Regional soil erosion risk assessment in Hai Basin

Abstract

Based on the experience of factors selection and integration for soil erosion monitoring, which were used in USLE, we evaluated the soil erosion risk in the Hai Basin and analyzed its spatial distribution under the support of RS and GIS. The results show that soil erosion risk in the mountainous area is remarkably higher than that in the plains area. In different mountain regions, soil erosion risk was highest in the Taihang Mountain area, lowest in the Beisanhe Mountain area, and the upstream of the Yongdinghe River has a level between them. Low soil erosion risk is located mainly in the plains area of gradients less than 5°, medium and higher risk are situated mostly in the areas with a gradient between 8° and 15° or 15° and 25°, which accounts for 65% of the total. The percentage of high soil erosion risk area increased as the slope gradient increased. Paddy fields have a lower soil erosion risk, and scrublands and grasslands are the primary land-use types with medium and high soil erosion risks, accounting for approximately 59.67%. In the future, water and soil conservation experts should focus on high soil erosion risk areas in order to create effective preventive measures.