El suelo, ese desconocido (vídeo divulgativo)

Video divulgativo de Arboreo Microdocus, presentado por Miguel Ortega, quién entrevista al profesor David Badía, caracterizando un perfil de suelos a los pies de Gratal.

Charla: La restauración hidrológico-forestal en las laderas de Saldaña (II)

Algunas imágenes de la intervención de nuestro compañero Joaquín Navarro en Saldaña.

Charla: La restauración hidrológico-forestal de Saldaña

Si estás por la zona, no te lo puedes perder.

Inundaciones en Ávila: algunas lecciones aprendidas (o por aprender)

Este blog se escribe desde la ciudad de Ávila, que ha sufrido algunas inundaciones en los últimos días. Han sido unas inundaciones leves, sin daños personales y no excesivos daños materiales, aunque las personas afectadas merecen nuestra solidaridad y apoyo, y la ayuda de las administraciones públicas.

La causa del desbordamiento de los ríos Adaja y Chico ha sido la abundante precipitación caída en las últimas semanas, como consecuencia del paso consecutivo de cuatro borrascas: Jana, Konrad y Laurence. Ahora, Martinho. Especialmente esta última generó precipitaciones intensas en la noche del 20 al 21 de marzo.

Sin embargo, en mi opinión, hay que aprender dos lecciones muy importantes sobre estas inundaciones, que no por simples hay que dejar de destacar:

1) Las zonas inundables se terminan inundando.

2) Las inundaciones catastróficas son un problema más de ordenación del territorio o de planificación urbanística que de hidrología.

3) Como ya explicamos para la catástrofe de Valencia, cabeceras de cuencas con cubierta forestal densa previenen las inundaciones abajo.

Aquí os dejo algunas fotos que para los vecinos de esta ciudad tienen carácter histórico, ya que no se veía una riada similar desde los años 40 del siglo XX.

Spacial issue: Combating Desertification and Adapting to Droughts

 

Droughts are among the most urgent threats to sustainable development, with projections indicating that by 2050, they could affect more than three-quarters of the global population. Since 2000, the frequency and duration of droughts have increased by 29% compared to the previous two decades (WMO, 2021). Meanwhile, desertification – defined as land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry-subhumid regions – has accelerated, posing severe risks to ecosystems, biodiversity, and human livelihoods worldwide.

The complex interplay between climatic variability and human activities has intensified pressure on rangelands, forests, and agricultural lands, diminishing their resilience and long-term productivity. As a result, environmental degradation is exacerbating risks to water and food security, particularly in dryland regions. Addressing these challenges requires interdisciplinary research and innovative solutions to mitigate land degradation and enhance drought resilience.

To contribute to this global effort, we invite submissions on topics related to desertification and drought adaptation. While rooted in soil science, this Special Issue welcomes contributions from related disciplines, including agronomy, environmental science, forestry, hydrology, and physical geography.

Suggested Themes:

• Climate change and its role in exacerbating desertification

• Soil degradation and restoration in drylands

• Geo-ecological responses to drought and land degradation

• Impacts of drought on soil quality and the carbon cycle

• Sustainable land management practices to combat desertification

• Innovative agricultural strategies for drought adaptation

• Remote sensing and modelling for monitoring land degradation

• Traditional and indigenous knowledge in dryland management

• Policy frameworks and governance for drought resilience

The UN’s designation of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought highlights the urgency of this issue. We look forward to receiving high-quality submissions that advance knowledge and contribute to practical solutions for these pressing global challenges.

Keywords: soil quality, drought, desertification, sustainable development, land degradation, water security, food security, drylands, drought resilience, drought adaptation, soil science, agronomy, environmental science, forestry, hydrology, physical geography, climate change, remote sensing, policy, sustainable land management, carbon cycle, indigenous knowledge, governance, climatic variability

Issue editors: Ilan Stavi and Jorge Mongil-Manso

Manuscript Summary Submission Deadline 30 September 2025 | Manuscript Submission Deadline 31 January 2026

Link

Aplicación informática ModERFoRest disponible

La aplicación informática ModERFoRest (Modeling Environmental Requirements for Forest Restoration) se pone a disposición de los usuarios de forma gratuita desde la web de la SECF:

https://secforestales.org/content/aplicacion-informatica-moderforest-disponible

Orientada principalmente a la comunidad científica y técnica, esta herramienta sirve para un buen número de procesos de modelización y cálculo en el campo de la ecología forestal.

La aplicación consta de tres módulos que se integran en un núcleo común y tres herramientas de cálculo de datos.

Agua, el alma del paisaje

Colaboramos con el proyecto "Agua, el alma del paisaje" de la Fundación Paisaje.

Conoce el proyecto haciendo click aquí.

