The aim of this project is to develop an integrated approach for soil erosion mapping, modelling and prediction, for temperate region from Romania. The approach is based on the integration of RS and GIS data and techniques in order to model the potentially affected areas by soil erosion at different temporal moments based on static and dynamic factors, to assess the changes in the potential average annual soil loss rates over the last 35 years, to predict the potential soil loss rate trends according to land cover/use dynamics and climate change, to map the spatial location and intensity of the process at a specified temporal moment based on RS data, and to evaluate the land cover/use – soil erosion relationship, by an inter-comparison approach with in-situ measurements.
In order to achieve the aim of the project, the research is organised around 6 objectives:
Objective 1 – To analyse of the theoretical and technical background of the RS and GIS based approaches for soil erosion modelling and land cover/use change detection;
Objective 2 – To adapt the RS and GIS-based methodologies for potential soil erosion assessment to FAO/ICPA Romania standards and databases and to local conditions from temperate regions, in order to quantify the potential soil loss rates at different temporal moments;
Objective 3 – To detect of the spatio-temporal changes of the potential soil erosion rates in the last 35 years, according to the evolution of the dynamic factors;
Objective 4 – To predict of the potential soil erosion trends in the context of land cover/use dynamics and climate change;
Objective 5 – To evaluate of the applicability of recent satellite RS data for mapping the spatial location and intensity of soil erosion process on local test sites from temperate regions, based on data mining techniques;
Objective 6 – To assess of the land cover/use – soil erosion relationship, based on the integrated approach of RS, GIS and in-situ measurements