Deriving RUSLE cover factor from time-series fractional vegetation cover for hillslope erosion modelling in New South Wales
Xihua Yang
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage, PO Box 3720, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia. Email: xihua.yang@environment.nsw.gov.au
Soil Research 52(3) 253-261 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR13297
Submitted: 11 October 2013 Accepted: 9 January 2014 Published: 31 March 2014
Abstract
Soil loss due to water erosion, in particular hillslope erosion, can be estimated using predictive models such as the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). One of the important and dynamic elements in the RUSLE model is the cover and management factor (C-factor), which represents effects of vegetation canopy and ground cover in reducing soil loss. This study explores the potential for using fractional vegetation cover, rather than traditional green vegetation indices (e.g. NDVI), to estimate C-factor and consequently hillslope erosion hazard across New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Values of the C-factor were estimated from the emerging time-series fractional cover products derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Time-series C-factor and hillslope erosion maps were produced for NSW on monthly and annual bases for a 13-year period from 2000 to 2012 using automated scripts in a geographic information system. The estimated C-factor time-series values were compared with previous study and field measurements in NSW revealing good consistency in both spatial and temporal contexts. Using these time-series maps, the relationship was analysed between ground cover and hillslope erosion and their temporal variation across NSW. Outcomes from this time-series study are being used to assess hillslope erosion hazard, sediment and water quality (particularly after severe bushfires) across NSW at local, catchment and regional scales.
Additional keywords: cover and management factor, fractional vegetation cover, GIS, hillslope erosion, MODIS, RUSLE.
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