Submitted to: Soil Science
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: September 21, 2007
Publication Date: November 1, 2007
Citation: Ritchie, J.C. 2007. Soil erosion and sediment redistribution in river catchments: Measurement, modeling and management. Soil Science. 172(11):941.
Technical Abstract:
This book is a compilation of key papers presented at a Conference of the same title held at the National Soil Resources Institute at the Silsoe Campus of Cranfield University in the United Kingdom in September 2003. The book is made up of 28 peer-reviewed papers (the reason for the delay in publication) selected from those presented at the conference. The purpose of the conference and the book was to get experts from the fields of soil erosion, sediment transport, and sediment deposition together to discuss the movement of soil and sediment particle from the source to sink.
As issues relating to soil redistributions and sediment movement and their impacts on soil productivity and off-site water and land quality are becoming more important on the environmental and political agenda, there is a realization that we need to develop a better understanding of how to manage and protect our soil resources. This book provides in one volume an overview of the recent advances in soil erosion and sediment redistribution research and management.
The book is divided into three section, Measurement, Modelling, and Management. The chapters cover soil redistribution from point data to catchment data, from agricultural land to undisturbed forests to urban lands, and from source to sink. The first 11 chapters cover the latest developments in methodologies to measure soil erosion (i.e., fingerprinting, suspended sediments, and sediment budgets). The second section of 8 chapters provides reviews of recent developments in erosion modelling with authors arguing for the use of real data in the simulations. Seven chapters on erosion management are in the third section. These chapters discuss the need to get stakeholders involved in the decision-making process if there is to be any chance for success. The Australian Landcare movement is cited as a model of how to get community involvement and to involve all stakeholders in the planning, decision-making and implementation process. The editors in the concluding chapter recognize the need for links between old and new science if progress is to continue in our understanding of the soil and sediment redistribution process at the landscape level.
This hardback book has many excellent photographs and illustrations. It is an excellent resource to be highly recommended as a state-of-art book for all landscape and natural resources libraries. It should be recommended as resource reading for researchers and professional working in the areas of soil erosion and soil management as well as for undergraduate and graduate students for courses related to soil conservation, environmental management, hydrology and geomorphology.
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