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Simulation of the Effect of Climate Variability on Reclamation Success of Brine-Affected Soil in Semi-Arid Environments

doi: 10.3390/su12010371
Soils in arid and semi-arid environments are threatened by salinization. A cost-effective and efficient way to reclaim saline land is through leaching. This will be most effective in situations where direct human impact is the cause for salinity, e.g., in environments affected by industrial use or land rehabilitation following mining. Irrigation, which is the most common means of achieving salt leaching, is not feasible for the reclamation of mine sites’ salt-affected soils located in remote areas, and thus, land reclamation largely relies on natural climatic conditions. This study was conducted to assess the effect of different climatic conditions of semi-arid environments on spatio-temporal salt leaching from brine-affected soil, and investigate the efficacy of the reduction of soil bulk density as a reclamation technique for saline land experiencing water scarcity. Three regions (represented by the Australian cities of Roma, Mount Isa, and Quilpie) representing semi-arid environments of Australia were selected, and their climatic scenarios (23 years) were applied to a validated HYDRUS-1D model. A brine-affected soil typical to Queensland, Australia, was chosen for this study. The investigations established that a greater number of individual high rainfall events resulted in a greater reduction of salinity in Roma (96%) and Mount Isa (93.31%) compared with Quilpie (58.75%), in which the soil salinity approached a level (<2 dS m−1) that was suitable for sustaining plant growth. Soil salinity reduced to 8 dS m−1 under the climatic conditions of the Quilpie region. This study also demonstrated that the success of salt leaching from a brine-affected soil is a consequence of a sensitive response to the depth of individual rainfall events rather than rainfall distribution and the total amount of rainfall, and is controlled by the physical properties of the soil. Where climatic conditions cannot solely assist with salt leaching, reclamation may be successful by reducing soil bulk density.
- The University of Queensland Australia
- Federation University Australia
- University of Queensland Australia
- Federation University Australia
Monitoring, TJ807-830, 910, TD194-195, land rehabilitation, salt leaching, Renewable energy sources, soil bulk density, GE1-350, Renewable Energy, Planning and Development, hydrus, Sustainability and the Environment, Geography, Policy and Law, Environmental effects of industries and plants, 3305 Geography, Management, 2105 Renewable Energy, Environmental sciences, saline soil, 2308 Management
Monitoring, TJ807-830, 910, TD194-195, land rehabilitation, salt leaching, Renewable energy sources, soil bulk density, GE1-350, Renewable Energy, Planning and Development, hydrus, Sustainability and the Environment, Geography, Policy and Law, Environmental effects of industries and plants, 3305 Geography, Management, 2105 Renewable Energy, Environmental sciences, saline soil, 2308 Management
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