Scribd
Upload
17 views3 pages

23 Usle

Geography notes

Uploaded by

nomonde043
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
17 views3 pages

23 Usle

Geography notes

Uploaded by

nomonde043
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

USLE (Universal Soil Loss Equation)

A ­ The computed soil loss per unit area.


[1] R ­ The rainfall erosivity factor.
K ­ The soil erodibility factor.
L ­ The slope length factor.
S ­ The slope steepness factor.
C ­ The cover and management factor.
P ­ The support practice factor.

Rainfall erosivity factor (R)

Rainfall erosivity is the capability of rainfall to cause rosion from


hillslopes by water [3]. It takes into consideration the total
rainfall, the intensity of the rainfall, and the seasonal distribution
of the rainfall [2]. Rainfall intensity is important because [2]:
1) Intense rains have larger drop sizes that have more kinetic
energy available to detach soil particles (rainsplash erosion).
2) The higher the intensity of the rainfall, the more runoff can be
generated (Hortonian overland flow).

Soil erodibility factor (K)

The soil erodibility factor indicates a soil's susceptibility to [4]


erosion [2]. A high erodibility factor means that the soil is more
prone to erosion.

Soil properties that tend to result in high K values include [2]:


1) High contents of silt/very fine sand
2) The presence of expanding clays
3) A tendency to form surface crusts
4) The presence of impervious layers
5) A blocky, play, or massive soil structure

Soil properties that tend to result in low K values include [2]:


1) High soil organic matter content
2) The presence of non­epanding clays
3) A strong granular structure

Topographic factor (LS)


[2,5]
The slope length and slope steepness factors can be
combined into a topographic factor [2]. Slope length is
defines the distance between the point where
overland flow begins and a point downslope where the
gradient results in deposition or the water enters a
well­defined channel [1]. Generally, soil loss increases
as slope length increases [1]. Soil loss also increases
as the steepness of the slope increases [1].
[1]
Crop Management Factor (C)

The crop management factor represents the ratio of soil


loss between a land covered by a specific crop and a
bare soil [6]. Undisturbed forests and dense grassprovide
the best soil protection followed by forage crops and then
by small grains such as wheat [2]. Row crops such as
maize and soybeans offer very little protection during the
early growth stages making the soil more susceptible to
erosion [2].

[4,6]

Support Practice Factor (P)

In some instances erosion control must be


augmented by steps aimed at guiding and
slowing the flow of runoff water [2]. The P
factor is defined as the ratio of soil loss
with a given support practice and the soil
loss if row crops were planted up and
down the slope [2]. If there is no support
practice, the P­factor is 1.00 [2].

[4,6]

[1] Wischmeier, W.H. and Smith, D.D., (1978). Predicting rainfall erosion losses: a guide to conservation planning (No. 537). Department of Agriculture, Science and Education Administration.
[2] Brady, N.C. and Weil, R.R. (1999). The nature and properties of soils, Twelfth edition, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River.
[3] Nearing, M. A., Yin, S. Q., Borrelli, P., & Polyakov, V. O. (2017). Rainfall erosivity: An historical review. Catena, 157, 357­362.
[4] Benavidez, R., Jackson, B., Maxwell, D. and Norton, K. (2018). A review of the (revised) universal soil loss equation ((r) usle): With a view to increasing its global applicability and improving soil loss
estimates, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 22(11): 6059–6086.
[5] Renard, K., Foster, G., Weesies, G., McCool, D., Yoder, D. et al. (1996). Predicting soil erosion by water: A guide to conservation planning with the revised universal soil loss equation (rusle),
Agriculture handbook 703.
[6] Morgan, R. P. C. (2005). Soil erosion and conservation, third edn, Blackwell Publishing, Malden.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy