Identifying Areas Sensitive to Wind Erosion—A Case Study of the AP Vojvodina (Serbia)

Wind erosion is one of the most significant forms of land degradation which occurs in arid and semi-arid regions. Agricultural land is significantly affected by wind erosion, which leads to soil quality reduction, and consequently to economic losses. This research was conducted in the autonomous pro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied sciences 2019-12, Vol.9 (23), p.5106
Main Authors: Baumgertel, Aleksandar, Lukić, Sara, Belanović Simić, Snežana, Kadović, Ratko
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural land
Agriculture
Arid zones
Decision making
Economic impact
Environmental risk
Fuzzy logic
Geographic information systems
Land degradation
Land use
Precipitation
Regional development
Remote sensing
Semi arid areas
Semiarid lands
Soil erosion
Soil properties
Soil quality
Vegetation
Velocity
Wind
Wind effects
Wind erosion
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Summary:Wind erosion is one of the most significant forms of land degradation which occurs in arid and semi-arid regions. Agricultural land is significantly affected by wind erosion, which leads to soil quality reduction, and consequently to economic losses. This research was conducted in the autonomous province (AP) of Vojvodina (a region dominated by agriculture), which represents one of the most important economic regions in the Republic of Serbia. The aim of this research was to identify areas sensitive to wind erosion (in the month of March) in the AP Vojvodina by using fuzzy logic, remote sensing data, and geographical information systems (GIS). The data of prior research on erosion sediment were used for results validation. The results show that the hazardous sensitivity category covers approximately 60.41% of the research area, while the medium sensitive category accounts for 36% of the area. These findings are primarily a result of the lack of vegetation in almost the entire area, particularly in wind-exposed agricultural areas with no vegetation, which are being prepared for sowing. Another factor putting such a large area at risk is the unfavorable climate (especially in southeastern parts of the area), and slightly less favorable soil properties in the north. The results of this research could be used in decision-making at the regional level, along with the development and implementation of programs aimed at mitigating the effects of wind erosion.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app9235106