Soil Erosion and Conservation

Code:

GEOGR016

Acronym:

ECSOL

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Geography

Instance: 2021/2022 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Geography
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Geography

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
GEOGR	29	GEOGR - Study Plan	2	-	6	56	162
			3

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

To offer students the possibilities to acquire knowledge and basic methodologies in order to identify, assess and control the impacts on natural factors and human activity on the natural resource soil.

Learning outcomes and competences

To develop technical and analytical capacities that promote discussion and analysis of problems in the real world, maintaining a reflective attitude, in which solutions are presented, supported by scientific concepts and methods.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. The importance of soil in natural environmental systems. 2. Basic concepts in Pedology. 3. Soil degradation. Definition, causes and types of soil degradation. 4. Scientific studies on soil erosion: a historical perspective. 5. Area distribution, on a global scale, of the most sensitive areas to erosion by water and wind . 6. The different processes of soil erosion. 7. Key factors of the processes of soil erosion. 8. Methodologies used to calculate soil erosion by water. 6. Soil erosion in Mediterranean Europe and Portugal. 7. Soil uses and environmental impacts. 8. Strategies for soil conservation.

Mandatory literature

Brand, C. Jane; Thornes, J. B. ; Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use, John Wiley & Sons, England, 1996
Brum Ferreira, A. et al ; A Erosão do Solo e a Intervenção do Homem no Portugal Mediterrâneo, Linha de Acção da Geografia Física, Relatório nº 31, CEG, Lisboa, 1993
Calvo, Mariano S. ; Contaminación del Suelo: estudios, tratamiento y gestión. , Ediciones Mundi-Prensa, Madrid., 1999
Cerqueira, J. ; Solos e Clima em Portugal, Clássica editora. Lisboa., 1992
Costa, J. Botelho da ; A água no solo, Liv. Sá da Costa. Lisboa, 1952
Costa, J. Botelho da ; Caracterização e Constituição do solo, 4ª ed, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisboa., 1991
Ellis, S.; Mellor, A. ; Soils and Environment, Routledge, London, 1995
Ferreira, Carmen G. ; “Erosão hídrica em solos florestais. Estudo em povoamentos de Pinus pinaster e Eucalyptus globulus em Macieira de Alcôba – Águeda”, , Revista da Faculdade de Letras, Geografia, I Série, vol. XII/XIII, Porto, p. 145-244., 1996/97
Ferreira, Carmen G. ; Degradação do solo no concelho de Gondomar: uma perspectiva geográfica. Contribuição para a definição de estratégias de planeamento e ordenamento do território., policopiada, Edição própria, 2008
Fournier, F. ; Climat et Érosion. La relation entre l’érosion du sol par l’eau et les précipitations atmosphériques., Presses Universitaires de France, Paris., 1960
Hudson, N. ; Soil Conservation, Batsford, London., 1995
Lal, R. ; Soil erosion research methods (2 ed.), Soil and Water Conservation Society, USA., 1994
Miller, Raymond W.; Donahue, Roy L. ; Soils. An Introduction to Soils and Plant Growth., Prentice-Hall International,Inc. , USA., 1990
Stocking, M.; Mumaghan, N. ; Manual para la evaluación de campo de la degradación de la tierra., Ediciones Mundi-Prensa, Madrid., 2003
Thornes, J. B. ; Vegetation and Erosion. Processes and Environments. , John Wiley & Sons, England., 1990
Varennes, Amarilis ; Produtividade dos solos e Ambiente., Escolar Editora, Lisboa., 2003
Niki Evelpidou; Tomás de Figueiredo; Soil Protection in Sloping Mediterranean, Niki Evelpidou; Tomás de Figueiredo (eds), 2009. ISBN: 978-972-745-107-4

Complementary Bibliography

Lal, R. ; Integrated watershed management in the global ecosystem. , Lal, R. (Ed.), 2014
de Figueiredo, T., Poesen, J., Fonseca, F., & Hernandez, Z. ; Rock fragments in topsoils as indicators of land degradation: a procedural framework and its application to NE Portugal., EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (Vol. 16, p. 11411), 2014
Farinasso, M., de Carvalho Júnior, O. A., Guimarães, R. F., Gomes, R. A. T., & Ramos, V. M. ; Avaliação Qualitativa do Potencial de Erosão Laminar em Grandes Áreas por Meio da EUPS Equação Universal de Perdas de Solos Utilizando Novas Metodologias em SIG para os Cálculos dos seus Fatores na Região do Alto Parnaíba PI-MA., . Revista Brasileira de Geomorfologia, 7(2), 2006

Comments from the literature

Specific bibliography will be recomended in the classes

Teaching methods and learning activities

Diversified methods will be used in order to allow the students the apprehension and fulfilment of the objectives and skills previously related

Software

Word; Exel; Power point

keywords

Natural sciences > Agrarian Sciences > Soil science

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	65,00
Trabalho escrito	35,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	60,00
Frequência das aulas	56,00
Trabalho de investigação	46,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Presence in 75% of classes.

Calculation formula of final grade

Final exam of the theoretical component - 65% (13 val.)
Note: The student must have 5 val. in final exam of the theoretical component, for a total of 13 val. to get in this component. 
Research work - 25% Oral presentation and discussion of the research work - 10%

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

The students in special regimen will get the final mark of the following form: 1. Final exam of the theoretical component (The student must have a minimum of 38,5% (5 val.) in final exam of the theoretical component); 2. Research work definite by the professor and followed by this in schedule to combine with students. 3. This work will be presented orally in date and hour to combine.

Classification improvement

In the recourse period, the student will have to do, necessarily, the exam of the theoretical component, getting to the consideration of the Professor the need to make an improvement of the prepared practical work, according to the quality of that work. In this sense, the student should contact in advance the professor, in order to be informed of such a need.