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MODELLING SOIL EROSION USING RUSLE AND GIS IN TATA VALLEY WATERSHED
Abstract
The research was carried out in Tata Valley watershed, Dambovita region, Romania, which is a tributary of the Ialomita river. The objectives of this study were to estimate the annual soil loss by applying remote sensing data and the main data for the Tata Valley watershed and obtain a spatial representation of the results using GIS techniques. The method used to determine the soil erosivity and total eroded soil quantity in Tata Valley watershed, is the RUSLE + GIS technique, adapted to the specific conditions of the area. The model parameters for Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) were obtained in ArcGIS environment and they were evaluated in different ways: the R factor map was developed from the rainfall data from 3 different weather stations and calculated using the Van der Knijff et al. (2000) relation applied for Europe, the K factor map was obtained from the soil map using the alternative method given by Wiliams (1995), the C factor map was generated based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) interpreted using image data from Landsat missions and from Landsat 8 OLI sensors and Landsat 4-5 TM sensors, and a digital elevation model (DEM) with a spatial resolution of 30 m which was derived from topographical map at the scale of 1:25.000 to generate the LS factor map, P factor map was assumed as 1 for the watershed because the area has no conservation practices. After completing the data input procedure of R, K, C, P, and LS factors, they were multiplied in GIS environment in order to obtain the erosion risk map and the annual average soil loss for the Tata Valley watershed. As a result, the area was divided in 5 risk classes ranging from very low to extremely high according to Romanian Methodology for arable lands without conservation practices (ICPA 1987). The highest values are mainly associated with the low vegetation, cover steep slopes and poor conservation practices.
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