Journal of Arid Environments最新文献

{"title":"Groundwater abstraction and woodland mortality: Lessons from Namibia","authors":"Elbe Brunette ,&nbsp;Lixin Wang ,&nbsp;Theo D. Wassenaar","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105154","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105154","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In response to escalating worldwide groundwater dependence amid climate change, accurate estimation of sustainable groundwater yield becomes crucial. This study investigated the impact of groundwater abstraction on tree mortality in Namibia. We compared tree mortality around production boreholes with monitoring boreholes and we correlated groundwater decline rates with tree mortality, establishing a model from which we derived a groundwater decline rate range limit. Ana tree mortality was significantly higher (<em>P</em> = 0.01) around production boreholes (13.3%) than around monitoring boreholes (0%). In the dammed Swakop River, Ana tree mortality correlated with decline rates (r_S = 0.64, P &lt; 0.01). The study suggests that decline rates of above 0.2–0.23 cm day⁻¹ may cause elevated mortality (3–7%) and should not be sustained for extended periods. Rates exceeding 0.5 cm day⁻¹ should be avoided, while monitoring is recommended for rates between 0.23 and 0.5 cm day⁻¹. Woodlands in rivers with altered flood frequencies may be more sensitive to groundwater abstraction than previously thought. The study's methods offer a universal framework for refining sustainable yield calculations worldwide.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140290867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A data-driven approach for assessing the wind-induced erodible fractions of soil","authors":"Sahand Motameni ,&nbsp;Abbas Soroush ,&nbsp;S. Mohammad Fattahi ,&nbsp;Abolfazl Eslami","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105152","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>To develop an effective strategy for controlling wind erosion and soil degradation, it is necessary to identify the regions with the greatest wind erosion potential. In this regard, many wind erosion models are available that can be used to estimate the rate of wind erosion, allowing erosion control strategies to be assessed. A major factor in all wind erosion models is the inherent erodibility of soil. As it has been proven that the wind erodible fraction of soil (EF) is closely related to its erodibility, this parameter is of importance and used in many wind erosion models such as WEQ, RWEQ, EPIC, and APEX. To evaluate the effect of key soil parameters such as contents of sand, silt, clay, organic matter, and calcium carbonate on the EF, a dataset consisting of 293 samples was compiled from peer-reviewed studies. Initially, to evaluate the relationship between main soil parameters and the EF, Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated for the soil parameters. The results indicate that soil texture has a more significant impact on the EF than the contents of organic matter and calcium carbonate. Moreover, a total of six equations have been identified within the existing body of the literature for the purpose of predicting the soil EF. Through an evaluation of the performance of the existing equations, it was observed that their accuracy varies, often overestimating or underestimating the EF of soil, indicating their overall unsatisfactory performance. To address this issue, regression analysis was employed to propose an equation based on the compiled dataset, which provides satisfactory accuracy in EF prediction.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140137935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding the rapid increase in drought stress and its connections with climate desertification since the early 1990s over the Brazilian semi-arid region","authors":"H.A. Barbosa","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105142","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105142","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The aridity-related drought studies have been carried out extensively in Brazilian semi-arid ecosystems, although there is no report on relating aridity with different drought indices over the recent decades. Due to drought impact on agriculture and natural ecosystems, it has attracted extensive attention in the academic community. In this study, the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity-derived Soil Water Deficit Index (SWDI), the Meteosat Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) radiance-derived solar and infrared estimates, and the SEVIRI-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) datasets were employed to investigate the spatial and temporal characteristics of the drought episodes and the vegetation dynamic responses. An approach was implemented for identifying drought using a combination of mathematical and statistical features derived from the SPEI. The results showed that: (1) The frequency, duration, and intensity of drought severity identified by the SPEI and SWDI from 1990 to 2022 showed different characteristics in the Brazilian semi-arid region from 1990 to 2022. The frequency of moderate, severe, and extreme drought ranged from 5% to 92%, the duration was mostly concentrated in 5–6 dry months. (2) The whole Brazilian semi-arid region exhibited an overall drying tendency. (3) The NDVI-derived vegetation in the Brazilian semi-arid ecosystems exhibited an overall decreased trend during 2004–2022, indicating a degrading trend of the vegetation cover. The region where degrading trend of NDVI was negatively correlated with SPEI accounted for approximately 13% of the region. (4) The frequency, and average duration of the flash drought were 21% concentrated in 6 pentads, during the region growing season. (5) The spatial and temporal trends with the significance test of the rainfall, air temperature, and SEVIRI radiance-based estimations suited well with those of the SPEI data. These research results were significant for the region to respond to and prevent drought through human-induced land degradation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140196324000223/pdfft?md5=a4450255a492d64726e1af726521ccd6&pid=1-s2.0-S0140196324000223-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140133846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of flood risk using Hierarchical Analysis Process method and Remote Sensing systems through arid catchment in southeastern Tunisia","authors":"Sabrine Jemai ,&nbsp;Abdeldjalil