field capacity) did not lead to a better performance or the best transferability potential.     

Long‐lasting impact of biowaste‐compost application in agriculture on soil‐quality parameters in three different crop‐rotation systems

Soil‐quality parameters, such as soil organic matter (SOM) and plant‐available nutrient contents, microbial properties, aggregate stability, and the amounts of heavy metals were carried out in arable soils of different rotation schedules applied with a total of 50 Mg dry mass ha^–1 biowaste compost relative to an untreated control. This was investigated during a 10 y period from 1994 to 2004. Overall, soil‐quality parameters studied appeared to be promoted by biowaste‐compost application. This was evidenced for example by a remarkable increase of SOM and total N content of ≈ 15%–20% relative to the control. Subsequently, amounts of soil microbial biomass and alkaline phosphatase activity were significantly increased as well. In addition, biowaste‐compost application revealed an increase of plant‐available P and K contents and aggregate stability in soil. There was, however, no treatment effect for net N‐mineralization rates. Moreover, in soils of maize and sugar beet rotation schedule a slight decrease was found. Heavy‐metal contents of Pb and Zn were significantly increased in all compost‐treated soils, whereas no significant increase of Cd and Cu contents was measured. However, the investigated amounts were far below of the limits of the German Biowaste Ordinance. It is finally recommended, that biowaste compost may sustain and improve soil quality in agriculture when N nutrition will be considered.     

Estimating soil stress distribution by using depth‐dependent soil bulk‐density data

Depth‐dependent soil bulk density (BDS) is usually affected by soil‐specific factors like texture, structure, clay mineralogy, soil organic‐matter content, soil moisture content, and composition of soil solution and is also affected by external factors like overburden‐stress history or hydrological fluxes. Generally, the depth‐dependent BDS cannot be predicted or extrapolated precisely from a limited number of sampling depths. In the present paper, an easy method is proposed to estimate the state of soil mechanical stress by analyzing the packing characteristics of the profile using soil bulk‐density data. Results for homogeneous loess profiles exposed to the site‐specific climatic conditions show that the depth‐dependent relation of void ratio vs. weight of overburden soil can be described systematically so that deviations from the noncompacted reference state can be detected. We observed that precompaction increased from forest soils (reference) to agricultural soils with decreasing depth.     

Impacts of long‐term waste‐water irrigation on the development of sandy Luvisols: consequences for metal pollutant distributions

Studies relating macro‐ and microscopic aspects of impacts of long‐term contaminative practices on soils are scarce. We performed such an approach by assessing the fate of metal pollutants in an area close to Paris, where sandy Luvisols were irrigated for 100 years with urban waste water. As a result, these soils display strong accumulation of organic matter, dissolved salts and metal pollutants in surface horizons, but also migration of metals to depth. We examined soil development and metal distribution patterns in two irrigated soils, in comparison with a non‐irrigated reference soil. Soil macromorphological characteristics were studied in the field. Soil micromorphology and micro‐scale metal distributions were both studied in situ in thin sections, the latter by synchrotron X‐ray mapping. Microscopic study focussed on characteristic parts of the Ap and Bt horizons, mainly involved in metal retention. For Ap horizons, both large and diffuse metal concentrations were revealed, mainly associated with organic matter and dissolved components added by irrigation water. For Bt horizons, zinc accumulation was detected on clay‐iron coatings. Our results suggest that with time, a double metal‐filtering capacity has developed in these sandy Luvisols: in the Ap horizon, an anthropogenic filter resulted from input of metal pollutants together with highly reactive organic matter, carbonates and phosphates, thus favouring metal immobilization and limiting migration to depth. In the Bt horizon, the evidence is of a second, natural filter. However, this filtering capacity is endangered by clay destruction due to ferrolysis, as revealed by micromorphology. Ferrolysis, here initiated by intensive irrigation practices, leads to a reduction of the natural filtering potential and an increasing risk of metal transfer towards the groundwater.     

