Effects of land use on catchment runoff and soil loss in the sub-humid Ethiopian highlands

Land use and management affects runoff and soil loss from a catchment. The present study investigated the effects of land use on runoff and suspended sediment concentration and yield in the northwestern Ethiopia. We selected two small catchments: cultivated land and grassland dominated catchments wi...

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Main Authors: Dagnew, D.C., Guzmán, Christian D., Akal, Adugnaw T., Tebebu, T.Y., Zegeye, Assefa D., Mekuria, Wolde, Tilahun, Seifu A., Steenhuis, Tammo S.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/91541
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author Dagnew, D.C.
Guzmán, Christian D.
Akal, Adugnaw T.
Tebebu, T.Y.
Zegeye, Assefa D.
Mekuria, Wolde
Tilahun, Seifu A.
Steenhuis, Tammo S.
author_browse Akal, Adugnaw T.
Dagnew, D.C.
Guzmán, Christian D.
Mekuria, Wolde
Steenhuis, Tammo S.
Tebebu, T.Y.
Tilahun, Seifu A.
Zegeye, Assefa D.
author_facet Dagnew, D.C.
Guzmán, Christian D.
Akal, Adugnaw T.
Tebebu, T.Y.
Zegeye, Assefa D.
Mekuria, Wolde
Tilahun, Seifu A.
Steenhuis, Tammo S.
author_sort Dagnew, D.C.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Land use and management affects runoff and soil loss from a catchment. The present study investigated the effects of land use on runoff and suspended sediment concentration and yield in the northwestern Ethiopia. We selected two small catchments: cultivated land and grassland dominated catchments within the 95 ha Debre Mawi catchment. Hydrometric and sediment concentration data were collected for five years (i.e., 2010–2014). Significant (p < 0.05) differences in daily, monthly and annual runoff, as well as suspended sediment concentrations were observed between cultivated land and grassland dominated catchments. The greater runoff, suspended sediment concentration and yield in the cultivated catchment could be attributed to repeated tillage and low soil organic matter. Repeated tillage in the cultivated land lead to soil disturbance and the low organic matter lead to aggregate instability, both of which consequently increase the detachment of soil particles and transport by generated runoff. Our results support that land management practices that involve lower soil disturbance and increase ground cover on degraded highland areas such as the Ethiopian highlands could help reduce runoff and soil loss.
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spelling CGSpace915412025-10-14T15:09:09Z Effects of land use on catchment runoff and soil loss in the sub-humid Ethiopian highlands Dagnew, D.C. Guzmán, Christian D. Akal, Adugnaw T. Tebebu, T.Y. Zegeye, Assefa D. Mekuria, Wolde Tilahun, Seifu A. Steenhuis, Tammo S. land use land management catchment areas runoff soil properties soil organic matter soil disturbance erosion subhumid zones hydrology highlands sedimentation grasslands cultivated land tillage watersheds Land use and management affects runoff and soil loss from a catchment. The present study investigated the effects of land use on runoff and suspended sediment concentration and yield in the northwestern Ethiopia. We selected two small catchments: cultivated land and grassland dominated catchments within the 95 ha Debre Mawi catchment. Hydrometric and sediment concentration data were collected for five years (i.e., 2010–2014). Significant (p < 0.05) differences in daily, monthly and annual runoff, as well as suspended sediment concentrations were observed between cultivated land and grassland dominated catchments. The greater runoff, suspended sediment concentration and yield in the cultivated catchment could be attributed to repeated tillage and low soil organic matter. Repeated tillage in the cultivated land lead to soil disturbance and the low organic matter lead to aggregate instability, both of which consequently increase the detachment of soil particles and transport by generated runoff. Our results support that land management practices that involve lower soil disturbance and increase ground cover on degraded highland areas such as the Ethiopian highlands could help reduce runoff and soil loss. 2017-11 2018-03-09T03:39:23Z 2018-03-09T03:39:23Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/91541 en Open Access Elsevier Dagnew, D. C.; Guzman, C. D.; Akale, A. T.; Tebebu, T. Y.; Zegeye, A. D.; Mekuria, Wolde; Tilahun, S. A.; Steenhuis, T. S. 2017. Effects of land use on catchment runoff and soil loss in the sub-humid Ethiopian highlands. Ecohydrology and Hydrobiology, 17:274-282. doi: 10.1016/j.ecohyd.2017.07.004
spellingShingle land use
land management
catchment areas
runoff
soil properties
soil organic matter
soil disturbance
erosion
subhumid zones
hydrology
highlands
sedimentation
grasslands
cultivated land
tillage
watersheds
Dagnew, D.C.
Guzmán, Christian D.
Akal, Adugnaw T.
Tebebu, T.Y.
Zegeye, Assefa D.
Mekuria, Wolde
Tilahun, Seifu A.
Steenhuis, Tammo S.
Effects of land use on catchment runoff and soil loss in the sub-humid Ethiopian highlands
title Effects of land use on catchment runoff and soil loss in the sub-humid Ethiopian highlands
title_full Effects of land use on catchment runoff and soil loss in the sub-humid Ethiopian highlands
title_fullStr Effects of land use on catchment runoff and soil loss in the sub-humid Ethiopian highlands
title_full_unstemmed Effects of land use on catchment runoff and soil loss in the sub-humid Ethiopian highlands
title_short Effects of land use on catchment runoff and soil loss in the sub-humid Ethiopian highlands
title_sort effects of land use on catchment runoff and soil loss in the sub humid ethiopian highlands
topic land use
land management
catchment areas
runoff
soil properties
soil organic matter
soil disturbance
erosion
subhumid zones
hydrology
highlands
sedimentation
grasslands
cultivated land
tillage
watersheds
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/91541
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