Evaluating soil quality status of fluvisols at the regional scale: A multidisciplinary approach crossing multiple variables

Abstract

[EN] Rivers condition natural and human ecosystems, providing fertile soils and water forirrigation and consumption in rural and urban uses. However, the intensification ofhuman activities and inherent environmental conditions (e.g., topography, slope orclimate) are changing the sustainability of fluvial soil ecosystems. This is problematic,especially in the Mediterranean belt, because of a lack of studies at the regional scalethat evaluates soils traditionally associated with rivers such as the¿Fluvisols¿(IUSS-WRB). Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to understand the current status offluvial soils in the Málaga province (Southern Spain) within the Mediterranean beltconsidering: (1) different thematic maps; (2) soil profiles; and (3) a soil quality index.Fluvisols of the region were assessed using fieldwork, extensive soil data sources andsoil profiles including specific information on soil physicochemical properties andcrossing environmental conditions. A total of 195.22 km2of fluvisols can be found inMálaga. About 42.5% of the fluvisols are used for human activities such as agriculture(rainfed and irrigation fields, or woody crops such as olives or vineyards), mining,industries and services, urban areas or reservoirs. More than 58% of the fluvisols arelocated in the warmest territories registering the highest evapotranspiration ratesand lowest rainfall amount. The soil quality index reaches lower scores for thefluvisols having mean values of 0.58 (1=maximum possible score). We conclude thatthe characterization from a regional scale shed light on the current status of thefluvisols and possible responses against human impacts and river evolution dynamics