scholarly journals Assessment of Soil Erosion Hazard in Prambanan District Using RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation)

2021 ◽  
Vol 884 (1) ◽  
pp. 012010
Author(s):  
S. A Mulya ◽  
N. Khotimah

Abstract Prambanan District which located in Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Province has the potential for land degradation due to erosion processes. With the characteristics of annual rainfall more than 2000 mm / year, topography with a slope of more than 20% in upland areas, as well as the conversion of upland to dryland agriculture are factors that can trigger the erosion process more quickly. If the rate of erosion speed exceeds the ability of the soil to regenerate the soil body, its productivity will be disrupted and accelerate the formation of critical soil. Therefore, it is necessary to know the estimated rate of erosion, tolerable distribution of erosion, and the potential danger of erosion that occurs. The purpose of this study was to (1) predict the rate of erosion, (2) calculate the permissible erosion value, (3) identify the rate & index of erosion hazard. Data were collected using field surveys and soil sampling using stratified random sampling techniques with land units as the unit of analysis. The value of erosion was predicted using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) method. The RUSLE method is described by the following equation, A=R*K*L*S*C*P, where; A as estimated averages annual loss of soil, R is the rainfall erosivity factor, K is the soil erodibility factor, LS is the slope length factor, C is the cover management factor, & P is the conservation practice factor. The results showed that the erosion value ranged from 0.39 - 268.55 tons/ha/year. Permissible erosion ranges from 8.4 – 15 tons/ha/year for Latosol and 27.4 ton/ha/year for Regosol. The Rate of Erosion Hazard is dominated by moderate erosion, covering an area of 1330.7 ha or 31.8% of the total area. The Erosion Hazard Index is dominated by the low class (<1.0) which is covered over 2703.1 ha or 64.61% of the total area.

Author(s):  
Hammad Gilani ◽  
Adeel Ahmad ◽  
Isma Younes ◽  
Sawaid Abbas

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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (02) ◽  
pp. 177-191
Author(s):  
Ashwini Suryawanshi ◽  
Anupam Kumar Nema ◽  
Rahul Kumar Jaiswal ◽  
Sukant Jain ◽  
Saswat Kumar Kar

Soil erosion is caused due to the dynamic action of erosive agents, mainly water, and is a major threat to the environment. Primary aim of the present study was to study the soil loss dynamics, and identify the environmental hotspots in Madhya Pradesh to aid decision-makers to plan and prioritize appropriate conservation measures. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) models were applied for erosion rate estimation by generating thematic maps of R (Rainfall erosivity factor), K (Soil erodibility factor), LS (Topographic factor), C (Cover and management factor), and P (Support practice factor) factors by using several input parameters in QGIS software. Subsequently, the different classes of soil erosion and percentage area under these classes were identified. The average annual soil erosion for the entire state as obtained from the USLE and RUSLE model were 5.80 t.ha-1.yr-1 and 6.64 t.ha-1.yr-1, respectively. The areas under severe risk were 1.09 % and 1.80 %, and very severe risk areas were 1.57 % and 1.83 % as estimated by USLE and RUSLE model, respectively. As compared to RUSLE model, USLE model underestimated rate of soil erosion for most river basins of the state as well as for the entire state


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajaykumar Kadam ◽  
B. N. Umrikar ◽  
R. N. Sankhua

A comprehensive methodology that combines Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), Remote Sensing data and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques was used to determine the soil loss vulnerability of an agriculture mountainous watershed in Maharashtra, India. The spatial variation in rate of annual soil loss was obtained by integrating raster derived parameter in GIS environment. The thematic layers such as TRMM [Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission] derived rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), GDEM based slope length and steepness (LS), land cover management (C) and factors of conservation practices (P) were calculated to identify their effects on average annual soil loss. The highest potential of estimated soil loss was 688.397 t/ha/yr. The mean annual soil loss is 1.26 t/ha/yr and highest soil loss occurs on the main watercourse, since high slope length and steepness. The spatial soil loss maps prepared with RUSLE method using remote sensing and GIS can be helpful as a lead idea in arising plans for land use development and administration in the ecologically sensitive hilly areas.


