Modelling Hot Spots of Soil Loss by Wind Erosion (SOLOWIND) in Western Saxony, Germany

While it needs yet to be assessed whether or not wind erosion in Western Saxony is a major point of concern regarding land degradation and fertility, it has already been recognized that considerable off-site effects of wind erosion in the adjacent regions of Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg are connected to the spread of herbicides, pesticides and dust. So far no wind erosion assessment for Western Saxony, Germany, exists. The wind erosion model previously applied for Germany (DIN standard 19706) is neither considering changes in wind direction over time nor influences of field size. This study aims to provide a first assessment of wind erosion for Western Saxony by extending the existing DIN model to a multidirectional model on Soil Loss by Wind (SoLoWind) with new controlling factors (changing wind directions, soil cover, mean field length and mean protection zone) combined by fuzzy logic. SoLoWind is used for a local off-site effect evaluation in combination with high resolution wind speed and wind direction data at a section of the highway A72. The model attributes 3.6% of the arable fields in Western Saxony to the very high wind erosion risk class. A relationship between larger fields (greater than 116 ha) and higher proportions (51.7%) of very high wind erosion risk can be observed. Sections of the highway A72 might be under high risk according to the modeled off-site effects of wind erosion. The presented applications showed the potential of SoLoWind to support and consult management for protection measures on a regional scale.