Robust and accessible modelling for an effective management of agricultural soil erosion in Europe

Soil erosion represents a serious challenge for agricultural production and for the environment.

Soil erosion impacts, such as reduction of fertile soil, alteration of the carbon cycle and pollution and eutrophication of water bodies, represent a significant management concern for the European Union.

Modelling approaches can deliver indicators on the state of soil erosion impacts and its trends, and scenarios in relation to climate and land use change.

This can help define efficient and targeted mitigation strategies by identifying the long-term controlling factors and the areas where, and periods during which, soil is at high risk of erosion.

However, to define such strategies, there remains a lack of modelling approaches a) able to provide with longer term baseline information which to measure the success or otherwise of mitigation strategies at the catchment scale and b) accessible and robust enough to be used, understood and trusted by users with more or less expertise, including researchers, land managers and policy makers.

In response, this project will improve improve the robustness and accessibility of quantitative methods for supporting agricultural land management.

The objectives of this project are: (i) to develop an accessible soil erosion model, iMPACt-erosion, to support agricultural land management in Europe at the catchment scale, (ii) to apply a robust and multi-disciplinary model evaluation approach to achieve greater confidence in the iMPACt-erosion model predictions and (iii) to identify the soil erosion controlling processes and vulnerable areas and periods to define targeted and effective mitigation strategies until 2100.