Potential of multi‐objective models for risk‐based mapping of the resilience characteristics of soils: demonstration at a national level

Policy makers rely on risk‐based maps to make informed decisions on soil protection. Producing the maps, however, can often be confounded by a lack of data or appropriate methods to extrapolate using pedotransfer functions. In this paper, we applied multi‐objective regression tree analysis to map the resistance and resilience characteristics of soils onto stress. The analysis used a machine learning technique of multiple regression tree induction that was applied to a data set on the resistance and resilience characteristics of a range of soils across Scotland. Data included both biological and physical perturbations. The response to biological stress was measured as changes in substrate mineralization over time following a transient (heat) or persistent (copper) stress. The response to physical stress was measured from the resistance and recovery of pore structure following either compaction or waterlogging. We first determined underlying relationships between soil properties and its resistance and resilience capacity. This showed that the explanatory power of such models with multiple dependent variables (multi‐objective models) for the simultaneous prediction of interdependent resilience and resistance variables was much better than a piecewise approach using multiple regression analysis. We then used GIS techniques coupled with an existing, extensive soil data set to up‐scale the results of the models with multiple dependent variables to a national level (Scotland). The resulting maps indicate areas with low, moderate and high resistance and resilience to a range of biological and physical perturbations applied to soil. More data would be required to validate the maps, but the modelling approach is shown to be extremely valuable for up‐scaling soil processes for national‐level mapping.     

A gamma‐ray spectrometry approach to field separation of illuviation‐type WRB reference soil groups in northern Thailand

According to the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (IUSS Working Group WRB, 2006), the differentiation of Acrisols and Alisols is based on the cation‐exchange capacity of clay, which cannot be directly determined in the field, but needs expensive and time‐consuming soil‐chemical analyses. This is an unsatisfactory situation for pedologists, who urgently require a rapid field method to distinguish illuviation‐type reference soil groups (Alisols, Acrisols, Luvisols, Lixisols). In this study, we tested the ability of gamma‐ray spectrometry to separate major WRB reference soil groups in the field. The underlying hypothesis is that Alisols and Acrisols are distinguished by their clay mineral composition, which should be reflected by geochemistry and consequently gamma‐ray radiation (i.e., K‐containing illite vs. K‐free kaolinite). Highly significant differences in their gamma‐ray spectrum for K, Th, and U were found for limestone and its soils. Especially the K and Th signatures allowed a clear separation of Acrisols and Alisols. In general, the surface radiation was sufficient to separate these soils. Best results were revealed considering parent rock and the whole soil profile. This means by using a portable radiometer and a pH meter, all illuviation‐type reference soil groups could be distinguished in this case. If applicable at other sites, this approach could enormously reduce expenditures for soil‐chemical analysis needed to assist soil classification.     

A CASE ASSESSMENT OF THE MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN HUMAN‐INDUCED LAND DEGRADATION IN NORTHEASTERN KUWAIT

Soil degradation and vegetation deterioration in contrasting areas (open desert versus protected desert) in the northeastern part of Kuwait were investigated, using field measurements, and laboratory methodologies. The average infiltration rate of compacted soils studied was found to be 52 per cent lower than that of the undisturbed soils we investigated. The bulk density of the compacted soils was 19 per cent higher than that of the non‐compacted soils. The average topsoil resistance of severely compacted soils was 13 per cent greater than that of undisturbed soils and is mainly due to overgrazing, and off‐road vehicle use. We found that the overall vegetation cover status of open areas investigated was approximately 70 per cent less than for the protected areas studied. As a consequence of soil compaction and vegetation deterioration, sand deflation processes, and sand movement prevail in open areas. The total average percentages of course grain sizes in unprotected soils and heavily disturbed soils by vehicles (off‐road) are 51 and 103 per cent greater, respectively. The annual rate of sand transport during the last 20 years, from the prevailing wind direction (NW) in the area has increased by 81 per cent. The delicate balance between soil and natural vegetation cover is easily disturbed by off‐road vehicle use associated with overgrazing and recreation activity. A restoration plan is needed in order to reduce land degradation and to allow natural vegetation recovery. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.