Modelling Land Susceptibility to Wind Erosion in Western Queensland, Australia

Abstract:

Wind erosion is a land degradation process with global consequences. Understanding spatial and temporal patterns in land susceptibility to wind erosion is essential for integrating wind erosion research across scales and enhancing management strategies to control potential land degradation. There are significant gaps in our knowledge of which areas of the Earth’s surface are susceptible to wind erosion, and how the erodibility of land changes through time in response to climate variability and land management pressures. This stems from a lack of research into spatial and temporal patterns of land erodibility, particularly at the landscape to regional scales (103 to 104 km2). This thesis addresses these knowledge gaps by presenting research into the development and application of a model to assess land susceptibility to wind erosion in the rangelands of western Queensland, Australia.