Calculation of Soil Loss From the S7-3 Catchment of the Shirindareh Watershed, Iran Using the River Basin Model

Abstract

SUMMARYSoil erosion is one of the major environmental problems in Iran. Factors such as soil erodibility, density of the river network of the river basin and its asymmetry, slope length and steepness, agricultural practices and the other physical-geographical characteristics, were surveyed and soil loss rate were calculated using an empirical River Basin Model (RBM). The objective of this research was to introduce a new method based on Erosion Potential Method (EPM) for the estimation of soil erosion on the catchment scale. Calculated peak discharge from the river basin was 35 m 3 s -1 for the incidence of 100 years and the net soil loss was 3182 m³yr -1 , specific 164 m³km -²yr -1 . Supplementary research is needed to address model limitations regarding the further development in relation to the GIS adaptations.