Estimation of Soil Erosion and Identification of Critical Areas for Soil Conservation Measures using RS and GIS-based Universal Soil Loss Equation

Soil loss from watersheds significantly influences the fertility soils and natural environment and hence it is a serious concern across the globe. Soil conservation is the top priority in watershed management though it is impractical to completely control soil erosion from all parts of watershed and hence achieve soil conservation. As controlling soil erosion in watersheds at micro level is difficult, broad measures which are economical and feasible are recommended for soil conservation. In order to plan suitable conservation techniques, it is essential to prioritize watersheds based on vulnerability to soil erosion. For identifying suitable soil conservation methods, it is necessary to consider critical erosion zones, threats to lives and property, socio-economic constraints and local challenges. Assessment of soil erosion is very important for arriving at the prioritization of watersheds for soil conservation. This paper reports the findings of the study carried out on Janagoan Mandal in Warangal District with hell of GIS techniques. Estimation of soil loss from the watershed is estimated using Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). Using the data available with various agencies, average annual erosion is estimated by developing GIS maps for six major watershed parameters. The watershed has been divided into sub watersheds and prioritization study is carried out considering factors that influence soil erosion. Using GIS tool and Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), the soil loss from the watershed is estimated and high risk zones are demarked. Soil loss from 80% of the watershed area is in the range of 0 - 200 tons/ha/year, while the high risk zones of erosion are about 12% of the area. Watershed management practices are recommended to reduce the soil loss from the high risk zones.

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The Effect of Soil Conservation Measures on Runoff, Soil Erosion, TN, and TP Losses Based on Experimental Runoff Plots in Northern China

Water ◽

10.3390/w13172334 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (17) ◽

pp. 2334

Author(s):

Haiyan Fang

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Conservation ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Northern China ◽

Nutrient Losses ◽

Study Region ◽

Conservation Measures ◽

The Impact ◽

Soil Conservation Measures ◽

Runoff Plots

Total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP) are the main pollutants affecting the water quality of the Miyun Reservoir, Beijing. However, few studies have been conducted on their responses to implemented soil conservation measures at a slope scale in northern China. To explore the impact of soil conservation measures on TN and TP losses, field monitored data from 18 runoff plots under natural rainfalls were used to analyze the changing characteristics of runoff, soil loss, and nutrient losses during 2014–2019. The results indicated that runoff, soil erosion, as well a TN and TP losses from the plots varied significantly, depending on land use and soil conservation measures. Bare plots suffered the highest soil, TN, and TP losses, followed by cultivated plots without soil conservation measures, cultivated plots with contour tillage, and other plots. Event-averaged runoff and soil loss rates ranged from 0 to 7.9 mm and from 0 to 444.4 t km−2 yr−1, and event-averaged TN and TP losses from cultivated plots were the highest, with values of 39.8 and 3.0 kg km−2, respectively. Bare and cultivated plots were the main sediment and nutrient sources. Among the cultivated plots, the terraced plot had the lowest soil and nutrient losses. The vegetated plots had insignificantly lower soil and nutrient losses. Most TN and TP were lost in particulate status from the plots, especially from the plots with soil conservation measures. Soil conservation measures can effectively prevent TN and TP losses. To guarantee water resource use, contour tillage is preferred for the bare and cultivated lands in the study region.

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Quantitative Assessment of Soil Erosion Based on CSLE and the 2010 National Soil Erosion Survey at Regional Scale in Yunnan Province of China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11123252 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 3252 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Guokun Chen ◽

Zengxiang Zhang ◽

Qiankun Guo ◽

Xiao Wang ◽

Qingke Wen

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Conservation ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Erosion Rate ◽

