Multi-temporal annual soil loss risk mapping employing Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model in Nun Nadi Watershed, Uttrakhand (India)

The present comparative study is multi-temporal in nature. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), remote sensing, and GIS were used to model the soil loss estimation for soil conservation and vegetation rehabilitation in Nun Nadi watershed for the years 2000 and 2009. The estimated mean soil loss for the year 2000 and 2009 is 3,283.11 and 1,419.39 Mg?ha^?1 year^?1, respectively. The study finds that about 80 % area has low or least risk of erosion and about 7 % is exposed to high or very high risk which indicates the improvement in terms of soil loss if we compare the data of both the time periods. The findings show that the rainfall, LULC change, and elevation are the main responsible factors for the soil loss in Nun Nadi watershed. Conservation measures have been adopted; however, the problem still remains serious and demands urgent attention.     

元江—红河界河地区土壤侵蚀研究

为支撑我国界河地区国土防护工作,以中国、越南交界的元江—红河界河地区为研究区,基于3S技术进行界河地区的土壤侵蚀研究。采用Landsat 8卫星遥感数据,基于水体指数、植被覆盖度、土壤可蚀性及坡度进行土壤侵蚀强度研究,初步建立了界河地区的土壤侵蚀强度遥感评价方法,提出了界河地区国土防护措施与建议。     

Spatial prediction of soil erosion risk by remote sensing,GIS and RUSLE approach: a case study of Siruvani river watershed in Attapady valley,Kerala, India

Siruvani watershed with a surface area of 205.54 km² (20,554 hectare), forming a part of the Western Ghats in Attapady valley, Kerala, was chosen for testing RUSLE methodology in conjunction with remote sensing and GIS for soil loss prediction and identifying areas with high erosion potential. The RUSLE factors (R, K, LS, C and P) were computed from local rainfall, topographic, soil classification and remote sensing data. This study proved that the integration of soil erosion models with GIS and remote sensing is a simple and effective tool for mapping and quantifying areas and rates of soil erosion for the development of better soil conservation plans. The resultant map of annual soil erosion shows a maximum soil loss of 14.917 t h⁻¹ year⁻¹ and the computations suggest that about only 5.76% (1,184 hectares) of the area comes under the severe soil erosion zone followed by the high-erosion zone (11.50% of the total area). The dominant high soil erosion areas are located in the central and southern portion of the watershed and it is attributed to the shifting cultivation, and forest degradation along with the combined effect of K, LS and C factor. The RUSLE model in combination with GIS and remote sensing techniques also enables the assessment of pixel based soil erosion rate.     

漓江流域水土流失特征及其侵蚀影响因子典型分析

选择漓江流域及其典型岩溶小流域为研究对象,通过遥感数据综合分析和地面路线验证调查与定点监测相结合的方法,对漓江流域岩溶区和非岩溶区的水土流失特征进行了研究,并重点分析岩溶区内典型小流域——寨底小流域侵蚀影响因子对水土流失的影响。研究结果表明:漓江流域水土流失以中度和轻度等级为主,约占流域面积的29.9%;流域内岩溶区与非岩溶区的水土流失表现出一定的差异性,岩溶区以中度、极强烈和轻度等级水土流失为主,水土流失面积约占岩溶面积的53%;非岩溶区中度和轻度等级水土流失分别占非岩溶区面积的12.4%和10.4%。高程、坡度、植被覆盖、土地利用等因子对岩溶小流域土壤侵蚀面积和侵蚀量比例的影响表现出明显的差异性和独特性,这四种影响因子中的高程(300,500] m,坡度[15°,25°]、植被覆盖度≤20%、土地利用为工矿用地等对岩溶小流域土壤侵蚀的影响最大,是寨底岩溶小流域水土流失治理中应重点考虑的因素。      

长江上游安宁河流域生态环境遥感动态监测分析

利用遥感图像宏观性强、快速、高效、经济和信息量丰富等优越性。对长江上游安宁河流域1988年和1999年两个时段的TM卫星图像进行详细解译，经野外实地调查，利用GIS空间分析功能和植被指数进行综合评价，分析对比了十年来生态环境和土壤侵蚀强度的动态变化情况，为建设长江上游生态屏障以及安宁河流域生态建设和环境保护提供科学依据。     

Risk assessment of water soil erosion in upper basin of Miyun Reservoir,Beijing, China

