Analysis of relations between water erosion features and effective parameters on their intensity and spatial patterns (Case study: Baleghli chay watershed, Ardebil, Iran)

Abstract

Soil erosion results from an interaction of several parameters, which vary in space and time. Awareness of<br />environmental changes and their impact on the intensity and spatial pattern of water erosion can effectively help in<br />recognition of erosional reactions versus the affecting factors. The aim of this paper is to describe the development of<br />a methodology based on present knowledge and available data, for evaluation of water erosion behavior and risk as<br />well as an estimation of soil erosion. Accordingly, based on the conducted research on different types of water<br />erosion in some areas of Baleghli Chay Watershed, between two hydrometric gauging stations were studied, with an<br />exclusion of erosion due to mass movements. Four major types of water erosion namely: sheet, rill, channel and<br />streambank which play a considerable role in sediment yields of the area, were separately studied. In order to<br />determine the inter-effects of erosive factors, the study was conducted using multivariate statistical tests. For each<br />erosion type, an individual model was then presented. The results indicated complex and different interactions<br />between the likelihood of water erosion and environmental changes in the study area. Sheet and rill erosions act<br />differently from channel erosion while streambank erosion is completely different from others. Therefore, a study of<br />individual types of water erosion can help in recognition of accelerating factors that effectively influence water<br />erosion, and consequently to come up with appropriate models.