Assessing desertification sensitivity map under climate change and agricultural practices scenarios: the island of Crete case study

The aim of this study is the assessment of desertification risk for a typical Mediterranean island, in the frame of climate change and the application of good agricultural practices. Based on the MEDALUS Environmentally Sensitive Area Index (ESAI) approach, the sensitivity in desertification is esti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water science & technology. Water supply 2021-09, Vol.21 (6), p.2916-2934
Main Authors: Morianou, G., Kourgialas, N. N., Pisinaras, V., Psarras, G., Arambatzis, G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural management
Agricultural practices
Case studies
Climate change
crete
Desertification
esai
gis
Land degradation
Land management
Land use
Land use management
Land use planning
Methods
Mitigation
Parameter sensitivity
Quality control
Sensitivity analysis
Soil
Soil erosion
Soil improvement
Soil quality
Soils
Vegetation
Wineries & vineyards
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Summary:The aim of this study is the assessment of desertification risk for a typical Mediterranean island, in the frame of climate change and the application of good agricultural practices. Based on the MEDALUS Environmentally Sensitive Area Index (ESAI) approach, the sensitivity in desertification is estimated by employing 15 quantitative parameters divided in to four main quality indices: climate, vegetation, soil, and management quality. The methodology applied for a baseline scenario (current conditions), two future climate change scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) and a soil quality improvement scenario. According to the results, more than 13% of the island's area is characterized as critically sensitive to desertification in the current conditions. This percentage will increase in the future under both the RCP 4.5 and the RCP 8.5 climate scenarios, where the critical areas will rise above to 15%. By applying the soil quality improvement scenario simultaneously with the climate change scenarios, a slight mitigation of desertification risk in the future could be achieved. The methodology developed in this study may be used to assess desertification process under various climate, soil, and land use management scenarios in regions of the Mediterranean Sea.
ISSN:1606-9749
1607-0798
DOI:10.2166/ws.2021.132