1990 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. CHOW ◽  
H. CORMIER ◽  
J. L. DAIGLE ◽  
I. GHANEM

Using runoff-erosion plots (10 m wide × 30 m long), the effects of cropping practices on surface runoff and soil loss were examined on a Hommesville gravelly loam soil to evaluate the applicability of the Universal Soil Loss Equation in New Brunswick. The amount of water runoff and soil loss from continuous fallow, up-and-down slope planting of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), and clover (Trifolium pratense) on 8 and 11% slopes were measured from 1983 to 1985. In addition, runoff and soil loss from contour planting of potatoes were measured on the 11% slope. Slope planting of potatoes resulted in higher runoff and soil loss than on fallow plots. There was considerable reduction in runoff and soil loss when potatoes were planted along the contour. Runoff and soil loss under clover were negligible. Rainfall erosion index (R) and slope length and steepness (LS) correlated well with the measured soil losses. However, both the measured soil credibility factor (K) and the cover and management factor (C) deviated markedly from the current values used for conservation planning. Key words: Universal Soil Loss Equation, rainfall erosion index, topographic factor, soil erodibility factor, cover and management factor, support practice factor


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 859
Author(s):  
Joaquim Pedro de Santana Xavier ◽  
Alexandre Hugo Cezar Barros ◽  
Daniel Chaves Webber ◽  
Luciano José de Oliveira Accioly ◽  
Flávio Adriano Marques ◽  
...  

Dentre os diversos métodos indiretos para estimar as perdas de solo por erosão, a Equação Universal de Perdas de Solo (EUPS) é a mais utilizada devido a sua robustez e por ser constituída de uma simples estrutura fatorial, que integra fatores naturais e antrópicos atuantes na perda de solos. A erosão é um dos fenômenos mais danosos ao solo e às atividades humanas e por isso seu estudo é importante. Para o cálculo das perdas de solo por meio da EUPS, a avaliação da erosividade das chuvas (fator R) é essencial, pois estima o fenômeno produzido pelas chuvas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar três metodologias disponíveis de obtenção da erosividade das chuvas para a região do semiárido pernambucano, avaliando sua influência nos resultados da EUPS. Os três modelos selecionados para estimar o Fator R foram desenvolvidos por Wischmeier e Smith (mais conhecido e utilizado), por Silva que estimou valores para diversas regiões do País e por Cantalice e outros que trabalharam especificamente para cada região climática do estado de Pernambuco. Os resultados indicam que as metodologias de Wischmeier e Smith e Silva obtiveram resultados de erosividade da chuva semelhantes, tendo Silva alcançado valores maiores. Cantalice e outros obtiveram os resultados mais baixos. Os resultados da EUPS indicam que, quantitativamente, os diferentes fatores R geram grande diferença nas perdas de solo, porém, qualitativamente chegam a resultados semelhantes na classificação de áreas de maior erosão, de acordo com a FAO. Logo, as três metodologias são viáveis na identificação de áreas prioritárias para a mitigação da erosão.   A B S T R A C TAmong several indirect methods to estimate soil erosion loss, the Universal Soil Loss Equation (EUPS) is the most used due to its robustness and because it is constituted of a simple factorial structure that integrates natural and anthropic factors which act in the loss of soils. Erosion is one of the most damaging phenomena to the soil and the human activities, evidencing the importance of studying it. The evaluation of rainfall erosivity (R factor) is essential for the calculation of soil loss through the EUPS, since it is possible to estimate how significant rainfall is to the occurrence of this phenomenon. The objective of this work was to evaluate three methodologies to obtain the rainfall erosivity available for the semi - arid region of Pernambuco, evaluating its influence on the results of the EUPS. The three models used to estimate the R-factor were developed by Wischmeier and Smith, the best known and used model, Silva who estimated values for several regions of the country and Cantalice and others who worked specifically for each climatic region of the state of Pernambuco. As a result, very similar results of rainfall erosivity were obtained between Wischmeier and Smith´s and Silva´s methodology, with Silva reaching higher values of energy amplitude, while Cantalice and others obtained the lowest results. The results of EUPS indicate that, quantitatively, the different R factors generate a large difference in soil loss, but qualitatively they reach similar results in the classification of areas where erosion are greater, according to the FAO. Therefore, the three methodologies are feasible in the identification of priority areas for erosion mitigation.Keywords: soil, rainfall erosivity, USLE, GIS


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Habtamu Tamiru ◽  
Meseret Wagari

