Title
Assessing soil erosion risk at national scale in developing countries: The technical challenges, a proposed methodology, and a case history
Date Issued
10 February 2020
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Rosas M.A.
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
Publisher(s)
Elsevier B.V.
Abstract
Through an extensive bibliographic review, this contribution underlines the urgency and challenges to quantify soil erosion rates (ERs) in developing countries. It subsequently elaborates on the combined application of GIS-based RUSLE, generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) principles and sediment delivery ratio functions (SDR) to quantify ERs at country scale for these countries, as they commonly have limited measurements to that purpose. The methodology, termed RUSLE-GGS (RUSLE-GIS-GLUE-SDR) herein, comprises the following sequence: (1) construction of ER samples using RUSLE-GIS based on freely available local/global geoenvironmental observations and field relations, (2) construction of area-specific sediment yield samples utilizing SDR transfer functions, and (3) assessment of the most behavioral samples by means of bias analysis and cross validation. Its application to Peru allows obtaining 5-km resolution ER and potential erosion maps for the years 1990, 2000, and 2010. RUSLE-GGS is highly replicable and could potentially be used as an initial standard and systematic method to estimate ERs in developing countries through the active participation of local scientists. Thus, it potentially can contribute to improve the capacity building in such countries and set an initial frame to compare the evolution of soil erosion in their territories towards attaining Goal 15 of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Volume
703
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Geoquímica, Geofísica
Ciencia del suelo
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85076516899
PubMed ID
Source
Science of the Total Environment
ISSN of the container
00489697
DOI of the container
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135474
Source funding
Universidad del Norte
Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica
Sponsor(s)
This project was funded by CONCYTEC within the framework of the 012-2013-FONDECYT Agreement. The authors started this study under the guidelines of GERDIS-PUCP ( Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú ). We would like to thank the Servicio Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología and the Instituto Geofísico del Perú for providing valuable data for this study. The authors also appreciate the technical discussions with Dr. Waldo Lavado and Dr. Sergio Morera. Dr. Gutierrez thanks to the Universidad del Norte (Barranquilla) for funding the completion of this contribution. Finally, we thank the anonymous reviewers of this manuscript for their valuable comments.
This project was funded by CONCYTEC within the framework of the 012-2013-FONDECYT Agreement. The authors started this study under the guidelines of GERDIS-PUCP (Pontificia Universidad Cat?lica del Per?). We would like to thank the Servicio Nacional de Meteorolog?a e Hidrolog?a and the Instituto Geof?sico del Per? for providing valuable data for this study. The authors also appreciate the technical discussions with Dr. Waldo Lavado and Dr. Sergio Morera. Dr. Gutierrez thanks to the Universidad del Norte (Barranquilla) for funding the completion of this contribution. Finally, we thank the anonymous reviewers of this manuscript for their valuable comments.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus