scholarly journals Spatial Estimation of Soil Erosion Using RUSLE Modeling: A case study of Dolakha District, Nepal

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pawan Thapa
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Spatial Estimation ◽  
The North ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Severe Erosion

Abstract Background: Soil erosion causes topsoil loss, which decreases fertility in agricultural land. Spatial estimation of soil erosion essential for an agriculture-dependent country like Nepal for developing its control plans. This study evaluated impacts on Dolakha using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model; analyses the effect of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) on soil erosion. Results: The soil erosion rate categorized into six classes based on the erosion severity, and 5.01% of the areas found under extreme severe erosion risk (> 80 Mg ha-1yr-1) addressed by decision-makers for reducing its rate and consequences. Followed by 10 % classified between high and severe range from 10 to 80 Mg ha-1yr-1. While 15% and 70% of areas remained in a moderate and low-risk zone, respectively. Result suggests the area of the north-eastern part suffers from a high soil erosion risk due to steep slope. Conclusions: The result produces a spatial distribution of soil erosion over Dolakha, which applied for conservation and management planning processes, at the policy level, by land-use planners and decision-makers.

scholarly journals Spatial Estimation of Soil Erosion Using RUSLE Modeling: A case study of Dolakha District, Nepal

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pawan Thapa
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Spatial Estimation ◽  
The North ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Severe Erosion

Abstract Background: Soil erosion causes topsoil loss, which decreases fertility in agricultural land. Spatial estimation of soil erosion essential for an agriculture-dependent country like Nepal for developing its control plans. This study evaluated impacts on Dolakha using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model; analyses the effect of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) on soil erosion.Results: The soil erosion rate categorized into six classes based on the erosion severity, and 5.01% of the areas found under extreme severe erosion risk (> 80 Mg ha-1yr-1) addressed by decision-makers for reducing its rate and consequences. Followed by 10 % classified between high and severe range from 10 to 80 Mg ha-1yr-1. While 15% and 70% of areas remained in a moderate and low-risk zone, respectively. Result suggests the area of the north-eastern part suffers from a high soil erosion risk due to steep slope.Conclusions: The result produces a spatial distribution of soil erosion over Dolakha, which applied for conservation and management planning processes, at the policy level, by land-use planners and decision-makers.

scholarly journals Spatial Estimation of Soil Erosion Using RUSLE Modeling: A case study of Dolakha District, Nepal

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pawan Thapa
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Spatial Estimation ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Severe Erosion ◽  
Planning Processes

Abstract Background: In the mountainous areas, soil erosion causes the topsoil loss which decreases fertility in the agricultural land. Spatial estimation of soil erosion essential for an agriculture-dependent country like Nepal for developing erosion control plans. This study was conducted for estimation of soil erosion impacts on Dolakha using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model, also analyzes the effect of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) on soil erosion.Results: The soil erosion rate had been categorized into 6 erosion classes based on the erosion severity, and 5.01% of the areas was found to be under extreme severe erosion risk (> 80 Mg ha-1yr-1) that should be addressed by decision-maker for reducing its rate and consequences. Followed by 10 % areas were classified under high to severe with the rate of soil loss range from 10 to 80 Mg ha-1yr-1. While 15% and 70% of areas remained in moderate and low-risk zone respectively. The results suggest this district northeastern part suffers from a high soil erosion risk due to steep slope.Conclusions: The result produces a spatial distribution of soil erosion over Dolakha, which can be applied for conservation and management planning processes, at the policy level, by land-use planners and decision-makers.

scholarly journals Spatial Estimation of Soil Erosion Using RUSLE Modeling: A case study of Dolakha District

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pawan Thapa
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Spatial Estimation ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Severe Erosion ◽  
Planning Processes

