Skip to main content

Evaluation of the relationship between soil erosion and landscape metrics across Gorgan Watershed in northern Iran

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment volume 190, Article number: 643 (2018) Cite this article

Abstract

Soil erosion is one of the most serious environmental threats strongly influenced by the spatial pattern of land uses. This study was designed to evaluate the relevance of land use pattern and soil erosion using landscape metrics across Gorgan Watershed in northern Iran. Therefore, the revised universal soil loss equation was applied to evaluate and model soil loss and sedimentation in the region. Then, soil erosion relationship to land use pattern was analyzed using a variety of metrics including percentage of landscape, number of patches, largest patch index, and landscape shape index. The results revealed that potential of soil loss, sediment retention, and sediment yield for the whole watershed were 6.6, 2.4, and 1.5 t ha−1 year−1, respectively. The quantity of sediment retention was estimated at 4.3, 3.2, 1.0, and 1.2 t ha−1 year−1 in forest, rangelands, agriculture, and built-up areas, respectively. Similarly, sediment yield was 0.6, 1.6, 1.5, and 2.1 t ha−1 year−1, respectively. The results revealed that the soil loss increased with decreasing metrics of forest and rangelands while increasing metrics of built-up regions and agricultural lands accelerated the process. Moreover, we showed that land use type of patches was an important factor on soil erosion, and soil loss was also affected by area, number, shape, and density of landscape patches. Result of this study can facilitate monitoring of erosion-sensitive areas in the watershed which can help managers and decision makers to design more suitable measures for soil conservation.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

References

  • Alexakis, D. D., Hadjimitsis, D. G., & Agapiou, A. (2013). Integrated use of remote sensing, GIS and precipitation data for the assessment of soil erosion rate in the catchment area of Yialias in Cyprus. Atmospheric Research, 131, 108–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arekhi, S., Bolourani, A. B., Shabani, A., Fathizad, H., & Ahamdyasbchin, S. (2012). Mapping soil erosion and sediment yield susceptibility using RUSLE, remote sensing and GIS (case study: Cham Gardalan Watershed, Iran). Advances in Environmental Biology, 6, 109–124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arowolo, A. O., Deng, X., Olatunji, O. A., & Obayelu, A. E. (2018). Assessing changes in the value of ecosystem services in response to land-use/land-cover dynamics in Nigeria. Science of the Total Environment, 636, 597–609.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borselli, L., Cassi, P., & Torri, D. (2008). Prolegomena to sediment and flow connectivity in the landscape: a GIS and field numerical assessment. Catena, 75(3), 268–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cushman, S. A., McGarigal, K., & Neel, M. C. (2008). Parsimony in landscape metrics: strength, universality, and consistency. Ecological Indicators, 8, 691–703.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diwediga, B., Le, Q. B., Agodzo, S. K., Tamene, L. D., & Wala, K. (2018). Modelling soil erosion response to sustainable landscape management scenarios in the Mo River basin (Togo, West Africa). Science of the Total Environment, 625, 1309–1320.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira, V., & Panagopoulos, T. (2014). Seasonality of soil erosion under Mediterranean conditions at the Alqueva dam watershed. Environmental Management, 54, 67–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster, G. R., & Wischmeier, W. H. (1974). Evaluating irregular slopes for soil loss prediction. Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, 12, 305–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallardo, B., Bogan, A. E., Harun, S., Jainih, L., Lopes-Lima, M., Pizarro, M., Rahim, K. A., Sousa, R., Virdis, S. G. P., & Zieritz, A. (2018). Current and future effects of global change on a hotspot’s freshwater diversity. Science of the Total Environment, 635, 750–760.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao, J., Li, F., Gao, H., Zhou, C., & Zhang, X. (2017). The impact of land-use change on water-related ecosystem services: a study of the Guishui River basin, Beijing, China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 163, S148–S155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • García-Ruiz, J. M. (2010). The effects of land uses on soil erosion in Spain: a review. Catena, 81, 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GUASNR. (2015). Golestan Province land use planning report. Published by Gorgan University of Agriculture Sciences and Natural Resources (GUASNR).

