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

• 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
• ISSN: 2076-3417; 2076-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/app9235106

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.