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Soil erosion prediction at the basin scale using the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) in a catchment of Sicily (southern Italy)

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

Soil erosion by water is a serious problem in southern Italy, particularly in Sicily which is one of the Italian administrative regions prone to desertification. Soil erosion not only affects soil quality, in terms of agricultural productivity, but also reduces the availability of water in reservoirs. This study was conducted in the Comunelli catchment in south-central Sicily, to predict potential annual soil loss using the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) and to test the reliability of this methodology to predict reservoirs siltation. The RUSLE factors were calculated for the catchment using survey data and rain gauge measurement data. The R-factor was calculated from daily, monthly and annual precipitation data. The K-factor was calculated from soil samples collected in May and November 2004. The LS topographic factor was calculated from a 20 m digital elevation model. The C- and P-factors, in absence of detailed data, were set to 1. The results were compared with those obtained from another soil loss estimation method based on 137Cs and with the soil loss estimated from the sediment volume stored in the Comunelli reservoir between 1968 and 2004.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ENEA Portici Research Center, Via del Vecchio Macello, 80055, Portici (NA), Italy

    Filippo Onori & Piero De Bonis

  2. ENEA Casaccia Research Center, Via Anguillarese 301, 00060, Roma, Italy

    Sergio Grauso

Authors
  1. Filippo Onori
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  2. Piero De Bonis
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  3. Sergio Grauso
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ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment, Environmental Protection and Technologies Division

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Correspondence to Filippo Onori.

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Onori, F., De Bonis, P., Grauso, S. et al. Soil erosion prediction at the basin scale using the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) in a catchment of Sicily (southern Italy). Environ Geol 50, 1129–1140 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0286-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0286-1

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