Integrated Approach of Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and Geographical Information System (GIS) for Soil Loss Risk Assessment in Upper South Koel Basin, Jharkhand

Reshma Parveen, Uday Kumar

University Department of Geology, Ranchi University, Ranchi, India.

DOI: 10.4236/jgis.2012.46061                

Abstract

Soil erosion is a growing problem especially in areas of agricultural activity where soil erosion not only leads to decreased agricultural productivity but also reduces water availability. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is the most popular empirically based model used globally for erosion prediction and control. Remote sensing and GIS techniques have become valuable tools specially when assessing erosion at larger scales due to the amount of data needed and the greater area coverage. The present study area is a part of Chotanagpur plateau with undulating topography, with a very high risk of soil erosion. In the present study an attempt has been made to assess the annual soil loss in Upper South Koel basin using Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) in GIS framework. Such information can be of immense help in identifying priority areas for implementation of erosion control measures. The soil erosion rate was determined as a function of land topography, soil texture, land use/land cover, rainfall erosivity, and crop management and practice in the watershed using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (for Indian conditions), remote sensing imagery, and GIS techniques. The rainfall erosivity R-factor of USLE was found as 546 MJ mm/ha/hr/yr and the soil erodibility K-factor varied from 0.23 - 0.37. Slopes in the catchment varied between 0% and 42% having LS factor values ranging from 0 - 21. The C factor was computed from NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetative Index) values derived from Landsat-TM data. The P value was computed from existing cropping patterns in the catchment. The annual soil loss estimated in the watershed using USLE is 12.2 ton/ha/yr.

Keywords

Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE); Remote Sensing & GIS; Soil Loss

