PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2008, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (2): 47-52.doi: 10.11820/dlkxjz.2008.02.007

• Original Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

The Methods and GIS Techniques for Calculating Multiscale Soil Loss Evaluation Index

ZHAO Wenwu1,2, FU Bojie3, GUO Xudong1   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Land Use, Ministry of Land and Resources, Beijing 100035, China;
    2. College of Resources Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China;
    3. State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Centre for Eco- Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
  • Received:2007-12-01 Revised:2008-01-01 Online:2008-03-25 Published:2008-03-25

Abstract:

Exploring the relationships between land use and soil erosion at different scales is a frontier research field and a hot spot topic in contemporary physical geography. As a new soil erosion model, the multiscale soil loss evaluation index (SL) has good prospects for analyzing the relationships between land use and soil erosion at multiple scales. Based on the SL equations and SL- factor meanings at different scales, this paper explains the detailed methods and GIS techniques for SL and SL- factor calculation at slope scale, small watershed scale and watershed scale. The SL- factor include rainfall erosivity factor, soil erodibility factor, topographic factor and cover/ management factor. And the GIS techniques include kriging interception, field calculation, raster calculation, expanding zones, and so on. It is expected that the methods and GIS techniques of SL calculation will be helpful for SL development and the profound research of land use and soil erosion at multiple scales.

Key words: GIS, land use, scaling, soil erosion, soil loss evaluation index