Belkendil ,&nbsp;Amjad Kallel ,&nbsp;Imen Ayadi","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105150","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105150","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Flood hazard mapping is a fundamental tool for estimating vulnerability in flood-prone areas and assessing flood risk in arid areas, enabling better management. This study specifically focuses on analyzing flood risk in the Gabes catchment, South-Tunisia, which is marked by exceptional flash floods attributed to climate change, notably in the past fifty years. For this aim, a combination of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) coupled to Remote Sensing Techniques and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was applied in this work to identify flood-prone regions within the Gabes catchment. The selected physical parameters are rainfall, slope, slope curvature, elevation, land cover, distance from river, drainage density, and soil type. The relative significance of each parameter was analyzed within a pairwise matrix. Eventually, a regional flood risk map was performed that shows the global susceptibility index classification of various areas within the catchment. Notably, flood risk zones were predominantly concentrated in the coastal areas, accounting for 57.54% of Gabes catchment. The major findings of this study, focusing on potential flood risks in arid regions, offer crucial insights for decision-makers, providing essential data for flood preparedness and mitigation strategies. Nevertheless, it is still required to validate the obtained results with field records and flood inventory maps.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140122108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shrub encroachment in semi-arid rangelands of southwestern Buenos Aires, Argentina does not affect plant diversity and composition","authors":"Yanina A. Torres ,&nbsp;Leticia S. Ithurrart ,&nbsp;Mariela L. Ambrosino ,&nbsp;Andrea S. Brendel ,&nbsp;Francisco R. Blázquez ,&nbsp;Lorena V. Armando ,&nbsp;Alejandro Pezzola","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105140","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Shrub encroachment in semi-arid rangelands is a phenomenon associated with changes in floristic composition, loss of diversity and ecosystem degradation, enhanced by inappropriate grazing practices. However, the outcome depends on the species' identity and the management carried out. The objective of this study was to evaluate shrub species dynamics and their effect on plant community composition in a Monte rangeland of Argentina, under conservative grazing management at two different working scales. During two years, ground-based vegetation and soil cover measurements were performed in patches with and without shrubs using Daubenmire and Canfield's methods. Herbaceous and woody species recorded were classified according to their functional traits and forage value. Specific richness, Shannon's diversity index and Pielou's evenness were calculated. At a larger-scale evaluation, Sentinel-2A satellite images from year 2016–2022 were classified into three cover classes to evaluate the shrub encroachment process. Although an increase in shrub presence was observed over the years at both scales no effect was found on the diversity and specific composition, nor on the occurrence of forage species. Shrub presence promotes the coexistence of species with different functional traits and creates favorable conditions for soil protection and the establishment of desirable species for livestock purposes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140113614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling past, present and future: Species-specific responses to climate changes in three shrub congeners from south American drylands","authors":"Cintia P. Souto ,&nbsp;Laura P. Zalazar ,&nbsp;Mariana Tadey ,&nbsp;Andrea C. Premoli","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105139","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Drylands cover c</h3><p>40% of the land global surface and deliver significant ecosystem services. These regions are the most sensitive, prone to suffer the effects of climate and distribution changes, so estimates on projected range shifts are crucial to complement traditional approaches to biodiversity conservation and sustainability. Shrubs of the Monte Desert dominate the largest temperate dryland in South America. Our goal is to assess the spatial distribution and niche overlap of three native shrubs (<em>Larrea cuneifolia</em> (LC), <em>L. divaricata</em> (LD), and <em>L. nitida</em> (LN)), under present climate conditions, to retrodict their potential past distribution, and anticipate their predicted range under future climate scenarios. We used ecological niche modeling that were projected to the past (LGM and Mid Holocene) and future (2050 and 2070) under two scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions and two model of global circulation. All species have high niche overlap (67–89%), but showed species-specific responses, highlighting the need to develop mitigation measures particularly for LD and LN in the face of climate change and land use pressures. Global South deserts are being highly degraded and information on future potential ranges of endemic species can support the development of sustainable conservation and management plans.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139992424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the cultural ecosystem services of arid watersheds: A social media analysis","authors":"Antonio Vidal-Llamas,&nbsp;Néstor Nicolás-Ruiz,&nbsp;María Luisa Suárez Alonso,&nbsp;María Rosario Vidal-Abarca Gutiérrez","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105141","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study explores cultural ecosystem services (CES) provided by five arid watersheds of south-eastern Spain using the image social network Flickr. A total of 652 georeferenced photos were selected, uploaded by 174 authors. The most representative CES in each photo was identified. The relationships between the identified CES and the landscape elements and land uses represented by photos, as well as the CES associated with the protected areas of the study watersheds were examined by statistical and descriptive analyses. The results revealed that the CES most represented were aesthetic associated with water bodies, shrubs, native flora, trees and mountains; existence value with native fauna; inspiration associated with rocks and snow; and sense of place with natural and anthropised landscapes. Significant differences in aesthetic and existence value were found between photographs taken inside and outside protected areas. The use of photographs uploaded to social media in dryland is useful for exploring the landscape elements of greatest interest to citizens (e.g., landscapes, biodiversity) and some CES (e.g., aesthetic). However, other CES such as existential or inspirational value may be biased by subjective criteria of the researcher and due to the socio-cultural profile of the people who upload photographs to these networks.