A Review on Rainfall Erosivity (R factor) in Universal Soil Loss Equation

Rainfall erosivity in Europe.

Rainfall is one the main drivers of soil erosion. The erosive force of rainfall is expressed as rainfall erosivity. Rainfall erosivity considers the rainfall amount and intensity, and is most commonly expressed as the R-factor in the USLE model and its revised version, RUSLE. At national and continental levels, the scarce availability of data obliges soil erosion modellers to estimate this fact...

Impact of Rainfall Microstructure on Erosivity and Splash Soil Erosion Under Simulated Rainfall

A nonparametric/parametric analysis of the Universal Soil Loss Equation

Due to its modest data demands and transparent model structure, the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) remains the most popular tool for water erosion hazard assessment. However, the model has several shortcomings, two of which are likely to have prominent implications for the model results. First, the mathematical form of the USLE, the multiplication of six factors, easily leads to large erro...

Spatial and temporal variability of rainfall erosivity factor for Switzerland

Rainfall erosivity, considering rainfall amount and intensity, is an important parameter for soil erosion risk assessment under future land use and climate change. Despite its importance, rainfall erosivity is usually implemented in models with a low spatial and temporal resolution. The purpose of this study is to assess the temporaland spatial distribution of rainfall erosivity in form of the ...

Mapping monthly rainfall erosivity in Europe

Rainfall erosivity as a dynamic factor of soil loss by water erosion is modelled intra-annually for the first time at European scale. The development of Rainfall Erosivity Database at European Scale (REDES) and its 2015 update with the extension to monthly component allowed to develop monthly and seasonal R-factor maps and assess rainfall erosivity both spatially and temporally. During winter m...