Digital mapping of soil cover eroded patterns on the basis of soil erosion simulation model (northern forest-steppe of the Central Russian upland)

The paper presents original developments on the application of WaTEM/SEDEM erosion model for large-scale mapping of erosion patterns of the soil cover in the Central Russian Upland. The share of eroded soils in the composition of soil combinations on plowed slopes was evaluated; such estimation was carried out on the basis of a statistical comparison of the calculated rates of soil losses with the results of actual soil-morphological diagnostics of the degree of chernozems erosion. The obtained relations between share of eroded soils in soil cover patterns and modelled erosion rates were used for development of the map depicting typified combinations of soils with various degrees of erosion. Comparison with detailed soil survey materials showed that the map is accurate enough for the spatial diversity and configuration of eroded soils combinations description. At the given input parameters of the erosion model qualitative changes in the soil cover structure (share of slightly-eroded soils is more than 10%) start from the threshold value of water erosion of 8 t·ha-1·year-1. With an average annual erosion of 30 t·ha-1·year-1, the share of denuded soils exceeds 50%. The developed approach seems to be promising for solving fundamental and applied problems related to the study of structural and functional organization of the soil cover of slopes and for planning the erosion control measures in adaptive-landscape agriculture.