  • Gupta, S., & Kumar, S. (2017). Simulating climate change impact on soil erosion using RUSLE model - a case study in a watershed of mid-Himalayan landscape. Journal of Earth System Science, 126(3), 43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamel, P., Chaplin-Kramer, R., Sim, S., & Mueller, C. (2015). A new approach to modelling the sediment retention service (InVEST 3.0): case study of the Cape Fear catchment, North Carolina, USA. Science of the Total Environment, 524–525, 166–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoyer, R., & Chang, H. (2014). Assessment of freshwater ecosystem services in the Tualatin and Yamhill basins under climate change and urbanization. Applied Geography, 53, 402–416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoyos, N. (2005). Spatial modeling of soil erosion potential in a tropical watershed of the Colombian Andes. Catena, 63, 85–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, Y., Peng, J., Liu, Y., & Tian, L. (2018). Integrating ecosystem services trade-offs with paddy land-to-dry land decisions: a scenario approach in Erhai Lake Basin, southwest China. Science of the Total Environment, 625, 849–860.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hui, L., Xiaoling, C., Lim, K. J., Xiaobin, C., & Sagong, M. (2010). Assessment of soil erosion and sediment yield in Liao Watershed, Jiangxi Province, China, using USLE, GIS, and RS. Journal of Earth Science, 21(6), 941–953.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jamshidi, R., Dragovich, D., & Webb, A. A. (2014). Distributed empirical algorithms to estimate catchment scale sediment connectivity and yield in a subtropical region. Hydrological Processes, 28(4), 2671–2684.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kang, P., Chen, W., Hou, Y., & Li, Y. (2018). Linking ecosystem services and ecosystem health to ecological risk assessment: a case study of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration. Science of the Total Environment, 636, 1442–1454.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khadse, G. K., Vijay, R., & Labhasetwar, P. K. (2015). Prioritization of catchments based on soil erosion using remote sensing and GIS. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 187(6), 333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lausch, A., & Herzog, F. (2002). Applicability of landscape metrics for the monitoring of landscape change: issues of scale, resolution and interpretability. Ecological Indicators, 2, 3–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, H., & Wu, J. (2004). Use and misuse of landscape indices. Landscape Ecology, 19, 389–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, L., Wang, Y., & Liu, C. (2014). Effects of land use changes on soil erosion in a fast developing area. International journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 11, 1549–1562.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGarigal, K., & Marks, B. (1995). Spatial pattern analysis program for quantifying landscape structure. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-351 US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.

  • McGarigal, K., Cushman, S. A., & Ene, E. (2012). FRAGSTATS v4: spatial pattern analysis program for categorical and continuous maps. Computer software program produced by the authors at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Available at the following web site: http://www.umass.edu/landeco/research/fragstats/fragstats.html.

  • Mehri, A., Salmanmahiny, A. R., Mikaeili Tabrizi, A. R., Mirkarimi, S. H., & Sadoddin, A. (2018). Investigation of likely effects of land use planning on reduction of soil erosion rate in river basins: case study of the Gharesoo River basin. Catena, 167, 116–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meshesha, D. T., Tsunekawa, A., Tsubo, M., & Haregeweyn, N. (2012). Dynamics and hotspots of soil erosion and management scenarios of the central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. International Journal of Sediment Research, 27, 84–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. (2005). Ecosystems and human well-being: synthesis. A report of the millennium ecosystem assessment. Island Press, Washington.

  • Noori, H., Siadatmousavi, S. M., & Mojaradi, B. (2016). Assessment of sediment yield using RS and GIS at two sub-basins of Dez Watershed, Iran. International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 4(3), 199–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patowary, S., & Sarma, A. K. (2018). GIS-based estimation of soil loss from hilly urban area incorporating hill cut factor into RUSLE. Water Resources Management, 1–13.