Mountainous Areas ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

Soil Erosion Rate ◽

Total Soil ◽

Conservation Measures ◽

Soil Conservation Measures

Regional soil loss assessment is the critical method of incorporating soil erosion into decision-making associated with land resources management and soil conservation planning. However, data availability has limited its application for mountainous areas. To obtain a clear understanding of soil erosion in Yunnan, a pixel-based estimation was employed to quantify soil erosion rate and the benefits of soil conservation measures based on Chinese Soil Loss Equation (CSLE) and data collected in the national soil erosion survey. Results showed that 38.77% of the land was being eroded at an erosion rate higher than the soil loss tolerance, the average soil erosion rate was found to be 12.46 t∙ha−1∙yr−1, resulting in a total soil loss of 0.47 Gt annually. Higher erosion rates mostly occurred in the downstream areas of the major rivers as compared to upstream areas, especially for the southwest agricultural regions. Rain-fed cropland suffered the most severe soil erosion, with a mean erosion rate of 47.69 t∙ha−1∙yr−1 and an erosion ratio of 64.24%. Lands with a permanent cover (forest, shrub, and grassland) were mostly characterized by erosion rates an order of magnitude lower than those from rain-fed cropland, except for erosion from sparse woods, which was noticeable and should not be underestimated. Soil loss from arable land, woodland and grassland accounted for 52.24%, 35.65% and 11.71% of the total soil loss, respectively. We also found significant regional differences in erosion rates and a close relationship between erosion and soil conservation measures adopted. The CSLE estimates did not compare well with qualitative estimates from the National Soil Erosion Database of China (NSED-C) and only 47.77% of the territory fell within the same erosion intensity for the two approaches. However, the CSLE estimates were consistent with the results from a national survey and local assessments under experimental plots. By advocating of soil conservation measures and converting slope cropland into grass/forest and terraced field, policy interventions during 2006–2010 have reduced soil erosion on rain-fed cropland by 20% in soil erosion rate and 32% in total soil loss compared to the local assessments. The quantitative CSLE method provides a reliable estimation, due to the consideration of erosion control measures and is potentially transferable to other mountainous areas as a robust approach for rapid assessment of sheet and rill erosion.

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Evaluation of Soil Erosion and Sustainable Land Use Management in the Sarısu Basin

Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology ◽

10.24925/turjaf.v5i8.864-872.1150 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (8) ◽

pp. 864

Author(s):

Ertuğrul Karaş ◽

İrfan Oğuz

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Conservation ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Equation Model ◽

Universal Soil Loss Equation ◽

Land Use Management ◽

Starting Point ◽

Soil Losses ◽

Soil Loss Equation

Land use management requires controlling natural resources for sustainability. Soil erosion related to improper land use is a major issue around the world. Land degradation may harm the health of ecosystems. Defining the soil loss in a basin is the starting point in the restoration of soil quality for crop production. Reducing soil losses to a tolerable rate is one of the primary objectives for sustainability and soil conservation. Central Anatolia is under considerable risk due to an increase in the cultivation of marginal lands for food production. Cultivated lands have already been reached the final limits throughout the last 50 years. Moreover, forests and considerable areas of pasture have recently been converted to ploughed fields due to agricultural expansion. This study was conducted in the Sarısu basin to evaluate soil losses and land use management for sustainability. The Universal Soil Loss Equation model and Geographic Information System techniques were used to estimate the soil losses. The mean potential soil loss of the basin was calculated to be 1.88 t ha-1 per year with the Universal Soil Loss Equation model. These results are comparatively small when compared to the average value for Turkey of 13 t ha-1 yearly. Our calculated results are closer to the value for the Sakarya river basin, which is approximately 2.77 t ha-1 y-1. In this study, land usages in the Sarısu basin were evaluated in terms of soil losses, tolerable soil loss rates and soil conservation precautions.

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Using WaTEM/SEDEM to Configure Catchment Soil Conservation Measures for the Black Soil Region, Northeastern China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131810421 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (18) ◽

pp. 10421

Author(s):

Haiyan Fang

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Sediment Yield ◽

Soil Conservation ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Large Scale ◽

Northeastern China ◽

Catchment Management ◽

Control Soil ◽

Conservation Measures ◽

Soil Conservation Measures

In recent years, to combat soil erosion, large-scale soil conservation measures have been implemented in the world. Evaluation of the integrated catchment management is urgently required. In the present study, soil erosion and sediment yield under 24 scenarios were predicted, based on the water and tillage erosion model and sediment delivery deposition model (WaTEM/SEDEM). The current catchment management was not ideal, with a catchment soil loss rate (SLR) of 599.88 t km−2 yr−1 and a sediment yield of 240.00 t km−2 yr−1. The catchment management with contour tillage on <3° slopes, hedgerow planting on 3–5° slopes, terracing on 5–8° slopes, and forestation on >8° slopes with trenches along the forest and dams in gullies was the best catchment management to control soil loss, with catchment SLR that was less than the tolerable value of 200 t km−2 yr−1. However, the SLR on the <3° slopes was still higher than the tolerable value. It is not enough to control soil loss by only implementing contour tillage measure on <3° slopes, and other measures should be further implemented on these slopes. In gullies, more measures should be implemented to prevent sediment flowing out of the catchments, in Northeastern China.

