Improvement of the soil protection system against erosion in the conditions of climate change

Abstract

Goal. To show the existing climatic trends, their impact on erosion processes and improve the soil protection system. Methods. Field, laboratory, cartographic, statistical, geoinformation analysis, mathematical modeling. Results. The manifestation of global climate change in Ukraine is an increase in average air temperatures and the sum of active temperatures, increasing aridity and changes in air and precipitation in the direction of increasing the heterogeneity of their distribution throughout the year and increasing the share of heavy rains and showers. That leads to an increase in the erosion risk, which requires a revision of the existing system of soil protection measures and stricter requirements for their application. A set of agro-technical and organizational measures, which consists of optimizing the structure of crop rotations, removing the most erosive dangerous areas from arable land, and applying soil-protective agricultural techniques, allows in most cases to reduce the level of soil losses to regulatory values. Among the methods of basic tillage, preference should be given to chiseling, which makes it possible to store plant remains on the soil surface. For erosion research, it is advisable to take into account the part of the surface covered with plant debris or protected from the wind by reclamation plantations. It is also promising to use non-contact methods, such as magnetometry. Mathematical modeling of erosion processes, which is a necessary component of the development of erosion protection systems, requires the revision of the applied precipitation parameters following climate change. Conclusions. Improving the system of soil protection from erosion in the context of climate change should be carried out consistently on each of the components of the system, starting with the optimization of crop rotation and the use of soil protection measures. Despite the generally positive experience of using soil protection agrotechnical measures on lands with high erosion risk to prevent erosion, they should be used in combination with hydrotechnical and agro-forestry reclamation measures, which should be carried out at the national level.