UDC 631.459: 911.2

Lukianchuk K.A.

Geoinformation modeling of the growth of erosion processes in the middle podolian upland area (shumsky district of ternopilshchyna)

      Mapping of erosion processes is a precondition for geoinformation and mapping ensuring of rational land use. It makes it possible to locate the areas most vulnerable to erosive processes. Creation of soil erosion intensity map (erosion hazard) is the final product of erosion processes modeling using the Universal Soil Loss Equation and modification Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE / RUSLE). RUSLE was chosen to model erosion due to its simplicity, wide use, and manageable data requirements. This equation is combined with geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing methods for estimating and displaying averaged soil loss due to erosion. A high-resolution soil maps, together with rainfall data, a digital elevation models ASTER GDEM, ALOS World 3D-30m, SRTM, satellite images from LANDSAT 8, Sentinel-2 and statistical information about study area created the input information for erosion modelling in GIS environment.
      The modeling of erosion processes was made on the example of the Middle Podolian Upland Area (Shumsky district of Ternopil region). As a result, potential soil losses due to erosion have been identified and the main factors influencing them have been identified. The results show that the erosive risks vary according to climatic and topographic gradients, as well as ground characteristics of the catchment. Average annual potential losses of soil is 12,6 t/ha per year. The results of the erosion assessment in Middle Podolian Upland Area (Shumsky district of Ternopil region) the reveal the fact that a majority (more ?) of its lands is characterized by low erosion risk levels (less than 1,0 t/ha). The erosion risk map show its substantial spatial diversity. Also the study showed that 63% of the Shumsky district has potential erosion risk. The obtained results should be considered to give reasons for the complex of anti-erosion measures.
      Keywords: GIS, geoinformation modeling, RUSLE, soil erosion, erosion processes.

Received at editorial June 15, 2019