Abstract Background: Soil erosion is one of the major causes of the topsoil loss, that decreases fertility in the agricultural land of a mountainous region. Spatial estimation of soil erosion is necessary for an agriculture-dependent country like Nepal for preparing erosion control plans. The purpose of this study was to estimate soil erosion of Dolakha using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model, which analyzes the effect of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) and slope exposition on soil erosion.Results: The soil erosion rate had been categorized into 6 erosion classes based on the erosion severity, and 5.01% of the areas was found to be under extreme severe erosion risk (> 80 Mg ha-1yr-1) that need to address by decision-maker for reducing the risk of erosion. Followed by 10 % areas were classified under high to severe with rate of soil loss range from 10 to 80 Mg ha-1yr-1. While 15% and 70% areas were still remain in moderate and low risk zone respectively. The study demonstrated the northeastern part of district suffer high soil erosion risk due to steep slope and rugged landforms.Conclusions: The result produce spatial distribution of soil erosion over Dolakha, which can be applied for conservation and management planning processes, at the policy level, by land use planners and decision-makers.

scholarly journals Estimation of Soil Erosion in Nepal Using a RUSLE Modeling and Geospatial Tool

Geosciences ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Koirala ◽  
Sudeep Thakuri ◽  
Subesh Joshi ◽  
Raju Chauhan
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Erosion Rate ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Entire Area ◽  
Barren Land ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Severe Erosion ◽  
The Mean

Soil erosion is a major issue, causing the loss of topsoil and fertility in agricultural land in mountainous terrain. Estimation of soil erosion in Nepal is essential because of its agriculture-dependent economy (contributing 36% to national GDP) and for preparing erosion control plans. The present study, for the first time, attempts to estimate the soil loss of Nepal through the application of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. In addition, it analyzes the effect of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) and slope ( β ) exposition on soil erosion. Nation-wide mean annual soil loss of Nepal is estimated at 25 t ha−1 yr−1 with a total of 369 million tonnes (mT) of potential soil loss. Soil erosion based on the physiographic region of the country shows that the Middle Mountains, High Mountains, High Himal, Chure, and Terai have mean erosion rates of 38.0, 32.0, 28.0, 7.0, and 0.1 t ha−1 yr−1. The soil erosion rate by basins showed that the annual erosions of the Karnali, Gandaki, Koshi, and Mahakali River basins are 135, 96, 79, and 15 mT, respectively. The mean soil erosion rate was significantly high (34 t ha−1 yr−1) for steep slopes (β > 26.8%) and the low (3 t ha−1 yr−1) for gentle slopes (β < 5%). Based on LULC, the mean erosion rate for barren land was the highest (40 t ha−1 yr−1), followed by agricultural land (29 t ha−1 yr−1), shrubland (25 t ha−1 yr−1), grassland (23 t ha−1 yr−1), and forests (22 t ha−1 yr−1). The entire area had been categorized into 6 erosion classes based on the erosion severity, and 11% of the area was found to be under a very severe erosion risk (> 80 t ha−1 yr−1) that urgently required reducing the risk of erosion.

Spatial-based assessment of land use, soil erosion, and water protection in the Jeneberang valley, Indonesia

Biologia ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumbangan Baja ◽  
Muhamad Ramli ◽  
Syamsul Lias
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Water Protection ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Analytical Procedures

AbstractSoil erosion by water is considered as one of the most significant forms of land degradation that affects sustained productivity of agricultural land use and water quality. It is influenced by a considerable number of factors (including climate, soil, topography, land use and types of land management), so that the information on the spatial distribution of soil erosion rate and its related effects can be effectively employed as a baseline data for land use development and water protection. The principal aim of this study is three-fold: (i) to map existing land use; (ii) to assess and map the spatial distribution of average annual rate of soil losses in the study area; (iii) to evaluate spatial matching between existing and proposed land use including a distance analysis from the water body (the Bili-Bili Dam). An analytical procedures used, respectively, include supervised classification of satellite imagery, application of RUSLE (Revised USLE), and overlay analysis in a raster GIS environment, utilising available information in the region covering some parts of Jeneberang catchment, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The results suggest that the outputs of this study can be used for the identification of land units on a cell-basis with different land use types, rate of soil loss, inconsistency between proposed and planned land use, as well as the threat of land degradation to the main river and the dam. The analytical procedures developed in this research may be useful in other areas, particularly in the studies related to the assessment and mapping of land use and erosion for the importance of sustainable land use at a relatively large area.

