ASSESSMENT OF SOIL WATER EROSION POTENTIAL IN THE STAVROPOL TERRITORY BASED ON THE RUSLE FACTOR MODEL

Abstract

Erosion processes are one of the main threats to soils in the agricultural regions of our country.  The current state of the problem requires the search and implementation of new methods for monitoring and evaluating soil liability to erosion processes. This article reflects the experience of modeling soil erosion losses using the RUSLE model for 2018 on the basis of open data. In the course of the work, maps of the R-factor reflecting the impact of rainfall on erosion, K-factor, factor of soil liability to erosion processes, LS-factor, factor of the terrain features influence (steepness and length of slopes) on the course of erosion processes were constructed. Based on the obtained maps, the RUSLE model was constructed,  which quantitatively reflects potential for water erosion in the Stavropol Territory for 2018. And as a result, the diagrams of land groups correlation belonging to different erosion groups are constructed.