Search results for " Salinity"

Moving Ahead from Assessments to Actions by Using Harmonized Risk Assessment Methodologies for Soil Degradation

2010

Almost all developed countries use risk assessment methodologies (RAMs) for the evaluation of risks related to soil degradation, viz. soil organic matter decline, erosion, landslides, salinization and/or compaction. However and for various reasons, seldom the use of such RAMs seldom results in actual measures to combat soil degradation in practice. In this study the current status of RAMs in EU-27 was evaluated and factors hampering the implementation of action plans were explored. To do so we used a so-called risk assessment chain, which describes the five successive steps of any risk assessment for soil threats viz., (1) notion of the threat, (2) data collection, (3) data processing, (4) …

The impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on groundwater quality in an active volcanic/geothermal system under semi-arid climatic conditions: T…

2017

Abstract A comprehensive hydrogeochemical study of the cold and thermal groundwaters of the presently quiescent volcanic system at Methana was undertaken that involved collecting 71 natural water samples. Methana is a peninsula in Peloponnesus, Greece whose arid climate and hydrological situation is similar to that of the nearby small islands of the Aegean Sea. Similarly, the chemical and isotopic compositions of its water are dominated by the mixing of seawater with meteoric water both through direct intrusion and meteoric recharge. However, the simple mixing trends at Methana are modified by water–rock interaction processes, enhanced by the dissolution of endogenous CO2, which lead to str…

Application and evaluation of the SWAP model for simulating water and solute transport in a cracking clay soil

2005

In Sicily, the increasing scarcity of quality water is leading to irriga- from salinization (Crescimanno et al., 2004). tion with saline water in soils having a considerable susceptibility to In Sicily, the increasing scarcity of good quality water cracking. Irrigation systems involving high application rates are used coupled with intensive use of soil under semiarid to arid in these irrigated areas, and bypass flow during irrigation is thus climatic conditions, is leading to irrigation with saline prevalent. Adoption of management practices accounting for cracking water on soils having a high shrink-swell potential and is therefore necessary to prevent salinization and land degradation. su…

Multi-Temporal Soil Salinity Assessment at a Detailed Scale for Discriminating Halophytes Distribution

2016

A multi-temporal survey of soil salinity in a salt lake, recolonized by halophytes, was performed using electromagnetic induction (EMI) providing volume integrated values of soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa). Inventories of plant communities were recorded according to the Braun-Blanquet method. In each of six areas monospecific with Suaeda vermiculata, Suaeda vera, Sarcocornia fruticosa, or Arthrocnemun macrostachyum, ECa was measured intensively in two seasons. Mean and range of ECa differ for each plant community. Soil was sampled in the six areas and analyzed for ion composition of the soil saturated paste extract. The electrical conductivity of the saturated paste extract (ECe…

Pedogenesis and Variability in Soil Properties in a Floodplain of a Semiarid Environment in Southwestern Sicily (Italy).

2010

We performed a pedological study of the variability in soils in a floodplain area of a semiarid region in southwestern Sicily. The objectives of our research were to (i) investigate the role of parent material, erosion, and distribution processes on soil pedogenesis and horizon differentiation; (ii) evaluate the statistical distribution of soil properties; and (iii) interpret these distributions in terms of pedogenic and other processes. Our results showed that not all soil properties examined followed a normal distribution and that even when logtransformed, the degree of normality of the soil salinity data did not improve. Furthermore, principal component analysis was performed to investig…

Paleoceanographic and paleoenvironmental changes in the Red Sea during the Messinian/Zanclean: new data from Site 225.

2013

Wastewater management using a pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow system in Western Sicily (Italy) for irrigation of Paspalum vaginatum Sw. turf

2017

The reuse of treated wastewater represents an attractive prospect for sustainable water management in urban areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reuse of treated wastewater from constructed wetland systems for the irrigation of Seashore paspalum turf (Paspalum vaginatum Sw.) and assess the effects of treated wastewater on the soil and turfgrass. The research was carried out in Sicily (Italy) in a pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow system (HSSF). Seashore paspalum plots were irrigated with freshwater and treated wastewater. In treated wastewater-irrigated plots, we estimated the amounts of nitrogen and potassium, supplied by irrigating with treated wastewater. The productive …

Investigating soil-plant relationships for sustainable management of irrigation with saline water in a Sicilian vineyard.

2009

Water demand is increasing worldwide. In regions affected by water scarcity such as those located in the Mediterranean basin, water supplies are already degraded, or subjected to degradation processes, which worsen the shortage of water. In such regions, competition for scarce water resources among users will inevitably reduce the supplies of freshwater available for crop irrigation. Detailed studies and experimental projects are needed to develop management scenarios aimed at preventing desertification and conflicts for use of the increasingly limited water resources and cultivable land. This paper illustrates soil-plant responses to irrigation with saline water in a Sicilian vineyard loca…

Monitoring Soil Salinisation as a Strategy for Preventing Land Degradation: A Case Study in Sicily, Italy

2010

Water demand is increasing worldwide. In regions affected by water scarcity such as those located in the Mediterranean basin, water supplies are already degraded, or subjected to degradation processes, which worsen the water shortage. In Sicily, the increasing scarcity of good quality water is expanding irrigation with saline-sodic waters, thus enhancing the risk of secondary salinization and sodification. Adequate management practices are urgently needed for sustainable use of saline/sodic waters. This chapter illustrates how the Geonics EM-38 probe was used for monitoring salinization in a Sicilian area where irrigation with saline water is increasingly practiced, and the risk of salinisa…

Plant response to irrigation with saline water in a Sicilian vineyard: results of a three-years field investigation

2012

This paper reports the results of a three-year field investigation carried out in a vineyard located in Sicily (Mazara del Vallo, Trapani) within the framework of the Project: Evolution of cropping systems as affected by climate change (CLIMESCO). Research investigated soil-plant response to irrigation performed with water having two different salinity levels; soil hydrological characteristics, soil salinity, crop transpiration and stomatal conductance were measured in field plots. The results proved that crop transpiration and stomatal conductance were significantly affected by soil salinity conditions (expressed as electrical conductivity of the soil saturated water extract). A significan…