Assessing the Impacts of Land Use Policy on Soil Erosion Risk

2001 ◽  
pp. 146-156
Author(s):  
A. Van Rompaey ◽  
G. Govers
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Soil Degradation ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Degradation Process ◽  
Drainage Ditches ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Erosion Risk

Soil erosion is regarded as a major and widespread soil degradation process. The consequences of soil erosion occur both on- and off-site. On-site consequences are particularly important on agricultural land where the redistribution of soil within a field, the loss of soil from a field, the breakdown of soil structure and the decline in organic matter and nutrients result in a reduction of the cultivable soil depth and a decline in soil fertility (Morgan, 1996). Off-site problems result from sedimentation downstream which reduces the capacity of rivers and drainage ditches, enhances the risk of flooding, blocks irrigation canals and shortens the design life of reservoirs (Verstraeten and Poesen, 1999). Sediment is also a pollutant in its own right, and through the chemicals absorbed it can increase the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in water bodies and result in eutrophication (Steegen et al., subm.). The rate of soil loss is normally expressed in units of mass or volume per unit area per unit time. Young (1969) quotes annual rates of the order of 0.0045 Mg ha-1 for areas of moderate relief and 0.45 Mg ha-1 for steep relief. For comparison, rates from agricultural land are in the range of 5 to 500 Mg ha-1 (Morgan, 1996; Van Rompaey et al., 2000).

scholarly journals Agriculture and land use in the North of Russia: Case study of Karelia and Yakutia

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1497-1511
Author(s):  
Alexey Naumov ◽  
Varvara Akimova ◽  
Daria Sidorova ◽  
Mikhail Topnikov
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
The North ◽  
The Republic

AbstractDespite harsh climate, agriculture on the northern margins of Russia still remains the backbone of food security. Historically, in both regions studied in this article – the Republic of Karelia and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) – agricultural activities as dairy farming and even cropping were well adapted to local conditions including traditional activities such as horse breeding typical for Yakutia. Using three different sources of information – official statistics, expert interviews, and field observations – allowed us to draw a conclusion that there are both similarities and differences in agricultural development and land use of these two studied regions. The differences arise from agro-climate conditions, settlement history, specialization, and spatial pattern of economy. In both regions, farming is concentrated within the areas with most suitable natural conditions. Yet, even there, agricultural land use is shrinking, especially in Karelia. Both regions are prone to being affected by seasonality, but vary in the degree of its influence. Geographical location plays special role, and weaknesses caused by remoteness to some extent become advantage as in Yakutia. Proximity effect is controversial. In Karelia, impact of neighboring Finland is insignificant compared with the nearby second Russian city – Saint Petersburg.

scholarly journals Analysis of Ownership Data from Consolidated Land Threatened by Water Erosion in the Vlára Basin, Slovakia

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Alexandra Pagáč Mokrá ◽  
Jakub Pagáč ◽  
Zlatica Muchová ◽  
František Petrovič
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Land Consolidation ◽  
Land Fragmentation ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Soil Loss Equation

