soil loss News
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New map of soil loss by water erosion across Europe
Soil erosion is an important issue in Europe, with consequences for water quality, ecosystem services supply and crop production. In this study, researchers enhanced an existing model to estimate soil loss and create an updated map of soil erosion across the EU. The authors say the tool can simulate the effects of land use changes and management practices and will support effective policy ...
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Soiling Sensor DustIQ: Firmware Update Improves Response and Handling
Better response to soiling with increased sensitivity Measurements taken outdoor in various desert regions across the world show that the DustIQ underestimated the degree of transmission loss with its earlier factory calibration dust slopes. Those various sites report that the outdoor dust slope is a factor reaching from 1.8 and 2.6 higher than the factory calibration. Based on these reports, an ...
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Soiling Sensor DustIQ: Firmware Update Improves Response and Handling
The pioneering soiling monitoring system Kipp & Zonen DustIQ is becoming even better. From now on, OTT HydroMet provides the DustIQ with a new firmware that simplifies both handling and calibration. Active users can update to the new firmware, too. Read this article to learn how. Better response to soiling with increased sensitivity Measurements taken outdoor in various desert regions ...
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Paper mill waste may be just right for reclaiming mineland
Paper mill waste can safely be applied at a rate three times higher than the typical rate in Ohio, to reclaim soils of surface-coal mined areas. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) soil scientist Martin J. Shipitalo found that a 300-ton-per-acre application rate had many benefits, and did not result in major additional negative effects on runoff water quality compared to the standard ...
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One-stop Soil Physical and Chemical Testing Service Now Available at Lifeasible
Lifeasible, a leading provider for environmental testing services, striving to deliver custom solutions to all research fields, now released a one-stop soil physical and chemical testing service that aims to free researchers from the tedious pre-processing work. Soil testing is essential for assessing the fertility of agricultural soils, as nutrients and other components affect plant growth. ...
By Lifeasible
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Loss of soil carbon linked to climate change in England and Wales
Soil and plants store around 5% of the world’s carbon, but carbon storage in some soils is in decline. Recent research has found that climate change accounted for 9–22% of carbon declines in organic soils in semi-natural habitats throughout England and Wales from 1978–2003. The researchers say monitoring soils rich in carbon should be a priority to ensure that more carbon is not ...
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Soil CO2 emissions may continue for longer than previously thought
Current models of soil carbon suggest CO2 emissions caused by rising temperatures will decrease over time. However, a recent study, which deliberately warmed soil for ten years, found no evidence of such a decline. The results indicate that our understanding of soil carbon dynamics may need revisiting. Soil is one of the most important carbon stores in the world. Just 0.1 per cent of carbon ...
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Climate change: Commission dishes the dirt on the importance of soil
A new report made public by the Commission underlines the crucial role that soils can play in mitigating climate change. Soils contain around twice the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and three times the amount to be found in vegetation. Europe's soils are an enormous carbon reservoir, containing around 75 billion tonnes, and poor management can have serious consequences: a failure to protect ...
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Between Hungry People and Climate Change, Soils Need Help
SELFOSS, Iceland, August 31, 2007 (ENS) - To meet the needs of a rapidly growing human population, more food must be produced over the coming 50 years than in the last 10,000 years combined, scientists say. But land degradation and desertification are undercutting the soil's ability to produce more food, causing an environmental crisis that affects one-third of all people on Earth, say experts ...
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A model to measure soil health in the era of bioenergy
One of the biggest threats to today’s farmlands is the loss of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil organic matter (SOM) from poor land-management practices. The presence of these materials is essential as they do everything from providing plants with proper nutrients to filtering harmful chemical compounds to the prevention of soil erosion. Sustainable management practices for crop residues are ...
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Fighting climate change with grasslands
Grasslands have vast untapped potential to mitigate climate change by absorbing and storing CO2, according to a new report by FAO. Pastures and rangelands represent a carbon sink that could be greater than forests if properly managed. Covering some 30 percent of the earth’s ice-free land surface and accounting for 70 percent of its agricultural land, the world’s 3.4 billion ha of grasslands can ...
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Soil biodiversity: functions, threats and tools for policy makers
Human societies rely on the vast diversity of benefits provided by nature, such as food, fibres, construction materials, clean water, clean air and climate regulation. All the elements required for these ecosystem services depend on soil, and soil biodiversity is the driving force behind their regulation. With 2010 being the International Year of Biodiversity and with growing attention on the ...
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Desert PV soiling tests reveal 10% tolerance optimizes costs
Earlier this month, Qatar announced it will launch its first solar tender for 700 MW of capacity by the end of the year. Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA) has prequalified 16 international solar developers and 350 MW will be connected to the grid by 2020, it said. Heavily reliant on LNG imports, Qatar is looking to diversify away from fossil fuels. Over the past five ...
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Contaminated land consultants urged to use new British Standard when soil sampling
Industry specialists working on contaminated land are being urged to use the new British Standard BS 10176 for soil sampling. BS 10176 was introduced in August 2020 but tests using old methods, which do not conform to the new standard, are still being accepted by regulators and assessors, which has led to concerns that its use is still only sporadic. “We’re seeing a lack of ...
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How Does Fine Dust Affect Solar Systems?
A two-year MIT study revealed how air pollution negatively affects the performance of solar panels. The particles in the air prevent part of the incoming the solar irradiance to reach solar panels. For their observations, they chose Delhi, India as the location, as it is probably the most polluted city in the world. The MIT scientists discovered that this can lead to a reduction in transmission ...
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Enhancing Crop Yield and Quality through Soil Sensor Technology
Achieving high crop yield and quality is a fundamental goal in agriculture. To accomplish this, farmers need to optimize their farming practices based on accurate information about soil conditions. Soil sensor technology has emerged as a powerful tool that enables farmers to monitor and manage essential soil parameters in real-time. By leveraging soil sensors, farmers can enhance crop yield and ...
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Natural Flood Management and the role of environmental monitoring
Flooding is a natural process, but it can cause heavy economic loss and endangers lives. Flood risk is expected to increase with climate change and increased urbanisation, so a heavy responsibility lies with those that allocate funding and formulate flood management strategy. In the following article, Nigel Grimsley from OTT Hydromet in the UK explains how the success of such plans (both the ...
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