Assessment of the Potential Risk of Sheet Water Erosion for the Territory of Krushari Community

M. Mitova, S. Rousseva

Abstract: Assessment of the potential risk of sheet water erosion using a predictive model is one of the first steps in soil conservation planning. Predicted potential soil erosion risk is assessed using indices characterising the terrain topography, rainfall erosivity and soil erodibility. The methodology of the Universal Soil Loss Equation, integrated with GIS, was applied for the territory of Krushari community, Dobrich region, in order to assess the soil erosion factors and predicted annual soil loss (risk from sheet water erosion) at a sclae M 1: 10 000. The assessments of the soil erosion factors and the risk of sheet water erosion obtained for the territory of Krushari community are compared with respective previous assessments at a scale M 1: 200 000.

Keywords: potential erosion risk; rainfall erosivity; sheet water erosion; soil erodibility; topography factor; USLE

Date published: 2017-02-13