Water erosion is a phenomenon that significantly damages agricultural land. The current land fragmentation in Slovakia and the complete ambiguity of who owns it leads to a lack of responsibility to care for the land in its current condition, which could affect its sustainability in the future. The reason so much soil has eroded is obvious when looking at current land management, with large fields, a lack of windbreaks between them, and no barriers to prevent soil runoff. Land consolidation might be the solution. This paper seeks to evaluate redistributed land and, based on modeling by the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) method, to assess the degree of soil erosion risk. Ownership data provided information on how many owners and what amount of area to consider, while taking into account new conditions regarding water erosion. The results indicate that 2488 plots of 1607 owners which represent 12% of the model area are still endangered by water erosion, even after the completion of the land consolidation project. The results also presented a way of evaluating the territory and aims to trigger a discussion regarding an unambiguous definition of responsibility in the relationship between owner and user.

scholarly journals Impacts of land use changes on soil erosion in Pa Deng sub-district, adjacent area of Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 10-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Wijitkosum
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
National Park ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Adjacent Area ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Study Results

Soil erosion has been considered as the primary cause of soil degradation since soil erosion leads to the loss of topsoil and soil organic matters which are essential for the growing of plants. Land use, which relates to land cover, is one of the influential factors that affect soil erosion. In this study, impacts of land use changes on soil erosion in Pa Deng sub-district, adjacent area of Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand, were investigated by applying remote sensing technique, geographical information system (GIS) and the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). The study results revealed that land use changes in terms of area size and pattern influenced the soil erosion risk in Pa Deng in the 1990&ndash;2010 period. The area with smaller land cover obviously showed the high risk of soil erosion than the larger land cover did.

scholarly journals Estimation of soil loss using remote sensing and GIS-based universal soil loss equation in northern catchment of Lake Tana Sub-basin, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Northwest Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veera Narayana Balabathina ◽  
R. P. Raju ◽  
Wuletaw Mulualem ◽  
Gedefaw Tadele
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Erosion Rate ◽  
Soil Erodibility ◽  
Lake Tana ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Soil Erosion Rate ◽  
Soil Loss Equation

Abstract Background Soil erosion is one of the major environmental challenges and has a significant impact on potential land productivity and food security in many highland regions of Ethiopia. Quantifying and identifying the spatial patterns of soil erosion is important for management. The present study aims to estimate soil erosion by water in the Northern catchment of Lake Tana basin in the NW highlands of Ethiopia. The estimations are based on available data through the application of the Universal Soil Loss Equation integrated with Geographic Information System and remote sensing technologies. The study further explored the effects of land use and land cover, topography, soil erodibility, and drainage density on soil erosion rate in the catchment. Results The total estimated soil loss in the catchment was 1,705,370 tons per year and the mean erosion rate was 37.89 t ha−1 year−1, with a standard deviation of 59.2 t ha−1 year−1. The average annual soil erosion rare for the sub-catchments Derma, Megech, Gumara, Garno, and Gabi Kura were estimated at 46.8, 40.9, 30.9, 30.0, and 29.7 t ha−1 year−1, respectively. Based on estimated erosion rates in the catchment, the grid cells were divided into five different erosion severity classes: very low, low, moderate, high and extreme. The soil erosion severity map showed about 58.9% of the area was in very low erosion potential (0–1 t ha−1 year−1) that contributes only 1.1% of the total soil loss, while 12.4% of the areas (36,617 ha) were in high and extreme erosion potential with erosion rates of 10 t ha−1 year−1 or more that contributed about 82.1% of the total soil loss in the catchment which should be a high priority. Areas with high to extreme erosion severity classes were mostly found in Megech, Gumero and Garno sub-catchments. Results of Multiple linear regression analysis showed a relationship between soil erosion rate (A) and USLE factors that soil erosion rate was most sensitive to the topographic factor (LS) followed by the support practice (P), soil erodibility (K), crop management (C) and rainfall erosivity factor (R). Barenland showed the most severe erosion, followed by croplands and plantation forests in the catchment. Conclusions Use of the erosion severity classes coupled with various individual factors can help to understand the primary processes affecting erosion and spatial patterns in the catchment. This could be used for the site-specific implementation of effective soil conservation practices and land use plans targeted in erosion-prone locations to control soil erosion.

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