This research selected water soil erosion indicators (land cover, vegetation cover, slope) to assess the risk of soil erosion, ARCMAP GIS ver.9.0 environments and ERDAS ver.9.0 were used to manage and process satellite images and thematic tabular data. Landsat TM images in 2003 were used to produce land/cover maps of the study area based on visual interpreting method and derived vegetation cover maps, and the relief map at the scale of 1:50,000 to calculate the slope gradient maps. The area of water soil erosion was classified into six grades by an integration of slope gradients, land cover types, and vegetation cover fraction. All the data were integrated into a cross-tabular format to carry out the grid-based analysis of soil erosion risk. Results showed that the upper basin of Miyun Reservoir, in general, is exposed to a moderate risk of soil erosion, there is 715,848 ha of land suffered from water soil erosion in 2003, occupied 46.62% of total area, and most of the soil erosion area is on the slight and moderate risk, occupied 45.60 and 47.58% of soil erosion area, respectively.     

Soil erosion and sediment yield modeling using RS and GIS techniques: a case study, Iran

Water erosion is a serious and continuous environmental problem in many parts of the world. The need to quantify the amount of erosion, sediment delivery, and sediment yield in a spatially distributed form has become essential at the watershed scale and in the implementation of conservation efforts. In this study, an effort to predict potential annual soil loss and sediment yield is conducted by using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model with adaptation in a geographic information system (GIS). The rainfall erosivity, soil erosivity, slope length, steepness, plant cover, and management practice and conservation support practice factors are among the basic factors that are obtained from monthly and annual rainfall data, soil map of the region, 50-m digital elevation model, remote sensing (RS) techniques (with use of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and GIS, respectively. The Ilam dam watershed which is located southeast part of Ilam province in western Iran is considered as study area. The study indicates that the slope length and steepness of the RUSLE model are the most effective factors controlling soil erosion in the region. The mean annual soil loss and sediment yield are also predicted. Moreover, the results indicated that 45.25%, 12.18%, 12.44%, 10.79%, and 19.34% of the study area are under minimal, low, moderate, high, and extreme actual erosion risks, respectively. Since 30.13% of the region is under high and extreme erosion risk, adoption of suitable conservation measures seems to be inevitable. So, the RUSLE model integrated with RS and GIS techniques has a great potential for producing accurate and inexpensive erosion and sediment yield risk maps in Iran.     

Prioritization of subwatersheds based on quantitative morphometric analysis in lower Bhavani basin,Tamil Nadu,India using DEM and GIS techniques

Watershed prioritization is one of the most important processes in natural resource management system especially in areas of sustainable watershed development and planning. Morphometric characteristics are the viable entity to understand the hydrological behavior of the subwatershed. For prioritization of subwatershed, morphometric analysis was utilized by using the linear, areal, and relief aspects of the drainage basin. In this context, remote sensing and GIS has been proved to be an efficient tool to identify the morphological features. The Survey of India (SOI) topographical maps, satellite data IRS-LISS III, and Cartosat DEM data were utilized to understand the drainage pattern and also for prioritization of subwatershed areas. The prioritization of subwatershed has been attempted using novel and quantitative approaches based on compound parameter ranking for soil erosion. Lower compound factors were chosen as the most feasible for soil erosion. Based on the observation, eight subwatersheds with a higher degree of the slope were severely prone to soil erosion and remaining 21 subwatersheds occur in low-lying areas that can be developed as sustainable watersheds. The identified subwatershed requires immediate soil remediation and water conservation measures for efficient watershed planning and management. The proposed study might be helpful for resource planners, government agencies, private sectors, and other stake holders to take up soil conservation measures and fixation of water-harvesting structures for better decision making.     

Geospatial assessment of soil erosion vulnerability at watershed level in some sections of the Upper Subarnarekha river basin, Jharkhand, India

