Tóth T. 2009. Monitoring, predicting and quantifying soil salinity, sodicity and alkalinity in Hungary at different scales: Past experiences, current achievements and outlook with special regard to European Union initiatives. Pp 32-33 (printed booklet) and pp 201-229 (full paper on CD) Advances in the assessment and monitoring of salinization and status of biosaline agriculture. Report of an expert consultation held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 26-29 November 2007. World Soil Resources Report. No 104. FAO, Rome.

ABSTRACT
Approximately 13 percent of Hungary is considered to be salt-affected and with this large extent it is unique in Europe. There are large areas of naturally saline and sodic soils, but secondary salinization is also known to occur. 
Due to the geological and hydrological conditions, the country demonstrates the most characteristic features of natural continental (not marine) salinization, sodification and alkalinization. Since the most important direct source of soil salinization is the shallow groundwater level below the lowland surface, there is a chance of irrigation-related salinization in two dominant situations: when the abundant use of river waters causes waterlogging and rise of saline groundwater (salinization from below); and when typically saline tubewell-waters are used for irrigation (salinization from above). 
The spatial assessment of salt-affected areas began with the systematic mapping of salt-affected areas. There is a series of ten maps describing different aspects (salt-affected soil types, vegetation types, salt-efflorescences) of the salinity-status nationwide from 1897 onward, with the latest survey finished in 2006. 
Besides the national scale of 1:500 000, soil salinity is also mapped at the scale of 1:100 000 on the AGROTOPO map sheets and 1:25 000 in the Kreybig Soil Information System (spatial vector data for maps and database for profiles and test boring). In spite of the two systems being digitally available, the information collected at the scale of 1:10 000 is available only for two-thirds of the country and is not digitised. 
Very early maps at field scale, later at regional scale showed numerical salinity/sodicity values. At present field scale numerical maps are analysed in order to optimise salinity mapping in space and time. 
Systematic monitoring of soil salinization in irrigated areas dates back to 1989 in the irrigation district of Tiszafüred in the county of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok. A nationwide Soil Information and Monitoring System was initiated from 1991. In this system, from the 1 236 soil profiles, 69 profiles classified as salt-affected are sampled and analysed yearly for the indicators of salinity and alkalinity. 
When the large-scale irrigation projects were planned in the second half of the last century, prediction of soil salinization was based on the concept of the critical depth of saline groundwater. As an alternative, a numerical rule-based algorithm was developed for the prediction of the risk of soil salinization in irrigated fields. Numerical process-based modelling with LEACHM and UNSATCHEM simulation programs was tested, but with limited success so far for Hungarian areas. 
Based on environmental correlation, there is a long history of predicting the occurrences of salt-affected areas. A unique physical modelling system using compensation lysimeters are used for testing the effect of saline groundwater at different depths and with drainage management in a dominantly sodic area. 
Reclamation, including installation drainage and afforestation of salt-affected soils, has lost its momentum in the country due to a decrease in financial profitability. On the other hand, over the last few years a clear picture has been drawn of how efficient the different reclamation techniques are and how afforestation changes the salt distribution of soils and underlying strata. 
Hungarian soil scientists play a leading role in the development of good practice for the management of salt-affected areas in Europe. Based on the initiatives of the Soil Framework Directive of the European Community, salinization is considered as a serious “soil threat” to agriculture. There is a well-developed concept of salinization and a set of common criteria for delineating areas threatened by salinization, are agreed on. A currently running EU-financed research project (ENVASSO) focuses on the assessment methodologies for quantifying soil threats. Another project (RAMSOIL) catalogues and evaluates the available risk assessment methodologies of each EU member country. To facilitate the spatial assessment of soil salinity/sodicity/alkalinity according to the EU-wide legal framework, the EU provides grants for promising research proposals to establish sensor-based digital field soil mapping methodologies. Such projects are based on the rich history of salinity sensing with field devices, such as the Geophilus Electricus system for multiple depth assessment of salinity (Lück et al., 2009).