Articles | Volume 3, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-363-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-363-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
23 Jul 2015
Research article |
| 23 Jul 2015
High natural erosion rates are the backdrop for present-day soil erosion in the agricultural Middle Hills of Nepal
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
M. Arnold
Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS-IRD-Collège de France, UM 34 CEREGE, Technopôle de l'Environnement Arbois-Méditerranée, BP80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence, France
The ASTER Team
G. AumaÎtre
Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS-IRD-Collège de France, UM 34 CEREGE, Technopôle de l'Environnement Arbois-Méditerranée, BP80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence, France
The ASTER Team
D. L. Bourlès
Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS-IRD-Collège de France, UM 34 CEREGE, Technopôle de l'Environnement Arbois-Méditerranée, BP80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence, France
The ASTER Team
K. Keddadouche
Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS-IRD-Collège de France, UM 34 CEREGE, Technopôle de l'Environnement Arbois-Méditerranée, BP80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence, France
The ASTER Team
M. Bickle
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
T. Ojha
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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Cited
16 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Review of erosion dynamics along the major N-S climatic gradient in Chile and perspectives S. Carretier et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.10.016
- Soil erosion vulnerability and adaptation strategies in maize field of Sindhukhola sub-watershed region, Nepal B. Panta et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-020-03747-2
- Geomorphological analysis and early warning systems for landslide risk mitigation in Nepalese mid-hills P. Thapa et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-023-05929-8
- The imprint of erosion by glacial lake outburst floods in the topography of central Himalayan rivers M. Dahlquist & A. West https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-705-2022
- Trees slow down erosion and allow soil progression in an extremely high-rainfall old-growth mixed dipterocarp forest of southwest Sri Lanka J. Jaroš et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.108911
- Fingerprinting Sediment Sources After an Extreme Rainstorm Event in a Small Catchment on the Loess Plateau, PR China J. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2803
- Characteristics and driving factors of spatiotemporal changes in soil erosion in the karst plateau mountainous region over 20 years Y. Bai et al. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314266
- Molecular Tracing of Riverine Soil Organic Matter From the Central Himalaya L. Märki et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087403
- Role of landslides on the volume balance of the Nepal 2015 earthquake sequence A. Valagussa et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83037-y
- A systematic review and gap analysis of drivers, impacts, and restoration options for abandoned croplands in Nepal R. Ojha et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106237
- Influence of topography and human activity on apparent in situ 10Be-derived erosion rates in Yunnan, SW China A. Schmidt et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-819-2016
- Calcite Dissolution-Reprecipitation Reactions Are a Key Control on the Sr/Ca, Mg/Ca and δ88/86Sr Compositions of Himalayan River Waters E. Stevenson et al. https://doi.org/10.2475/001c.124202
- Annual Sediment Transport Dynamics in the Narayani Basin, Central Nepal: Assessing the Impacts of Erosion Processes in the Annual Sediment Budget G. Morin et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JF004460
- The CAIRN method: automated, reproducible calculation of catchment-averaged denudation rates from cosmogenic nuclide concentrations S. Mudd et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-655-2016
- Payment for ecosystem services: could it be sustainable financing mechanism for watershed services in Nepal? K. Aryal et al. https://doi.org/10.3934/GF.2019.3.221
- Soil erosion affected by trees in a tropical primary rain forest, Papua New Guinea P. Šamonil et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2023.108589
16 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Review of erosion dynamics along the major N-S climatic gradient in Chile and perspectives S. Carretier et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.10.016
- Soil erosion vulnerability and adaptation strategies in maize field of Sindhukhola sub-watershed region, Nepal B. Panta et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-020-03747-2
- Geomorphological analysis and early warning systems for landslide risk mitigation in Nepalese mid-hills P. Thapa et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-023-05929-8
- The imprint of erosion by glacial lake outburst floods in the topography of central Himalayan rivers M. Dahlquist & A. West https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-705-2022
- Trees slow down erosion and allow soil progression in an extremely high-rainfall old-growth mixed dipterocarp forest of southwest Sri Lanka J. Jaroš et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.108911
- Fingerprinting Sediment Sources After an Extreme Rainstorm Event in a Small Catchment on the Loess Plateau, PR China J. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2803
- Characteristics and driving factors of spatiotemporal changes in soil erosion in the karst plateau mountainous region over 20 years Y. Bai et al. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314266
- Molecular Tracing of Riverine Soil Organic Matter From the Central Himalaya L. Märki et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087403
- Role of landslides on the volume balance of the Nepal 2015 earthquake sequence A. Valagussa et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83037-y
- A systematic review and gap analysis of drivers, impacts, and restoration options for abandoned croplands in Nepal R. Ojha et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106237
- Influence of topography and human activity on apparent in situ 10Be-derived erosion rates in Yunnan, SW China A. Schmidt et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-819-2016
- Calcite Dissolution-Reprecipitation Reactions Are a Key Control on the Sr/Ca, Mg/Ca and δ88/86Sr Compositions of Himalayan River Waters E. Stevenson et al. https://doi.org/10.2475/001c.124202
- Annual Sediment Transport Dynamics in the Narayani Basin, Central Nepal: Assessing the Impacts of Erosion Processes in the Annual Sediment Budget G. Morin et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JF004460
- The CAIRN method: automated, reproducible calculation of catchment-averaged denudation rates from cosmogenic nuclide concentrations S. Mudd et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-655-2016
- Payment for ecosystem services: could it be sustainable financing mechanism for watershed services in Nepal? K. Aryal et al. https://doi.org/10.3934/GF.2019.3.221
- Soil erosion affected by trees in a tropical primary rain forest, Papua New Guinea P. Šamonil et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2023.108589
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 29 Oct 2026
Short summary
Soils are vital resources put at risk by erosional loss. Evaluating agricultural effects on erosion is complicated where natural rates are high, as in central Nepal. This study infers erosion rates over thousands of years and compares these rates to those observed over the short term. Results suggest that effects of agriculture are small and that most erosion takes place through natural processes. However, present-day erosion on degraded lands is significantly faster than over the long term.
Soils are vital resources put at risk by erosional loss. Evaluating agricultural effects on...
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