SOIL EROSION

USE OF THE UNIVERSAL SOIL LOSS

EQUATION (USLE) SOIL EROSION
MODEL

Arranged by :
1). Mochamad Arbi Dwi Wicaksono (4211421013)
2). Fristian Rifita (4211421020)

Group 4

1A Physics Study Group

UNIVERSITAS NEGERI SEMARANG

2021
USE OF THE UNIVERSAL SOIL LOSS EQUATION (USLE)
SOIL EROSION MODEL
 BAB 1
INTRODUCTION

A. Background
Soil erosion is a serious environmental problem today. Soil erosion is the process of eroding
the surface layer of the soil due to natural and human factors[1]. Examples of natural factors
that can affect soil erosion are wind, rain, soil slope, etc. One example of human actions that
can cause soil erosion is illegal logging[2]. Soil erosion can cause losses for every human
being, especially in agriculture[3]. For over a century the scientific community has been
addressing the processes governing soil erosion, the occurrence of accelerated soil erosion,
and its negative associated socio – environmental impacts (Bennett and Chapline ) [4]. Soil
erosion can have a negative impact on society[5]. Over the years soil erosion models have
been developed. Soil erosion models are useful for estimating the extent of soil and topsoil
loss from agricultural land, for planning land use strategies, for providing relative soil loss
indices and for guiding government policies and strategies on the ground and water
conservation (Smith, 1999). One of the most widely applied models is Universal Soil Loss
Equation (USLE). The USLE, developed by Wischmeiner and Smith, is perhaps the most
important achievement in predicting soil erosion (Laflen and Flanagan, 2013).

B. Formulation of the problem

How to calculate soil erosion model using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE)
method ?

C. Purpose
The purpose of this discussion is to explain to the reader how to calculate soil erosion
using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model.

D. Research Methods
The method used for this research is to use various international journals that discuss
soil erosion.
E. Keywords
Soil erosion, models, USLE

BAB II
DISCUSSION
Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is a soil erosion model to predict the average soil
erosion over a long period of time in agricultural land. The USLE was developed by
Wischmeier and Smit. Based on the data and information obtained in his research, a model
was made using rainfall, topography.

List of the top 25 most applied soil erosion prediction model [4]

The empirical equation of the USLE erosion prediction model [6] :

A=RKLSPC

where :
A = estimated soil loss per unit area (tons ℎ𝑎−1 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 −1 )
R = rainfall-runoff erosivity factor (𝑀𝐽𝑚𝑚 ℎ𝑎 −1 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟)
K = soil erodibility factor (𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑠 ℎ𝑎−1 𝑅 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 −1 )
LS = topographic factor (𝑑𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠)
C = cover management factor (𝑑𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠)
P = supporting practice factor (𝑑𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠)

Rainfall erosivity factor (R)

Rainfall Erosivity The R factor quantifies the capacity of rainfall to cause the detachment and
transport of soil particles by the action of the impact of water droplets and by runoff
[Sebastiao and Pereira], being defined using the product of two characteristics of the rain,
namely kinetic energy (E) and maximum intensity in 30 minutes (I30) [7].

𝑃𝑖 2
log R = 1,74 × log ∑ ( 𝑃 ) + 1,29
[8]
Pi = monthly rainfall (mm)
Soil erodibility factor (K)
The soil erodibility factor is defined by [Wischmeier and Smith] as the rate of soil loss per
unit of erosion index, measured in a standard plot arbitrarily defined as having a length
of 72.6 ft (22.1 m) in which the slope is uniform and 9 %, on continuously bare soil and
plowed in the direction of the largest slope [7].

K =311,63 − 4,48 × (𝑆𝐺% + 𝑆%) + 613,4 + 6,45 × 𝐸𝐶

EC[8]
= electrical conductivity

Slope length factor (L) and slope steepness factor (S)

The LS factor is defined by [Wischmeier and Smith] as the expected rate of soil loss per unit
area of a hillside in a field, in relation to what happens in a standard plot with 22.1 m in
length and 9% slope [7].
𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 ×𝐺𝑟𝑖𝑑 𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒 0,4 sin(𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒)×0,01745 1,4
LS = ( ) ×( )
[8] 22,1 0,09

Land Cover and Cultural Operations Factor (C)

It corresponds to the ratio between the loss of soil that occurs in plowed land under certain
conditions, and that occurring in continuously plowed and bare ground [Wischmeier and
Smith] [7].

Factor in Erosion Control Practices (P)

It is defined as the ratio between the erosion that occurs under the use of specific soil
conservation practices and that which occurs under cultivation in the sense of the greatest
[E.J Roose][7].

Renard, Foster, Weesies, McCool, and Yoder (1977) stated the USLE for more than four
decades has proven that this technology is valuable as a conservation-planning guide in the
US.
USLE has several advantages and disadvantages including [9]:
- disadvantages:
a). ineffective
b). Adaptation to a new environment requires an investment of resources and time to
develop
- advantages:
a). easy to manage
b). simpler

This model was initially used to estimate erosion from agricultural lands, but was later used
in grazing areas, forests, settlements, recreation areas, toll road cliff erosion, mining areas and
others (Wischmeier 1976). The USLE erosion estimation model has long been used in
various countries, one of which is Indonesia.
USLE was upgraded to the Revised Universal Land Loss Equation (RUSLE) during the
1990s (Renard et al., 1991,1997, pp. 1-404) [10].
 BAB III
CLOSING
Conclusion
USLE was developed by Wischmeier and Smith, (1978). Initially USLE was developed to
estimate soil erosion on agricultural land or sloping topography (Gansri and Ramesth, 2016).
The USLE method has several advantages and disadvantages, although it has some
disadvantages the USLE method is very popular. Many countries that use this method
include: Malaysia, West Africa, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and others.

REFERENCES
(1) Assaye, Awoke Endalew. Farmer’s Perceptions on Soil Erosion and Adoption of Soil
Conservation Measures in Ethiopia (2020) : 1-2

(2) Lako, Alfred., Oltion Marko. The Impacts of Soil Erosion Caused by Forest
Harvesting and The Construction of Forest Roads (2012) : 85-86
(3) Arabameri, Alireza, et al. A Methodological Comparison of Head-Cut Based Gully
Erosion Susceptibility Models : Combined Use of Statistic and Artificial Intelligence
(2020) : 1

(4) Borelly, Pasquale, et al. Soil Erosion Modelling : A Global Review and Statistical
Analysis (2021) : 7

(5) Ran, Lishan, et al. Effective Soil Erosion Control Represent A Significant Net
Carbon Sequestration (2018) : 1

(6) Igwe, P.U., Onuigbo, A.A., Chinedu, O.C., Ezeaku, I.I. and Mouneke, M.M.
(2017). Soil Erosion : A Review of Models and Aplication. International Journal of
Advanced Engineering Research and Science. 4(12):139.

(7) Salumbo, A.M. de O. (2020). A Review of Soil Erosion Estimation Method :

Agricultural Sciencs. 11: 671

(8) Jzouli, El, et al. Soil Erosion Modeled with USLE, GIS, and Remote Sensing : A Cse
Study of Ikkour Watershed in Meddle Atlas (Marocco) (2017) : 4-5

(9) Batista, Pedro V.G. On The Evaluation of Soil Erosion Models : Are We Doing
Enough ? (2019) : 34

(10) Alewall,
Christine, et al. Using the USLE : Chances, Challenges, and Limitations of Soil
Erosion Modelling (2019) : 204 - 205