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	C. S. Renschler, C. Mannaerts and B. Diekkrüger, 1999. Evaluating Spatial and Temporal Variability in Soil Erosion Risk—Rainfall Erosivity and Soil Loss Ratios in Andalusia, Spain,” Catena, Vol. 34, No. 3-4, 1999, pp. 209-225. doi:10.1016/S0341-8162(98)00117-9
[2]	C. Kosmas, N. Danalatos, H. N. Cammeraat, M. Chabart, J. Diamantopoulos, R. Faand, L. Gutierrez, A. Jacob, H. Marques, J. Martinez-Fernandez, A. Mizara, N. Moustakas, J. M. Niclau, C. Oliveros, G. Pinna, R. Puddu, J. Puigdefabrgas, M. Roxo, A. Simao, G. Stamou, et al., The Effect of Land Use on Runoff and Soil Erosion Rates under Mediterranean Conditions,” Catena, Vol. 29, No. 1, 1997, pp. 45-59. doi:10.1016/S0341-8162(96)00062-8
[3]	G. O. Schwab, D. D. Fangmeier, W. J. Elliot, et al., “Soil and Water Conservation Engineering,” 4th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1993, pp. 131-138.
[4]	D. V. V. Narayan and R. Babu, “Estimation of Soil Erosion in India,” Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Vol. 109, No. 4, 1983, pp. 419-431. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9437(1983)109:4(419)
[5]	L. D. Meyer and W. H. Wischmeier, “Mathematical Simulation of the Processes of Soil Erosion by Water,” Transactions on American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Vol. 12, No. 6, 1969, pp. 754-758.
[6]	P. K. Singh, P. K. Bhunya, S. K. Mishra and U. C. Chaube, “A Sediment Graph Model Based on SCS-CN Method,” Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 349, No. 1-2, 2008, pp. 244255. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.11.004
[7]	Z. H. Shi, S. F. Cai, S. W. Ding, T. W. Wang and T. L. Chow, “Soil Conservation Planning at the Small Watershed Level Using RUSLE with GIS: A Case Study in the Three Gorge Area of China,” Catena, Vol. 55, No. 1, 2004, pp. 33-48. doi:10.1016/S0341-8162(03)00088-2
[8]	S. D. Angima, D. E. Stott, M. K. O’Neill, C. K. Ong and G. A. Weesies, “Soil Erosion Prediction Using RUSLE for Central Kenyan Highland Conditions,” Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, Vol. 97, No. 1-3, 2003, pp. 295-308. doi:10.1016/S0167-8809(03)00011-2
[9]	W. S. Merritt, R. A. Letcher and A. J. Jakeman, “A Review of Erosion and Sediment Transport Models,” Environmental Modelling & Software, Vol. 18, No. 8-9, 2003, pp. 761-799. doi:10.1016/S1364-8152(03)00078-1
[10]	P. Pilesjo, “GIS and Remote Sensing for Soil Erosion Studies in Semi-Arid Environments,” Ph.D. Thesis, University of Lund, Lund, 1992.
[11]	G. I. Metternicht and A. Fermont, “Estimating Erosion Surface Features by Linear Mixture Modeling,” Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 64, No. 3, 1998, pp. 254265. doi:10.1016/S0034-4257(97)00172-7
[12]	W. H. Wischmeier and D. D. Smith, “Predicting Rainfall Erosion Losses from Crop Land East of Rocky Mountains—Guide for Selection of Practices for Soil and Water Conservation, US Department of Agriculture Hand Book No. 282,” Agricultural Research Service—US Department of Agriculture, Washington DC, 1965.
[13]	W. H. Wischmeier and D. D. Smith, “Predicting Rainfall-Erosion Losses: A Guide to Conservation Planning, Agricultural Handbook No. 537,” Agricultural Research Service—US Department of Agriculture, Washington DC, 1978.
[14]	M. Grimm, R. J. A. Jones, E. Rusco and L. Montanarella, “Soil Erosion Risk in Italy: A Revised USLE Approach, European Soil Bureau Research Report No. 11,” Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, 2003.
[15]	A. Shamshad, M. N. Azhari, M. H., Isa, W. M. A. Wan Hussin and B. P. Parida, “Development of an Appropriate Procedure for Estimation of RUSLE EI30 Index and Preparation of Erosivity Maps for Pulau Penang in Peninsular Malaysia. Catena, Vol. 72, No. 3, 2008, pp. 423-432. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2007.08.002
[16]	G. Singh, S. Chandra and R. Babu, “Soil Loss and Prediction Research in India,” Bulletin No. T-12/D9, Central Soil and Water Conservation Research Training Institute, Dehra Dun, 1981.
[17]	G. O. Schwab, R. K. Frevert, T. W. Edminster and K. K. Barnes, “Soil Water Conservation Engineering,” 3rd Edition, Wiley, New York, 1981.
[18]	I. Moore and J. P. Wilson, “Length Slope Factor for the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation: Simplified Method of Solution,” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Vol. 47, No. 4, 1992, pp. 423-428.
[19]	I. Moore and G. Burch, “Physical Basis of the LengthSlope Factor in the Universal Soil Loss Equation,” Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 50, No. 5, 1986, pp. 1294-1298. doi:10.2136/sssaj1986.03615995005000050042x
[20]	I. Moore and G. Burch, “Modeling Erosion and Deposition: Topographic Effects,” Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Vol. 29, No. 6, 1986, pp. 1624-1630, 1640.
[21]	K. Edwards, “Runoff and Soil Loss Studies in New South Wales, Technical Handbook No. 10,” Soil Conservation Service of NSW, Sydney, 1987.
[22]	H. Mitasova and L. Mitas, “Modeling Soil Detachment with RUSLE 3d Using GIS,” University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1999.http://www.gis.uiuc.edu:2280/modviz/erosion/usle.html
[23]	T. M. Lillesand, R. W. Kiefer and J. W. Chipman, “Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation,” 5th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 2004.
[24]	M. F. Jasinski, “Sensitivity of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index to Subpixel Canopy Cover, Soil Albedo, and Pixel Scale,” Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 32, No. 2-3, 1990, pp. 169-187. doi:10.1016/0034-4257(90)90016-F
[25]	S. A. Sader and J. C. Winne, “RGB-NDVI Colour Composites for Visualizing Forest Change Dynamics,” International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 13, No. 16, 1992, pp. 3055-3067. doi:10.1080/01431169208904102
[26]	J. M. Van der Knijff, R. J. A. Jones and L. Montanarella, “Soil Erosion Risk Assessment in Europe,” Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, 2000, 34 pp.
[27]	M. Van der Knijff, R. J. A. Jones and L. Montanarella, Soil Erosion Risk in Italy,” Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, 1999, 54 pp.
[28]	W. J. D. Van Leeuwen and G. Sammons, “Vegetation Dynamics and Soil Erosion Modeling Using Remotely Sensed Data (MODIS) and GIS,” 10th Biennial USDA Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Conference, US Department of Agriculture Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center, Salt Lake City, 5-9 April 2004.
[29]	G. J. Shin, “The Analysis of Soil Erosion Analysis in Watershed Using GIS,” Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Civil Engineering, Gang-Won National University, Chuncheon, 1999.
[30]	M. T. Jabbar, “Application of GIS to Estimate Soil Erosion Using USLE,” Geo-Spatial Information Science, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2003, pp. 34-37. doi:10.1007/BF02826699
[31]	Y. P. Rao, “Evaluation of Cropping Management Factor in Universal Soil Loss Equation under Natural Rainfall Condition of Kharagpur, India,” Proceedings of the Southeast Asian Regional Symposium on Problems of Soil Erosion and Sedimentation, Bangkok, 27-29 January 1981, pp. 241-254.
[32]	G. Singh, R. Babu, P. Narain, L. S. Bhusan and I. P. Abrol, “Soil Erosion Rates in India,” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Vol. 47, No. 1, 1992, pp. 97-99.