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Sediment and Nutrient Export After Seasonal Rainfall: Comparing Forests vs. Thinned and Degraded Land

Author

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  • María Concepción Ramos

    (Department of Chemistry, Physics and Environmental and Soil Sciences, University of Lleida—Agrotecnio CERCA Center, Av. Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain)

  • Leticia Gaspar

    (Estación Experimental de Aula Dei, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (EEAD-CSIC), Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain)

  • Iván Lizaga

    (Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IPE-CSIC), Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain)

  • Ana Navas

    (Estación Experimental de Aula Dei, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (EEAD-CSIC), Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain)

Abstract

In recent decades, land abandonment due to socioeconomic issues has been a widespread process in different areas of the Mediterranean, altering landscapes and affecting soil properties and erosion processes. The aim of this research was to assess the impact of land use and land cover change on soil properties and sediment composition produced after seasonal rainfall. Mediterranean open forest (OF), pine afforestation (PA), thinned pine (TPA) and barren land (BL) land use/land covers were compared. We analyzed the soil characteristics and sediments that were collected under each form of land use and management across seven seasonal campaigns between July 2016 and September 2017. The relationships between soil particle size, soil organic carbon (SOC) and its fractions, key nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and sulfur) and rainfall characteristics were evaluated. Sediment loads from runoff, collected in trap MATs in monitoring areas under OF and PA, were similar in both quantity and composition. However, the amount of sediment increased after thinning, though it remained significantly lower than in BL. Sediment loads were driven by total rainfall in OF and in TPA, while rainfall erosivity had a clear impact in PA and BL. Afforestation helped to maintain SOC and nutrient levels comparable to those in OF, which were significantly higher than in BL. Nitrogen and phosphorous losses were mainly governed by the total amount of precipitation. However, the effect of rainfall on potassium and sulfur losses was not clearly evident.

Suggested Citation

  • María Concepción Ramos & Leticia Gaspar & Iván Lizaga & Ana Navas, 2025. "Sediment and Nutrient Export After Seasonal Rainfall: Comparing Forests vs. Thinned and Degraded Land," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-15, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:5:p:1040-:d:1652914
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