Abstract
Applying a dendrogeomorphological technique on exposed Quercus brantii roots, the current study examines surface erosion in the northern watershed of Zarivar Lake with respect to cultivated and forested areas. The first year of root exposure was identified using the departure of tree ring growth not showing a concentric shape having significant changes in the width of growth ring indices. Then, the Gärtner method was used to calculate sheet erosion as well as annual erosion rates. The results indicated that the rate of soil erosion was four times greater for cultivated areas (average erosion rate: 2.43 mm per year) in comparison with forest areas (average erosion rate: 0.60 mm per year) (P < 0.05). Statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine the effect of land use and different slope directions on erosion rates. At the same time, the type of land use significantly affected the mean rate of annual surface erosion in this catchment (P < 0.05). The effect of different slope directions (aspects) on the mean annual erosion rate in the catchment showed that they do not affect the mean annual sheet erosion rate (P < 0.05). The importance of forest and natural covering in the conservation of soil, and its role in protecting soil from erosion was shown in the comparison of the erosion rates of cultivated versus forested landscapes. Finally, the results of this study were compared with the previous 137 CS erosion rates derived data in the same basin.
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Shirzadi, L., Hosseinzadeh, M.M., Nosrati, K. et al. An evaluation of sheet erosion using dendrogeomorphological methods on Quercus brantii roots in the northern catchment of Zarivar Lake (Western Iran). Arab J Geosci 16, 142 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-11142-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-11142-x