Soil Erosion and Conservation

Code:

GEOGR016

Acronym:

ECSOL

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Geography

Instance: 2025/2026 - 2S

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	21	study plan	2	-	6	41	162
			3

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

To characterise the importance of soils in natural systems.

To understand soil formation and evolution processes.

To recognize and characterize the different soil classification systems.

To define the concept of soil degradation, identify its causes and the types of soil degradation.

To define the concept of soil erosion and characterize different soil erosion processes (water and wind erosion).

To characterize the main factors responsible for the soil erosion process.

To assess soil water erosion using the EUPS.

To propose soil conservation strategies adapted to natural characteristics and to human activity in the use of soil resources.

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 methods.

Ability to apply methods for assessing the susceptibility to water erosion of soils and discuss their results with a view to their application to land use planning.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. The importance of soil in natural environmental systems.


2. Basic concepts in Pedology: formation, characteristics, evolution and soil classification.


3. Soil degradation. Definition, causes and types of soil degradation.


4. Soil uses and environmental impacts.


5. Scientific studies on soil erosion: a historical perspective.


6. The different processes of soil erosion.


7. Key factors of soil erosion processes.


8. Methodologies used to calculate soil erosion by water.


9. Spatial distribution on a global scale of the most suscetible areas to soil erosion by water and wind.


10. Soil erosion in Mediterranean Europe and Portugal.


11. Strategies for soil conservation.

Mandatory literature

Arbogast , A. F. ; Discovering Physical Geography, Wiley, 2017
Blanco-Canqui, H.; Lal, R. ; Principles of Soil Conservation and Management, Springer Science+Business, 2010
Boardman, J. ; Soil erosion science: Reflections on the limitations of current approaches., Catena, 2006. ISBN: ISSN 0341-8162 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2006.03.007.)
Borrelli, P.; Alewell, C.; Alvarez,P. et al.; Soil erosion modelling: A global review and statistical analysis, Science of the Total Environment, 2020. ISBN: 0048-9697 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972101562X)
Costa, J. Botelho da ; Caracterização e Constituição do solo, 4ª ed, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisboa., 1991
Evelpidou, N.; Figueiredo, T. ; Soil Protection in Sloping Mediterranean: lectures and exercises, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, 2009
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
García-Ruiz, J., Nadal-Romero, E., Lana-Renault, N., Beguería, S. ; Erosion in Mediterranean landscapes: changes and future challenges, Geomorphology, 2013. ISBN: 0169-555X (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169555X13003073)
Lal, R. ; Soil erosion research methods (2 ed.), Soil and Water Conservation Society, USA., 1994
Morgan, R. J. P. ; Soil erosion and conservation, Blackwell Publishing, 2005
Panagos,P., Borrelli,P., Meusburger,K., Alewell, C., Lugato,E., Montanarella,L. ; Estimating the soil erosion cover-management factor at the European scale, Land Use Policy, 2015 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.05.021)
Patil, R.J ; Spatial Techniques for Soil Erosion Estimation. Remote Sensing and Gis Approach, Springer Briefs in GIS, 2005. ISBN: 978-3-319-74285-4 (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-74286-1)
Stocking, M.; Mumaghan, N. ; Manual para la evaluación de campo de la degradación de la tierra, Ediciones Mundi-Prensa, 2003
Tarolli, P., Preti, F., Romano, N. ; Terraced landscapes: From an old best practice to a potential hazard for soil degradation due to land abandonment. , Anthropocene, 2014 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ancene.2014.03.002)
Tóth, G.; Montanarella, L.and Rusco, E. (eds.); Threats to Soil Quality in Europe , JRC Scientific and Technical Reports. JRC, European Commission, 2008

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

ArcGis
Word; Exel; Power point

keywords

Natural sciences > Agrarian Sciences > Soil science > Soil contamination
Natural sciences > Agrarian Sciences > Soil science > Soil function
Natural sciences > Agrarian Sciences > Soil science
Natural sciences > Agrarian Sciences > Soil science > Soil protection

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	60,00
Trabalho escrito	30,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	10,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	61,00
Frequência das aulas	41,00
Trabalho de investigação	60,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Presence in 75% of classes.

Calculation formula of final grade

Exam of the theoretical component - 60% (12 values)
Research work - 30% (6 values)
Oral presentation of the practical work - 10% (2 values)

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

The students who are in special regime and cannot attend the course will have to take the final exam of the theoretical component and a final exam of the practical component with questions related to the practical work developed in classes.
The calculation of the final classification will correspond the following weighting:

Exam of the theoretical component - 60% (12 values)
Exam of the practical component - 40% (8 values)

Classification improvement

The calculation of the final classification will correspond to the result of the following weighting:

Theoretical exam – 60% (12 points)

Practical report - 40% (8 points)

In the practical component, the teacher must consider the need to improve the practical work(s) prepared, depending on the quality of the work(s). In this sense, the student must contact the teacher in advance, in order to be informed of this need.