Current and Future Trends of Rainfall Erosivity and Soil Erosion in Central Asia

This book analyses climate change influences on rainfall erosivity and soil erosion across Central Asia, provides an overview (past and projections) on the Central Asian countries where projected changes in rainfall erosivity and erosivity density are the greatest, and discusses the potential impacts on the environment across the region. This analysis is accomplished primarily using the RUSLE model with past and future climate projections, spatiotemporal variations of rainfall erosivity and soil erosion based on WorldClim, and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) climate models (for Central Asia and separately Kazakhstan). The relationship between precipitation characteristics and erosion has been well established, but spatial and temporal projections of future rainfall erosivity in a changing climate in Central Asia have not been published significantly. Therefore, assessing rainfall erosivity and its consequences can assist specialists and researchers in achieving the best practices for soil conservation. The result of this type of research is all-encompassing, and may reflect normal variations in other parts of the world (for example, the arid and semi-arid regions) and is inherently limited to the Central Asian region.

Xi Chen is a Professor on Hydrology, Ecosystem, Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System of Arid land. He is a Vice President of the Xinjiang branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and General Director of the Research Center for Ecology and Environmental of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Gulnura Issanova is a PhD in Natural Sciences and is an Associate Professor at the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. As well as scientist and researcher at Kazakh Research Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry and at Research Centre for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Almaty, Kazakhstan. Her research interests are focused on problems of soil degradation and desertification, Aeolian processes and water resources in Central Asian countries.

Rustam Orozbaev is an acting director at the Institute of Geology n.a. M. Adyshev, National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyz Republic and senior research scientist. His research areas are geology, petrology, tectonics, mining, and environmental geology of the Tien-Shan Mts. 

Yerbolat Mukanov is a PhD in Natural Sciences. Head of the Agro-meteorological forecasting division in Department of Agrometeorological Monitoring and Forecasting at RSE Kazhydromet (Nur-Sultan), Kazakhstan. His research interests are focused on Agriculture, Climate Change, Hydrology, Soil degradation, and Desertification.

Amobichukwu C. Amanambu is an MSc in Geography, Water and Environmental Management. His research focus is on watershed Hydrology that includes flooding, erosion, water resources, and river processes. He interested in applying methodologies from Remote Sensing and GIS in many of his research.