Integrating Soil Organic Carbon, Erosion and Land Productivity Dynamics as Composite Soil Health Indicators Under Semiarid Conditions: A Diagnostic Approach Within the Land Degradation Neutrality Framework
Soil Use and Management, cilt.42, sa.4, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 42 Sayı: 4
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1111/sum.70313
- Dergi Adı: Soil Use and Management
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Aerospace Database, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Compendex, Environment Index, Geobase, INSPEC, Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Earth, Atmospheric, & Aquatic Science Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: land degradation neutrality, semiarid systems, soil erosion, soil health, soil organic carbon, sustainable land management
- Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Soil health is foundational to sustainable land use, particularly in semiarid environments where surface-driven degradation processes can rapidly undermine ecological stability. This study introduces an integrated diagnostic framework that evaluates Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) and soil erosion as critical surface process indicators influencing soil health, alongside Land Productivity Dynamics (LPD) as a functional response metric. The framework employs independent data sources for each indicator to avoid mathematical autocorrelation: SOC is derived from a national soil database, erosion is modelled using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) approach with independently derived cover factors and LPD is calculated from multi-temporal NDVI trends. Framed within the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) paradigm, the approach was applied to the Nallıhan district of Ankara, Turkey. By combining remote sensing, spatial modelling, and a multicriteria response hierarchy, the study identifies distinct degradation zones and intervention priorities. Results reveal that 18% of the area is degraded, with significant low SOC levels (mean SOC of 38.1 t/ha C (agriculture)) and high erosion risk (average soil loss of 7.96–11.25 t ha−1 y−1 between 2000 and 2018) concentrated in agricultural zones, where over 26% of the land showed early signs of productivity decline. Forest and pasture areas show relative resilience, attributed to sustainable management and afforestation. The interplay among SOC, erosion and LPD illustrates how surface processes shape long-term soil functionality. This composite indicator approach enhances early warning diagnostics, offering a robust pathway for implementing Sustainable Land Management (SLM) strategies that foster soil regeneration, resilience and restoration under arid and semiarid pressures.