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Impacts of soil conservation measures on runoff and soil loss in a hilly region, Northern China

Agricultural Water Management ◽

10.1016/j.agwat.2021.106740 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 247 ◽

pp. 106740

Author(s):

Fang Haiyan

Keyword(s):

Soil Conservation ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Northern China ◽

Conservation Measures ◽

Hilly Region ◽

Runoff And Soil Loss ◽

Soil Conservation Measures

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Estimation of annual soil erosion dynamics (2005 - 2015) in Pakistan using Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE)

10.22541/au.160946369.92099648/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hammad Gilani ◽

Adeel Ahmad ◽

Isma Younes ◽

Sawaid Abbas

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Management Practices ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Universal Soil Loss Equation ◽

Rainfall Erosivity ◽

Slope Length ◽

Conservation Practice ◽

Administrative Units ◽

Soil Loss Equation

Abrupt changes in climatic factors, exploitation of natural resources, and land degradation contribute to soil erosion. This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of annual soil erosion dynamics in Pakistan for 2005 and 2015 using publically available climatic, topographic, soil type, and land cover geospatial datasets at 1 km spatial resolution. A well-accepted and widely applied Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was implemented for the annual soil erosion estimations and mapping by incorporating six factors; rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), slope-length (L), slope-steepness (S), cover management (C) and conservation practice (P). We used a cross tabular or change matrix method to assess the annual soil erosion (ton/ha/year) changes (2005-2015) in terms of areas and spatial distriburtions in four soil erosion classes; i.e. Low (<1), Medium (1–5], High (5-20], and Very high (>20). Major findings of this paper indicated that, at the national scale, an estimated annual soil erosion of 1.79 ± 11.52 ton/ha/year (mean ± standard deviation) was observed in 2005, which increased to 2.47 ±18.14 ton/ha/year in 2015. Among seven administrative units of Pakistan, in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, the average soil erosion doubled from 14.44 ± 35.70 ton/ha/year in 2005 to 28.03 ± 68.24 ton/ha/year in 2015. Spatially explicit and temporal annual analysis of soil erosion provided in this study is essential for various purposes, including the soil conservation and management practices, environmental impact assessment studies, among others.

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Modeling Soil Erosion and Landscape Metric Analysis of River Catchments in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Journal of Southwest Jiaotong University ◽

10.35741/issn.0258-2724.55.3.19 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 55 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Sumayyah Aimi Mohd Najib

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Shannon Diversity Index ◽

Universal Soil Loss Equation ◽

Data Sampling ◽

Shannon Diversity ◽

Soil Loss Equation

To determine the soil erosion in ungauged catchments, the author used 2 methods: Universal Soil Loss Equation model and sampling data. Sampling data were used to verify and validate data from model. Changing land use due to human activities will affect soil erosion. Land use has changed significantly during the last century in Pulau Pinang. The main rapid changes are related to agriculture, settlement, and urbanization. Because soil erosion depends on surface runoff, which is regulated by the structure of land use and brought about through changes in slope length, land-use changes are one of many factors influencing land degradation caused by erosion. The Universal Soil Loss Equation was used to estimate past soil erosion based on land uses from 1974 to 2012. Results indicated a significant increase in three land-use categories: forestry, built-up areas, and agriculture. Another method to evaluate land use changes in this study was by using landscape metrics analysis. The mean patch size of built-up area and forest increased, while agriculture land use decreased from 48.82 patches in 1974 to 22.46 patches in 2012. Soil erosion increased from an estimated 110.18 ton/km2/year in 1974 to an estimated 122.44 ton/km2/year in 2012. Soil erosion is highly related (R2 = 0.97) to the Shannon Diversity Index, which describes the diversity in land-use composition in river basins. The Shannon Diversity Index also increased between 1974 and 2012. The findings from this study can be used for future reference and for ungauged catchment research studies.

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