EUSEDcollab stands as a pioneering network and open-access database, meticulously designed to monitor and analyze net soil erosion by water across European catchments. This collaborative initiative brings together researchers from numerous European institutions, uniting their expertise to address the critical need for accessible data in soil erosion studies. EUSEDcollab offers a comprehensive collection of water discharge and suspended sediment yield time series records, gathered from small to medium-sized catchments throughout Europe. This database is instrumental in overcoming the limitations of data scarcity, particularly at spatial scales relevant to in-depth runoff, soil loss, and sediment delivery research. Developed under the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) working group on soil erosion, EUSEDcollab data is harmonized into a consistent time series and metadata framework. To ensure effective data reuse, detailed metadata descriptors are included, providing essential technical context for each monitoring station setup.
The EUSEDcollab Database: A Rich Resource for Erosion Studies
Currently, EUSEDcollab encompasses data from ten European countries, amassing over 1600 catchment years of time series data. This vast dataset originates from 245 distinct catchments and features varying temporal resolutions: event-based (11 catchments), daily (22 catchments), and monthly (212 catchments). A defining characteristic of EUSEDcollab is its specific focus on small to medium catchment drainage areas. With a median size of 43 km², and ranging from a minimum of 0.04 km² to a maximum of 817 km², these catchments are ideally suited for soil erosion research. This focused approach makes EUSEDcollab uniquely valuable for researchers dedicated to understanding soil erosion processes. The database release is driven by a commitment to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and data accessibility within the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) framework.
EUSEDcollab.v1 represents the initial step in an ongoing effort to expand data resources through community collaboration, with future versions planned to incorporate further contributions and data enhancements.
Unlocking the Potential: Applications of EUSEDcollab Data
The EUSEDcollab database is a versatile tool with numerous fundamental and applied research applications. Its value is underscored by over 40 publications already leveraging this data. These studies have significantly advanced our understanding of runoff dynamics, soil erosion mechanisms, and sediment transport processes across diverse European environments. Data from small to medium-sized catchments, while often scarce, are crucial for the development and validation of models simulating soil erosion and sediment transport at the land surface level. The spatial scale of EUSEDcollab data allows for direct observation of land processes reflected in measurement records, offering unparalleled opportunities to analyze the dynamics and magnitudes of soil erosion and sediment delivery. Comprehensive data compilations like EUSEDcollab are vital for advancing our knowledge on how soil erosion patterns evolve across time and geographical space, and how they are influenced by varying land use and environmental conditions.
Contribute to EUSEDcollab: Expanding the European Erosion Data Network
You are invited to contribute to the growth of the EUSEDcollab database. By downloading and completing the provided data and metadata template files, available on the ESDAC data portal (https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/EUSEDcollab), you can share your valuable catchment measurements. Data submissions from across Europe are welcomed, fostering a collaborative expansion of this essential resource. Following submission, data undergoes a screening process before being included in subsequent EUSEDcollab releases. To submit data, please complete the metadata and time series fields in the templates and contact the data manager via the contact details available on the ESDAC data portal.
Data manager: [email protected]
Further insights can be found in the blog post “Unlocking the potential of measured data to solve research priorities in soil erosion” published by Springer Nature.
EUSEDcollab Database: Access and Reference
Download the data
Reference the dataset as: Matthews F., Verstraeten G., Borrelli P., Vanmaercke M., Poesen J., Steegen A., Degré A., Rodríguez B.C., Bielders C., Franke C., Alary C., Zumr D., Patault E., Nadal-Romero E., Smolska E., Licciardello F., Swerts G., Thodsen H., Casalí J., Eslava J., Richet J.-B., Ouvry J.-F., Farguell J., Święchowicz J., Nunes J.P., Pak L.T., Liakos L., Campo-Bescós M.A., Żelazny M., Delaporte M., Pineux N., Henin N., Bezak N., Lana-Renault N., Tzoraki O., Giménez R., Li T., Zuazo V.H.D., Bagarello V., Pampalone V., Ferro V., Úbeda X., Panagos P. 2023. EUSEDcollab: a network of data from European catchments to monitor net soil erosion by water. Sci Data 10, 515. DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02393-8
