Wind erosion is the leading cause of soil degradation and air pollution in many regions of the world. As wind erosion is controlled by climatic factors, research on this phenomenon is urgently needed in soil and land management in order to better adapt to climate change. In this paper, the impact of wind erosion on the soil surface in relation to particle size distribution was investigated. Changes in percentage of sand, silt and clay fractions based on historical KPP data (1961-1970), LUCAS data base (2009), and field measurements (2016) were analysed in five cadastral areas impacted by wind erosion (Záhorie Lowlands, Slovakia). With the use of GIS tools, models of spatial distribution of sand, silt, clay and erodible fraction (EF) content were developed based on those measurements. Our findings proved that soil texture change driven by wind erosion could happen relatively quickly, and a significant proportion of soil fine particles may be carried away within a few years. The results indicate that the soil surface became much rougher over the period of more than 50 years, but also that the accumulation of fraction of the silt particles occurred in most of the areas affected by the erosive effect.

Department of Applied and Landscape Ecology Faculty of AgriSciences Mendel University in Brno 613 00 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Civil Engineering Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Geodesy Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences 50 363 Wrocław Poland

Department of Geodesy Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering Gdańsk University of Technology 80 233 Gdańsk Poland

Department of Geodesy Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Land Surveying University of Agriculture in Krakow 30 059 Kraków Poland

Department of Land Reclamation and Environmental Development Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Land Surveying University of Agriculture in Krakow 30 059 Kraków Poland

Department of Landscape Planning and Ground Consolidation Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra 949 76 Nitra Slovakia

Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra 949 76 Nitra Slovakia

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