Determination of Erosion Potential of Rioni River Basin Using GIS and RUSLE Model
Downloads
This study focuses on determining the soil erosion potential within the Rioni River basin using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and Geographical Information System (GIS) technologies. A 90-meter resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) from the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) was utilized to delineate the basin boundaries and hydrological network. The RUSLE model, an empirical approach, was applied to estimate the long-term average annual soil loss. Individual RUSLE factors were computed using specific methodologies: the rainfall-runoff factor (R) was derived from a linear empirical relationship based on average atmospheric precipitation (1989-2021); the soil erodibility factor (K) was calculated using the Sharpley–Williams equation, yielding a value of 0.0184 for the prevalent soil type; the topographic factor (LS) was determined using a RUSLE-adapted approach; the cover-management factor (C) was calculated using the Durigon equation from NDVI values; and the support practice factor (P) was assigned based on slope and cultivation practices. Results indicate that the R-factor ranges from 313.65 to 473.89 MJ×mm/(ha×hours), with an average of 391.02 MJ×mm/(ha×hours). The maximum LS-factor reached 7137.810. The C-factor values (0.104 to 0.769) suggest a significant risk of water erosion across the basin. Overall, the study concludes that riverbed erosion predominantly occurs in the Rioni River basin, primarily influenced by flow velocity and slope.
Wischmeier, W.H., Smith, D.D. (1978). Predicting Rainfall Erosion Losses – A Guide to Conservation Planning. Agriculture Handbook No. 537. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C.
Renard, K.G., Foster, G.R., Weesies, G.A., McCool, D.K., Porter, D. (1997). Predicting Soil Erosion by Water: A Guide to Conservation Planning with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Agriculture Handbook No. 703. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C.
ArcGIS 10.2.2. (2013). ESRI, Redlands, CA, USA.
Moore, I.D., Burch, G.J. (1989). Modelling Erosion and Deposition: Topographic Effects. Trans. Am. Soc. Agric. Eng. 32, pp. 1571–1576.
Mitasova, H., Hofierka, J., Zlocha, M., Iverson, L.R. (1996). Modelling topographic potential for erosion and deposition using GIS. Int. J. Geogr. Inf. Syst. 10, pp. 629–641.
NRCS: USDA State Office of Michigan, Technical Guide to RUSLE Use in Michigan, 2002, 116 p.
Sharpley, A. N., & Williams, J. R. (1990). EPIC—Erosion/Productivity Impact Calculator. 1. Model documentation. U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Note: This might be a duplicate of reference [4] depending on exact content. Please verify and remove if duplicate.)
Qin, C., Zhu, A. X., Pei, T., Li, B., Zhou, C., & Yang, L. 2007. "An adaptive approach to selecting a flow partition exponent for a multiple flow direction algorithm." International Journal of Geographical Information Science 21(4): 443-458.
Durigon, V. L., de Carvalho, D. F., Antunes, M. A. H., Palmioli, F., & de Moraes, M. L. T. (2014). C factor mapping using vegetation indices. Scientia Agricola, 71(5), 416-422.
Torri D., Borselli L., Guzzetti F., Calzolari M.C., Bazzoffi P., Ungaro F., Bartolini D., Salvador-Sanchis M.P. (2006): Italy. In: Boardman J., Poesen J. (eds): Soil Erosion in Europe. Chichester, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.: 245–261.
(Wischmeier and Smith, 1965) - This reference was found in the text but not in the numbered list, it refers to the original USLE. If you want to include it, please provide full details.
(Renard and Foster, 1983) - This reference was found in the text but not in the numbered list, it refers to a modification of USLE. If you want to include it, please provide full details.
(Shin, G. J. 1999) - This reference was found in the text but not in the numbered list. If you want to include it, please provide full details.
