A Review of Soil Erosion Estimation Methods

Abstract

Soil erosion has been seen as a major contributor to the loss of soil fertility and land degradation in many parts of the world. It is a very sensitive process for agriculture, since it is linked to the decrease of crops productivity along the time. Although it occurs in almost all latitudes on the planet, its effect is particularly severe in tropical climates, mainly due to frequently high rainfall intensities in those areas. The measurement of soil loss on experimental plots has provided valuable information for soil conservation plans, and data collected have contributed to deriving methods and equations that can estimate the extent of soil water erosion occurring under certain conditions. However, these methods are data hungry, and a solid research framework is needed to provide the required information to validate and use different models and equations generated elsewhere, to calculate the rate of erosion in a given place. Because estimating erosion rates is critical for conservation planning, the best fit models need to be well chosen and applied according to the local conditions. This article provides a review of some of the most used models for soil erosion estimation, with the purpose to provide some guidance to those involved in these studies.