Assessment of soil salinization at the eastern Nestos River Delta, N.E. Greece

• This paper studies the phenomenon of soil salinization in an area irrigated by saline groundwater.
• The study shows the results from extended field campaigns of both soil and groundwater sampling and analysis.
• The paper also presents a number of countermeasures for the management of this environmental problem.

This paper analyses land degradation phenomena at the SE part of R. Nestos Delta, Greece. The work includes geological, hydrological and hydrogeological data interpretation in the study area, including field and laboratory measurements and soil samples analyses during 2007, 2008 and 2009. The study also involved the correlation of certain soil parameters such as pH, ECe and chemical characteristics of both soils and groundwaters while spatial analysis was proved useful for the estimation of soil salinization progress in the study area. Management proposals that could be implemented by relevant institutions and stakeholders are also presented, such as control of groundwater table, improvement of soil drainage potentials, use of calcium for leaching out the exchangeable sodium, cultivation of salt tolerant crops, prevention of salts and sodium accumulation, soil improvement by using compost, organic matter, etc. Also, novel strategies for reclamation and improvement of the salt-affected soils are evaluated in order to determine the most promising strategy for field application including irrigation with treated waste water, bio-drainage, use of fungi, suitable plants, genetically modified plants and automated irrigation control.