Articles | Volume 11, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1275-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1275-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Short communication: Concentrated impacts by tree canopy drips – hotspots of soil erosion in forests
Ayumi Katayama
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Shiiba Research Forest, Kyushu University, Miyazaki, 8830402, Japan
Kazuki Nanko
Department of Disaster Prevention, Meteorology and Hydrology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, 3058687, Japan
Seonghun Jeong
Department of Forest Environmental Resources, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, Republic of Korea
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, Republic of Korea
Tomonori Kume
Shiiba Research Forest, Kyushu University, Miyazaki, 8830402, Japan
Yoshinori Shinohara
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, 8892192, Japan
Steffen Seitz
Department of Geosciences, Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 72070, Germany
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Raquel N. R. Falcão, Josef Krása, Martin Neumann, Jan-František Kubát, Corinna Gall, and Steffen Seitz
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5908, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5908, 2026
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We tested five tools that simulate rainfall to study how water affects soil. Because these tools differ in size and performance, we measured how evenly they spray and how strong the falling drops are. We found that each tool produces distinct rain patterns, but all can support soil studies when properly checked. Our work helps researchers choose practical and reliable equipment, especially when working in remote locations.
Corinna Gall, Silvana Oldenburg, Martin Nebel, Thomas Scholten, and Steffen Seitz
SOIL, 11, 199–212, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-199-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-199-2025, 2025
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Soil erosion is a major issue in vineyards due to often steep slopes and fallow interlines. While cover crops are typically used for erosion control, moss restoration has not yet been explored. In this study, moss restoration reduced surface runoff by 71.4 % and sediment discharge by 75.8 % compared with bare soil, similar to cover crops. Mosses could serve as ground cover where mowing is impractical, potentially reducing herbicide use in viticulture, although further research is needed.
Wanjun Zhang, Thomas Scholten, Steffen Seitz, Qianmei Zhang, Guowei Chu, Linhua Wang, Xin Xiong, and Juxiu Liu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 3837–3854, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3837-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3837-2024, 2024
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Rainfall input generally controls soil water and plant growth. We focus on rainfall redistribution in succession sequence forests over 22 years. Some changes in rainwater volume and chemistry in the throughfall and stemflow and drivers were investigated. Results show that shifted open rainfall over time and forest factors induced remarkable variability in throughfall and stemflow, which potentially makes forecasting future changes in water resources in the forest ecosystems more difficult.
Nicolás Riveras-Muñoz, Steffen Seitz, Kristina Witzgall, Victoria Rodríguez, Peter Kühn, Carsten W. Mueller, Rómulo Oses, Oscar Seguel, Dirk Wagner, and Thomas Scholten
SOIL, 8, 717–731, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-717-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-717-2022, 2022
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Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) stabilize the soil surface mainly in arid regions but are also present in Mediterranean and humid climates. We studied this stabilizing effect through wet and dry sieving along a large climatic gradient in Chile and found that the stabilization of soil aggregates persists in all climates, but their role is masked and reserved for a limited number of size fractions under humid conditions by higher vegetation and organic matter contents in the topsoil.
Corinna Gall, Martin Nebel, Dietmar Quandt, Thomas Scholten, and Steffen Seitz
Biogeosciences, 19, 3225–3245, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3225-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3225-2022, 2022
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Soil erosion is one of the most serious environmental challenges of our time, which also applies to forests when forest soil is disturbed. Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) can play a key role as erosion control. In this study, we combined soil erosion measurements with vegetation surveys in disturbed forest areas. We found that soil erosion was reduced primarily by pioneer bryophyte-dominated biocrusts and that bryophytes contributed more to soil erosion mitigation than vascular plants.
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Short summary
Even under forests, soil is eroded by rainfall. This is particularly true when human impact damages vegetation layers. We found that the erosion risk can be greatly increased by structural drip points at branches forming large drops under the tree canopy in the foliated and non-foliated seasons. Our measurements with sand-filled splash cups in Japanese beech forests showed drop energies up to 50 times greater than under freefall precipitation, indicating locally severe sediment detachment.
Even under forests, soil is eroded by rainfall. This is particularly true when human impact...