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140196324000211/pdfft?md5=aef998c2bcb6582102226e75ff5463a4&pid=1-s2.0-S0140196324000211-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139999601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of vineyards on habitat's thermal conditions and functional traits of a lizard in the central Monte Desert, Argentina","authors":"Yamila Méndez Osorio ,&nbsp;Rodrigo Gómez Alés ,&nbsp;Elín Avellá Machado ,&nbsp;Juan Carlos Acosta","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105143","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Vegetation modulates the spatial arrangement of microclimates and changes in land cover due to agricultural activities alter thermal landscapes. Lizard body temperature is strongly influenced by the thermal quality of the environment at the microhabitat level and land management for agriculture in arid environments can reduce the thermal quality of a species' habitat. Our objective was to evaluate if there are variations in the thermal biology and thermal quality of the habitat in <em>Liolaemus darwinii</em>, at a site modified by vineyards and in a natural habitat in the central Monte Desert, Argentina. Our findings indicate that vineyard-induced habitat modifications have an impact on operative temperatures and the thermal quality of the environment. This variability, in turn, is likely to bring about changes in locomotor performance traits and thermoregulatory strategies of <em>Liolaemus darwinii</em>. Our conclusion highlights the efficient thermoregulatory capabilities of <em>L. darwinii</em> across both sites. Furthermore, we propose that the analysis of changes in thermal landscapes, habitat thermal quality, and their correlation with organisms’ thermal traits can serve as a practical tool for assessing the impact of agricultural activities in arid environments. Additionally, it aids in the development of conservation strategies that promote the preservation of neighboring native vegetation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139993179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reduced moisture caused by short-term grazing prohibition results in a significant decrease of fungi abundance","authors":"Hongbin Zhao ,&nbsp;Xiaofu Zhang ,&nbsp;Huiyan Liu ,&nbsp;Xue Bai ,&nbsp;Jiaming Nie ,&nbsp;Guodong Han ,&nbsp;Bing Han","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105138","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105138","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The grassland ecosystem is an integral component of the global ecosystem. However, the changes in soil and soil microbial communities during the transition from natural grazing to grazing prohibition period in the <em>Stipa Krylovii</em> steppe, along with the driving factors behind the differences in soil microbial communities, remain unclear. In this study, soil characteristics and the fungal community diversity were measured and assessed. The results indicated that during the initial period of grazing prohibition, the dominant fungal species remained consistent, yet there were notable changes in their abundance and the physicochemical properties of the soil. Under natural grazing, a significant inverse relationship was observed between fungal abundance and pH. Conversely, a positive association was found between fungal diversity and volumetric water content (VWC), along with a highly significant positive correlation between fungal abundance, fungal diversity, and soil organic matter (SOM). In the initial period of grazing prohibition, fungal abundance exhibited a noteworthy positive association with SOM, VWC, and soil temperature (ST). Similarly, fungal diversity displayed a significant positive correlation with SOM and ST. Fungal abundance appeared to be more influenced by soil factors compared to fungal diversity, with VWC identified as the most crucial element impacting factor on fungal abundance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139944998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Where could they go? Potential distribution of small mammals in the Caatinga under climate change scenarios","authors":"Anna Ludmilla da Costa-Pinto ,&nbsp;Ricardo S. Bovendorp ,&nbsp;Neander M. Heming ,&nbsp;Ana Cláudia Malhado ,&nbsp;Richard James Ladle","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105133","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105133","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Many organisms will respond to climate change by shifting their ranges while pursuing potential climatically suitable areas. Predicting these area changes is important especially in dry areas such as the Brazilian semiarid biome, the Caatinga. Here we identified which Caatinga areas would be climatically suitable for small mammal species under different climate change scenarios; and quantified how much of these potential suitable areas would be gained or lost for each species under each scenario by 2050 and 2070. The small mammal species fall into two main ecological groups: 1) arid-adapted species with good climatic suitability for most of the Caatinga (four rodents were predicted to experience gain in their total suitable areas, while there was loss of suitable areas for all marsupials and two other rodents) and 2) species with good suitability for highlands or transitions areas with the Atlantic Forest (typically more vulnerable to climate change, experiencing loss of suitable area). These are the first predictions of climatically suitable area potentially lost and gained for the Caatinga small mammals during future climate change scenarios. Our results reinforce the need to ensure that conservation strategies are in place to deal with the unavoidable climate change consequences in this unique biome.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139915551","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}