Soil Erosion Estimation Using Remote Sensing Techniques in the Shirvan Plain of the Republic of Azerbaijan Soil Erosion Estimation Using Remote Sensing Techniques in the Shirvan Plain of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Abstract

Soil erosion is one of the major environmental problems in terms of soil degradation in the Shirvan plain of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Soil erosion leads to significant on- and off-site impacts such as significant decrease in the productive capacity of the land and sedimentation. The key aspects influencing the quantity of soil erosion mainly rely on the vegetation cover, topography, soil type, and climate. This research studies the quantification of soil erosion under different levels of data availability in the Shirvan plain. Remote sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques have been implemented for the assessment of the data, applying the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) for the calculation of the risk of erosion. Thirty soil samples were randomly selected for the calculation of the erodibility factor, based on calculating the ð¾-factor values derived from soil property surfaces after interpolating soil sampling points. Soil erosion risk map was reclassified into five erosion risk classes and 25.3% of the Shirvan plain is under severe risk (190,740 ha). GIS and RS proved to be powerful instruments for mapping soil erosion risk, providing sufficient tools for the analytical part of this research. The mapping results certified the role of RUSLE as a decision support tool.