  • Peng, Y., Mi, K., Qing, F., & Xue, D. (2016). Identification of the main factors determining landscape metrics in semi-arid agro-pastoral ecotone. Journal of Arid Environments, 124, 249–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prabhakara, K., Dean Hively, W., & McCarty, G. W. (2015). Evaluating the relationship between biomass, percent groundcover and remote sensing indices across six winter cover crop fields in Maryland, United States. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 39, 88–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prasannakumar, V., Vijith, H., & Geetha, N. (2011). Estimation of soil erosion risk within a small mountainous sub-watershed in Kerala, India, using revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) and geo-information technology. Geoscience Frontiers, 3, 209–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rahman, M. R., Shi, Z. H., & Chongfa, C. (2009). Land use/land cover change analysis using geo-information technology: two case studies in Bangladesh and China. International Journal of Geoinformatics, 5(2), 25–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Redhead, J. W., May, L., Oliver, T. H., Hamel, P., Sharp, R., & Bullock, J. M. (2018). National scale evaluation of the InVEST nutrient retention model in the United Kingdom. Science of the Total Environment, 610, 666–677.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renard, K. G., & Freimund, J. R. (1994). Using monthly precipitation data to estimate the R factor in the revised USLE. Journal of Hydrology, 157, 287–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renard, K. G., Foster, G. R., Weesies, G. A., McCool, D. K., & Yoder, D. C. (1997). Predicting soil erosion by water: a guide to conservation planning with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Agriculture Handbook, No. 703, USDA- ARS.

  • Romano, G., Abdelwahab, O. M. M., & Gentile, F. (2018). Modeling land use changes and their impact on sediment load in a Mediterranean watershed. Catena, 163, 342–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sadeghi, S. H. R. (2005). A semi-detailed technique for soil erosion mapping based on BLM and satellite image applications. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology (JAST), 7, 133–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sadeghi, S. H. R., Azari, M., & GhaderiVangah, B. (2008). Field evaluation of the Hillslope Erosion Model (HEM) in Iran. Biosystems Engineering, 99(2), 304–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sadeghi, S. H. R., Moatamednia, M., & Behzadfar, M. (2011). Spatial and temporal variations in the rainfall erosivity factor in Iran. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 13, 451–464.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saeidi, S., Mohammadzadeh, M., Salmanmahiny, A., & Mirkarimi, S. H. (2017). Performance evaluation of multiple methods for landscape aesthetic suitability mapping: a comparative study between multi-criteria evaluation, logistic regression and multi-layer perceptron neural network. Land Use Policy, 67, 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schindler, S., Poirazidis, K., & Wrbka, T. (2007). Towards a core set of landscape metrics for biodiversity assessments: a case study from Dadia National Park, Greece. Ecological Indicators, 8, 502–514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schönbrodt, S., Saumer, P., Behrens, T., Seeber, C., & Scholten, T. (2010). Assessing the USLE crop and management factor C for soil erosion modeling in a large mountainous watershed in central China. Journal of Earth Science, 21(6), 835–845.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma, A., Tiwari, K., & Bhadoria, P. B. S. (2011). Effect of land use land cover change on soil erosion potential in an agricultural watershed. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 173, 789–801.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharp, R., Tallis, H. T., Ricketts, T., et al. (2015). Invest 3.2 user’s guide. The natural capital project, Stanford University, University of Minnesota, the Nature Conservancy, and World Wildlife Fund.