Abstract Background: The quantity of soil loss as a result of soil erosion is dramatically increasing in catchment where land resources management is very weak. The annual dramatic increment of the depletion of very important soil nutrients exposes the residents of this catchment to high expenses of money to use artificial fertilizers to increase the yield. This paper was conducted in Fincha Catchment where the soil is highly vulnerable to erosion, however, where such studies are not undertaken. This study uses Fincha catchment in Abay river basin as the study area to quantify the annual soil loss, where such studies are not undertaken, by implementing Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model developed in ArcGIS version 10.4. Results: Digital Elevation Model (12.5 x 12.5), LANDSAT 8 of Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS), Annual Rainfall of 10 stations (2010-2019) and soil maps of the catchment were used as input parameters to generate the significant factors. Rainfall erosivity factor (R), soil erodibility factor (K), cover and management factor (C), slope length and steepness factor (LS) and support practice factor (P) were used as soil loss quantification significant factors. It was found that the quantified average annual soil loss ranges from 0.0 to 76.5 t ha-1 yr-1 was obtained in the catchment. The area coverage of soil erosion severity with 55%, 35% and 10% as low to moderate, high and very high respectively were identified. Conclusion: Finally, it was concluded that having information about the spatial variability of soil loss severity map generated in the RUSLE model has a paramount role to alert land resources managers and all stakeholders in controlling the effects via the implementation of both structural and non-structural mitigations. The results of the RUSLE model can also be further considered along with the catchment for practical soil loss quantification that can help for protection practices.


Soil Research ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xihua Yang

The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and its main derivate, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), are widely used in estimating hillslope erosion. The effects of topography on hillslope erosion are estimated through the product of slope length (L) and slope steepness (S) subfactors, or LS factor, which often contains the highest detail and plays the most influential role in RUSLE. However, current LS maps in New South Wales (NSW) are either incomplete (e.g. point-based) or too coarse (e.g. 250 m), limiting RUSLE-based applications. The aim of this study was to develop automated procedures in a geographic information system (GIS) to estimate and map the LS factor across NSW. The method was based on RUSLE specifications and it incorporated a variable cutoff slope angle, which improves the detection of the beginning and end of each slope length. An overland-flow length algorithm for L subfactor calculation was applied through iterative slope-length cumulation and maximum downhill slope angle. Automated GIS scripts have been developed for LS factor calculation so that the only required input data are digital elevation models (DEMs). Hydrologically corrected DEMs were used for LS factor calculation on a catchment basis, then merged to form a seamless LS-factor digital map for NSW with a spatial resolution ~30 m (or 1 s). The modelled LS values were compared with the reference LS values, and the coefficient of efficiency reached 0.97. The high-resolution digital LS map produced is now being used along with other RUSLE factors in hillslope erosion modelling and land-use planning at local and regional scales across NSW.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 555 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Silva Tavares ◽  
Velibor Spalevic ◽  
Junior Cesar Avanzi ◽  
Denismar Alves Nogueira ◽  
Marx Leandro Naves Silva ◽  
...  

Soil losses due to water erosion threaten the sustainability of agriculture and the food security of current and future generations. This study estimated potential soil losses and sediment production under different types of land uses in a subbasin in the Municipality of Alfenas, southern Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. The objective of this research was to evaluate the application of the Potential Erosion Method by the Intensity of Erosion and Drainage program and correlate the findings with the results obtained by the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation as well as geoprocessing techniques and statistical analyses. In the Potential Erosion Method, the coefficient indicating the mean erosion intensity was 0.37, which corresponded to erosion category IV and indicated weak laminar erosion processes, and the total soil loss was 649.31 Mg year-1 and the mean was 1.46 Mg ha-1 year-1. These results were consistent in magnitude with those obtained in the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, which estimated a mean soil loss of 1.52 Mg ha-1 year-1 and a total soil loss of 668.26 Mg year-1. The Potential Erosion Method suggests that 1.5% of the area presents potential soil losses above the soil loss tolerance limit, which ranged from 5.19 to 5.90 Mg ha-1 year-1, while the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation indicated that 7.3% of the area has potential soil losses above the limit. The maximum sediment discharge was 60 Mg year-1, meaning that 9.3% of the total soil loss reached the depositional areas of the river plains or watercourses. The Potential Erosion Method was efficient in the evaluation of water erosion in tropical soils, and the results were consistent with models widely employed in the estimation of soil losses. Thus, the model can support the evaluation of soil losses in Brazil and is a robust tool for evaluating the sustainability of agricultural activities.


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