SIDASS project - Part 1. A spatial distributed simulation model predicting the dynamics of agro-physical soil state for selection of management practices to prevent soil erosion

The SIDASS model was developed to predict losses due to mechanical and hydraulic processes and it also enables users to simulate prevention strategies if the required basic datasets are available. SIDASS model is linking under the same umbrella of a spatially distributed information framework, the experimental and theoretical researches from various fields of soil physics directly to farming practices (soil mechanics, soil compaction, soil erosion, and soil hydrology) in order to have a tool for recommendations of site-specific land use and management practices, and to evaluate agriculture policies at local and regional scales. SIDASS is validated on some precise datasets from specific areas, and was proved to forecast the effects of soil mechanical processes like soil deformation on soil erosion. It may be also used to couple the effects of hydraulic and mechanical properties on soil erosion processes. Thus, in its final stage, it provides a tool for recommendations of site-specific land use and management strategies. In the validation tests, the predicted values according to the model equations were in very good agreement with independent datasets taken from experimental fields in Spain, Hungary, and Romania. Several application examples (GIS maps) with reference to European soils are shown pointing to the "hot" areas of Europe where soil erosion or soil compaction problems are high, and are furthermore increased by soil management using heavy machinery or non-site-specific management strategies. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.