Properties of Waterlogged Soils Developed on Arkose and Aeolian Sands in an Agro-Silvopastoral System

Una de nuestras últimas publicaciones:

Jiménez-Ballesta, R.; San José, F.J.; Mongil-Manso, J.; Escudero-Campos, L.; Álvarez-Castellanos, M.P.; 2025. Properties of waterlogged soils developed on arkose and aeolian sands in an agro-silvopastoral system. European Journal of Soil Science, e70055. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70055

Enlace a la publicación

Globally speaking, academic research assumes that soils affected by water stagnation have a significant constraint, especially concerning their productivity and environmental benefits. In the surrounding landscape of northern Ávila Province (northern Spanish Central System), where many small farmers and livestock breeders of the region live, there are areas that are periodically flooded. This study examines the impact of hydromorphism on soil features and formation in La Moraña, a region with arkosic and aeolic sands; it also investigates the soil's role in sustainable waterlogged agro-silvopastoral development. The main land uses are agriculture, pastures or pine forests. The soils show acidic to alkaline reaction (pH 5.6 to 9.1), with sandy to loamy textures, and contain moderate to high levels of organic matter (1.7% to 8.0%) and total nitrogen (0.01% to 0.26%) contents. A moderate to medium cation exchange capacity (CEC) (3.13 to 15 cmol kg−1) and high base saturation status (72% to 81%) were observed. In both soil groups (Cambisols and Arenosols), the predominant soil cations were Ca2+ (0.7 to 25.7 cmol kg−1) and Na+ (0.19 to 9.5 cmol kg−1), while K+ was present in minor amounts. Given the nature of the original material, although the carbonate content of the parent material lay below the detection limit, high carbonate contents greater than 25% were observed in certain horizons (Bkg of profiles 1 and 2). Weak gleization was observed in all profiles, with grey colours (light to dark) in the subsurface horizons, denoting some effects of iron reduction, resulting from a dual action of pluviometry and a practically flat topography; and occasionally flooding or water-table rise. In addition, hydromorphic conditions can also develop due to soil compaction. So, the major soil-forming processes are accumulation of organic matter and brunification in drained conditions. While litter formation in conditions of high moisture, and weak gleization against excessive moisture are the dominant processes. La Moraña's soils stay productive through agroforestry and crop rotations, preserving their potential despite their hydromorphic nature.

Soil infiltration rates in mediterranean mountain areas: relationship with soil properties and different land-use

Una de nuestras últimas publicaciones:

Mongil-Manso, J.; Jiménez-Ballesta, R.; Navarro-Hevia, J.; San Martín, R.; 2025. Soil infiltration rates in mediterranean mountain areas: relationship with soil properties and different land-use. European Journal of Forest Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-025-01757-6

Enlace a la publicación

We determined the soil properties and infiltration rates in 11 plots, including four soil types (Leptosol, Cambisol, Umbrisol and Regosol, according to the FAO criteria), under three different land uses (pine forest, oak forest and scrubland). The study was conducted in a Spanish Central System Mountain under a Mediterranean climate. We tried to quantify the effect of land use (native and reforested forest and scrubland) and soil properties on the steady-state soil infiltration rate because of the limited evidence about soil infiltration in Mediterranean mountains with sandy and acid soils developed on granite rocks. We employed a simple-ring methacrylate infiltrometer method to determine soil infiltration rates. We used correlation and principal component analysis to examine the relationships between soil properties, land uses, and water infiltration. Additionally, a one-way ANOVA model was applied to identify differences between vegetation types. Soil infiltration rates in the pine forest (891.9 mm·h-1) and the oak forest (509.0 mm·h-1) were better than those in the scrubland (178.4 mm·h-1). Our results are in agree with the main results in the scientific literature. Factors such as sand content (R = 0.71, p-value = 0.02) or electrical conductivity (salt content indicator; R = 0.81, p-value = 0.00) were positively related to soil infiltration, while clay was negatively related (R = -0.69, p-value = 0.02). Results show forest cover improves soil infiltration. This effect is strongly related to hydrological ecosystem services, which may be of interest for decision-making in natural environment management, especially for soil and water conservation.

Assessment of infiltration and erosion rates in Mediterranean reservoirs’ catchments through rainfall simulation

Uno de nuestros últimos artículos:

Mongil-Manso, J.; Patino-Alonso, C.; Nespereira-Jato, J.; Molina, J.-L.; Espejo, F.; Díez-Castro, M.-T.; Zazo, S.; Silla, F.; 2025. Assessment of infiltration and erosion rates in Mediterranean reservoirs´ catchments through rainfall simulation. International Journal of Sediment Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2025.01.003.

Enlace a la publicación

The land use and vegetation type of a reservoir's catchment substantially affect the hydrological processes of soil infiltration and runoff. They also act as drivers or constraints for erosive processes. All the previous processes influence the amount of water and sediment that reach the reservoir and affect its functioning. This study is mainly aimed to improve the knowledge of these processes in southeastern Spain by means of experimental rainfall simulation and multivariate statistical analysis. The results show that the mean infiltration rate is 1.06 times higher in forests than in shrublands and 1.07 times higher than in olive crops (280.52, 265.02, and 262.08 mm/h, respectively), with mean surface runoff consequently 1.57 times lower in forests than in shrublands and 2.41 times lower than in olive crops (20.81, 32.58, and 50.24 mm/h). Likewise, the sediment concentration in the runs is 5.48 times higher in olive groves (518.43 g/L) than in forests (94.61 g/L) and 2.94 times higher than in shrublands (176.48 g/L). Soil properties and parent material might have a more important effect on the studied variables than the different vegetation types. Furthermore, root systems and the use of tillage on crops could favor infiltration, which would tend to equalize the values of the variables analyzed; but this needs to be demonstrated in future research. The results obtained are of interest for vegetation cover and soils management in reservoirs´ catchments in Mediterranean areas. Furthermore, the current research provides an opportunity to study more specifically the origin of the sediment that reaches the reservoirs, beyond sheet and rill erosion.

Ha fallecido Jesús Anta

Jesús Anta, aunque dedicado a la historia y curiosidades de la ciudad y provincia de Valladolid, escribió varios interesantes libros sobre sistemas hidráulicos tradicionales. El más reciente de ellos publicado hace sólo unos meses. Sirva este post como reconocimiento y homenaje.