Undulating landscapes of Chhotanagpur plateau of the Indian state of Jharkhand suffer from soil erosion vulnerability of varying degrees. An investigation was undertaken in some sections of the Upper Subarnarekha River Basin falling within this state. An empirical equation known as Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was utilized for estimating the soil loss. Analysis of remote sensing satellite data, digital elevation model (DEM) and geographical information system (GIS)–based geospatial approach together with USLE led to the soil erosion assessment. Erosion vulnerability assessment was performed by analyzing raster grids of topography acquired from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global DEM data. LANDSAT TM and ETM+ satellite data of March 2001 and March 2011 were used for inferring the land use–land cover characteristics of the watershed for these years, respectively. USLE equation was computed within the GIS framework to derive annual soil erosion rates and also the areas with varying degrees of erosion vulnerability. Erosion vulnerability units thus identified covered five severity classes of erosion ranging from very low (0–5 ton ha^?1 yr^?1) to very severe (> 40 ton ha^?1 yr^?1). Results indicated an overall increase of erosion in the year 2011 as compared to the erosion computed for the year 2001. Maximum soil erosion rate during the year 2001 was found up to 40 ton ha^?1 yr^?1, whereas this went up to 49.80 ton ha^?1 yr^?1 for the year 2011. Factors for the increase in overall erosion could be variation in rainfall, decrease in vegetation or protective land covers and most important but not limited to the increase in built-up or impervious areas as well.     

基于GIS的秦巴山区土壤侵蚀评估——以陕西省宁强县为例

基于GIS技术对秦巴山区的宁强县土壤侵蚀特征进行研究.通过解译遥感影像得到研究区的土地利用现状和植被覆盖等数据,使用GIS技术对地形图数据处理得到DEM等数据,并用因子法计算研究区的土壤侵蚀模数,最终生成该区的土壤侵蚀模数图.研究结论可为该地区水土保持与土壤侵蚀防治提供科学依据.     

A “simple” geomatics-based approach for assessing water erosion hazard at montane areas

Soil erosion by water is recognised as a worldwide land degradation issue, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. The aim of this study is to apply the powerful capabilities of advanced remote sensing and geographic information system techniques to identify the areas at risk to water erosion. This study presents the assessment of water erosion in mountainous areas (eastern Aures, Algeria) based on three main factors: the friability of the bedrock, degree of slope and density of vegetation cover. Alsat1 image was used to produce land use and vegetation (NDVI) maps. Digital elevation model was used in constructing the slope gradient map. The erosion risk map was obtained by the combination of indices assigned to thematic layers following multicriteria decision rules. Water erosion was generally not concerning in the eastern Aures (slight risk = 33 %, moderate risk = 44 % of the area). This simple–qualitative approach gave good results for assessing soil erosion equally to quantitative methods since 89.55 % of field verifications were accurate. The non-alarming state and the low rate of severe and extremely severe risk to erosion are due to (1) the low steep slopes, (2) the good quality of vegetation (forests with thick undergrowth), and which are occurring on (3) resistant materials of the substratum, and (4) the low human pressure. Results of this study, which may be conducted with reasonable costs and accuracy over large areas, are of significant help in prioritising areas in decision making and sustainable planning.     

Estimation of soil erosion using RUSLE in a GIS framework: a case study in the Buyukcekmece Lake watershed,northwest Turkey

This study was aimed at predicting soil erosion risk in the Buyukcekmece Lake watershed located in the western part of Istanbul, Turkey, by using Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model in a GIS framework. The factors used in RUSLE were computed by using different data obtained or produced from meteorological station, soil surveys, topographic maps, and satellite images. The RUSLE factors were represented by raster layers in a GIS environment and then multiplied together to estimate the soil erosion rate in the study area using spatial analyst tool of ArcGIS 9.3. In the study, soil loss rate below 1 t/ha/year was defined as low erosion, while those >10 t/ha/year were defined as severe erosion. The values between low and severe erosion were further classified as slight, moderate, and high erosion areas. The study provided a reliable prediction of soil erosion rates and delineation of erosion-prone areas within the watershed. As the study revealed, soil erosion risk is low in more than half of the study area (54%) with soil loss <1 t/ha/year. Around one-fifth of the study area (19%) has slight erosion risk with values between 1 and 3 t/ha/year. Only 11% of the study area was found to be under high erosion risk with soil loss between 5 and 10 t/ha/year. The severe erosion risk is seen only in 5% of the study area with soil loss more than 10 t/ha/year. As the study revealed, nearly half of the Buyukcekmece Lake watershed requires implementation of effective soil conservation measures to reduce soil erosion risk.     