  • Sun, W., Shao, Q., Liu, J., & Zhai, J. (2014). Assessing the effects of land use and topography on soil erosion on the Loess Plateau in China. Catena, 121, 151–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, X., Crittenden, J. C., Li, F., Lu, Z., & Dou, X. (2018). Urban expansion simulation and the spatiotemporal changes of ecosystem services, a case study in Atlanta Metropolitan area, USA. Science of the Total Environment, 622, 974–987.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tanyas, H., Kolat, C., & Lutfi Suzen, M. (2015). A new approach to estimate cover-management factor of RUSLE and validation of RUSLE model in the watershed of Kartalkaya Dam. Journal of Hydrology, 528, 584–598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tarboton, D. G. (1997). A new method for the determination of flow directions and upslope areas in grid digital elevation models. Water Resources Research, 33(2), 309–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toubal, A. K., Achite, M., Ouillon, S., & Dehni, A. (2018). Soil erodibility mapping using the RUSLE model to prioritize erosion control in the Wadi Sahouat basin, north-west of Algeria. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 190(4), 210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, M. G., & Gardner, R. H. (2015). Landscape ecology in theory and practice. New York: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2794-4.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Van der Knijff, J. M., Jones, R. J. A., & Montanarella, L. (2000). Soil erosion risk assessment in Europe. EUR 19044 EN. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg.

  • Vigiak, O., Borselli, L., Newham, L. T. H., McInnes, J., & Roberts, A. M. (2012). Comparison of conceptual landscape metrics to define hillslope-scale sediment delivery ratio. Geomorphology, 138, 74–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X., Zhao, X., Zhang, Z., Yi, L., Zou, L., Wen, Q., Liu, F., Xu, S., & Liu, B. (2016). Assessment of soil erosion change and its relationships with land use/cover change in China from the end of the 1980–2010. Catena, 137, 256–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y., Atallah, S., & Shao, G. (2017). Spatially explicit return on investment to private forest conservation for water purification in Indiana, USA. Ecosystem Services, 26, 45–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wani, A. A., Joshi, P. K., & Singh, O. (2015). Estimating biomass and carbon mitigation of temperate coniferous forests using spectral modeling and field inventory data. Ecological Informatics, 25, 63–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wijesundara, N. C., Abeysingha, N. S., & Dissanayake, D. M. S. L. B. (2018). GIS-based soil loss estimation using RUSLE model: a case of Kirindi Oya river basin, Sri Lanka. Modeling Earth Systems and Environment, 4(1), 251–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wischmeier, W. H., & Smith, D. D. (1978). Predicting rainfall erosion losses: a guide to conservation planning. USDA Agricultural Handbook 537. US Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

  • Yan, R., Zhang, X., Yan, S., & Chen, H. (2018). Estimating soil erosion response to land use/cover change in a catchment of the Loess Plateau, China. International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 6(1), 13–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zare, M., Panagopoulos, T., & Loures, L. (2017). Simulating the impacts of future land use change on soil erosion in the Kasilian watershed, Iran. Land Use Policy, 67, 558–572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zerihun, M., Mohammedyasin, M. S., Sewnet, D., Adem, A. A., & Lakew, M. (2018). Assessment of soil erosion using RUSLE, GIS and remote sensing in NW Ethiopia. Geoderma Regional, 12, 83–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zokaib, S., & Naser, G. h. (2011). Impacts of land uses on runoff and soil erosion: a case study in Hilkot watershed Pakistan. International Journal of Sediment Research, 26, 343–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (GUASNR) for sharing the required data and we wish to thank the anonymous reviewers and editors for their useful comments and invaluable suggestions, which improved quality of the manuscript.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Fisheries and Environment, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Basij Square, Gorgan, Golestan, Iran

    Fazlolah Ahmadi Mirghaed, Marjan Mohammadzadeh, Abdolrassoul Salmanmahiny & Seyed Hamed Mirkarimi

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kurdistan, P.O. Box 416, Sanandaj, Iran

    Bubak Souri

Authors
  1. Fazlolah Ahmadi Mirghaed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bubak Souri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marjan Mohammadzadeh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Abdolrassoul Salmanmahiny
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Seyed Hamed Mirkarimi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fazlolah Ahmadi Mirghaed.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ahmadi Mirghaed, F., Souri, B., Mohammadzadeh, M. et al. Evaluation of the relationship between soil erosion and landscape metrics across Gorgan Watershed in northern Iran. Environ Monit Assess 190, 643 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-7040-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-7040-5

Keywords

  • Land use
  • Soil erosion
  • Sediment
  • Landscape metrics
  • RUSLE
  • InVEST