A User Friendly GIS Model for the Estimation of Erosion Risk In Agricultural Land Using the USLE

In the current study, Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was implemented using GIS, to assess erosion risk on agricultural land in the prefecture of Rodopi (Greece). USLE was programmed in ModelBuilder an ArcGIS application that creates, edits, and manages mathematical models. Data processing and analysis of USLE factors was performed in the form of raster layers. The R factor (rainfall-runoff factor) was calculated from monthly and annual precipitation data of two meteorological stations in the area. Calculation of K factor (soil erodibility factor) was based on soils properties measured in-situ from past surveys. The LS factor (topographic factor) was derived from the digital elevation model of the area. The C factor (cover and management factor) was extracted using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and remote sensing techniques. The P factor (support practice factor) was set to 1 due to lack of data. The results showed that erosion risk was minimal in the majority of the study area (58%) and highly severe in only a small part of it (11%).