Soil erosion assessment and its verification using the Universal Soil Loss Equation and Geographic Information System: a case study at Boun,Korea

This study is aimed at the evaluation of the hazard of soil erosion and its verification at Boun, Korea, using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing. Precipitation, topographic, soil, and land use data were collected, processed, and constructed into a spatial database using GIS and remote sensing data. Areas that had suffered soil erosion were analysed and mapped using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). The factors that influence soil erosion are rainfall erosivitiy (R) from the precipitation database, soil erodibility (K) from the soil database, slope length and steepness (LS) from the topographic database, and crop and management (C) and conservation supporting practices (P) from the land use database. Land use was classified from Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite images. The soil erosion map verified use of the landslide location data. Landslide locations were identified in the Boun area from interpretation of aerial photographs and field surveys.     

Using GIS-based distributed soil loss modeling and morphometric analysis to prioritize watershed for soil conservation in Bago river basin of Lower Myanmar

Bago River is an important river in Myanmar. Although shorter than other rivers, it has its own river system, and people along the river rely heavily on it for their daily lives. The upper part of the watershed has changed rapidly from closed forest to open forest land in the 1990s. Since the recent degradation of the forest environment, annual flooding has become worse during the rainy season in Bago City. This paper aims at determining soil conservation prioritization of watershed based on soil loss due to erosion and morphometric analysis in the Bago Watershed by integrating remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. In this study, soil erosion of the Bago watershed was determined using the Universal Soil Loss Equation. Such factormaps as rainfall, soil erodibility, slope length gradient, and crop management were compiled as input parameters for the modeling; and the soil loss from 26 sub-watersheds were estimated. Then, the soil erosion maps of the Bago watershed for 2005 were developed. The resulting Soil Loss Tolerance Map could be utilized in developing watershed management planning, forestry management planning, etc.     

Estimation of soil erosion using RUSLE in Caijiamiao watershed,China

Soil erosion is a serious environmental and production problem in China. In particular, natural conditions and human impact have made the Chinese Loess Plateau particularly prone to intense soil erosion area. To decrease the risk on environmental impacts, there is an increasing demand for sound, and readily applicable techniques for soil conservation planning in this area. This work aims at the assessment of soil erosion and its spatial distribution in hilly Loess Plateau watershed (northwestern China) with a surface area of approximately 416.31 km². This study was conducted at the Caijiamiao watershed to determine the erosion hazard in the area and target locations for appropriate initiation of conservation measures using the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE). The erosion factors of RUSLE were collected and processed through a geographic information system (GIS)-based approach. The soil erosion parameters were evaluated in different ways: The R-factor map was developed from the rainfall data, the K-factor map was obtained from the soil map, the C-factor map was generated based on Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper image and spectral mixture analysis, and a digital elevation model with a spatial resolution of 25 m was derived from topographic map at the scale of 1:50,000 to develop the LS-factor map. Support practice P factor was from terraces that exist on slopes where crops are grown. By integrating the six-factor maps in GIS through pixel-based computing, the spatial distribution of soil loss in the study area was obtained by the RUSLE model. The results showed that spatial average soil erosion at the watershed was 78.78 ton ha^?1 year^?1 in 2002 and 70.58 ton ha^?1 year^?1 in 2010, while the estimated sediment yield was found to be 327.96 × 10⁴ and 293.85 × 10⁴ ton, respectively. Soil erosion is serious, respectively, from 15 to 35 of slope degree, elevation area from 1,126 to 1,395 m, in the particular area of soil and water loss prevention. As far as land use is concerned, soil losses are highest in barren land and those in waste grassland areas are second. The results of the study provide useful information for decision maker and planners to take appropriate land management measures in the area. It thus indicates the RUSLE–GIS model is a useful tool for evaluating and mapping soil erosion quantitatively and spatially at a river watershed scale on a cell basis in Chinese Loess Plateau and for planning of conservation practices.     

吉林西部多时相遥感数据分类方案的构建及应用

为了深化遥感监测方法在生态环境调查中的应用,本文以吉林西部为试验区,设计了一种多时相遥感数据分类方案。该方案以物候信息为主,结合地物特征变量(植被、水体和土地信息)构建的多维特征空间数据集用于土地覆被分类。该遥感分类方案提取了9种地表覆被类型,结果表明:地表植被季节变化信息和土地利用信息的引入能明显改善土地覆被的分类精度;与基于原始波段的分类方案相比,多时相遥感数据分类方案的分类精度最好,总体分类精度为95.50%,Kappa系数为95.04%。     

Impact of fractional vegetation cover change on soil erosion in Miyun reservoir basin,China

It is well known that soil erosion at the watershed scale is the result of interactions between various factors. Among these environmental factors, vegetation is the most important and plays a major role in the soil erosion process. The impact of fractional vegetation cover change (FVCC) on soil erosion in non-contributing areas is a heavily discussed topic. In this paper, the fractional vegetation cover (FVC) in 2002 and 2005 was calculated by using a backpropagation neural network based on remote sensing (RS) data. Then the impacts of FVCC on sediment loads at the outlets of two Miyun reservoir sub-basins were evaluated by integrating RS and geographic information system with statistical analysis. The Miyun reservoir basin (MRB) is characterized by hilly and mountainous topographies and seasonal rainy weather. The primary goal of this paper is to gain a better understanding of FVCC, its driving forces, and its impact on regional soil erosion. We discuss spatiotemporal variations in precipitation and soil erosion, identify which factors contribute to those variations, analyze the influences of FVCC on climate change and human activities and, finally, conclude that changes in FVC and climate regimes are primary factors for soil erosion in MRB. We also discuss how sediment loads may be used to quantitatively separate biophysical and anthropogenic influences and to identify critical thresholds that might have dramatic consequences for the watershed ecosystem. These findings should be quite helpful for sensible watershed development and management planning.     

基于多源多时相遥感数据的稀土开采状况与地质环境问题监测

稀土矿床开采导致矿产资源极大损失,并造成植被破坏、水土流失、环境污染等严重的地质环境问题。本文选取韶关新丰、清远英德交界区域为研究区,采用2010年到2012年3期不同来源的遥感影像为数据源,在建立解译标志的基础上,采用人机交互解译方法提取各年度的稀土开采状况、矿山地质环境问题及恢复治理情况,并进行野外实地验证。监测结果表明,研究区稀土开采图斑较多,但均已停采,矿山地质环境问题较为严重,且大多未进行有效治理。研究发现,基于多源多时相遥感数据的遥感调查手段,既能利用不同时相数据的时效性优势,又能发挥不同分辨率数据识别各类矿山地物和地质环境要素的能力,有效监测稀土矿区的整体状况和变化情况,为国土、环保等相关部门进行矿政管理和地质环境综合治理决策提供科学依据。     

Integrated use of GIS and remote sensing for monitoring landslides in transportation pavements: the case study of Paphos area in Cyprus

This study considers the impact of landslides on transportation pavements in rural road network of Cyprus using remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) techniques. Landslides are considered to be one of the most extreme natural hazards worldwide, causing both human losses and severe damages to the transportation network. Risk assessment for monitoring a road network is based on the combination of the probability of landslides occurrence and the extent and severity of the resultant consequences should the disasters (landslides) occur. Factors that can trigger landslide episodes include proximity to active faults, geological formations, fracture zones, degree and high curvature of slopes, water conditions, etc. In this study, the reliability and vulnerability of a rural network are examined. Initially, landslide locations were identified from the interpretation of satellite images. Different geomorphological factors such as aspect, slope, distance from the watershed, lithology, distance from lineaments, topographic curvature, land use and vegetation regime derived from satellite images were selected and incorporated in GIS environment in order to develop a decision support and continuous landslide monitoring system of the area. These parameters were then used in the final landslide hazard assessment model based on the analytic hierarchy process method. The results indicated good correlation between classified high-hazard areas and field-confirmed slope failures. The CA Markov model was also used to predict the landslide hazard zonation map for 2020 and the possible future hazards for transportation pavements. The proposed methodology can be used for areas with similar physiographic conditions all over the Eastern Mediterranean region.     

西南喀斯特区土壤侵蚀研究进展

西南喀斯特区土层浅薄、成土速率低等特点决定了其允许土壤流失量小,土壤一旦流失,极难恢复,土壤侵蚀及其造成的石漠化现象已成为制约该区可持续发展最严重的生态环境问题。文章首先明晰西南喀斯特区土壤侵蚀特征,从坡面、小流域和区域三个尺度上系统概括西南喀斯特区土壤侵蚀的相关研究进展。针对当前喀斯特区土壤侵蚀研究野外径流小区、小流域及区域空间尺度数据缺少和相关研究模型限制性强等不足,建议从不同尺度深入研究喀斯特区土壤侵蚀发生发展规律及时空演化格局,并结合高新遥感、地球物理探测技术及模型,同步监测坡面—小流域—区域土壤流失,对土壤侵蚀进行定量评估,结合不同空间尺度土壤侵蚀特征构建系统性水土保持生态恢复治理模式和监测系统评价体系。