Comparison of methods of volumetric quantification of soil loss

Comparison of methods of volumetric quantification of soil loss

Abstrakt

One of the most precious natural resources of any country is its soil which must be preserved because it cannot be replenished. However, a variety of processes threaten and degrade the soil. The most prevalent type of soil degradation is water erosion. One of its forms is rill erosion. There are various ways to quantify soil loss caused by it. The first is by direct measurement in the field using a so-called erosion bridge. In addition, close photogrammetry methods based on imaging of the locality using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can be used. The principle of this method is to create a digital terrain model, and by analysing it, the volume of eroded material is determined. For the volumetric quantification, a deep erosion rill was chosen. It can be found in the municipality of Otnice belonging to the South Moravian Region (NUTS 3) of the Czech Republic, at the distance of approximately 20 kilometres southeast of the city of Brno. The rill is about 145 metres long and is located on a grassland (on arable land). The soil in the locality consists of brown soil modal (HNm). In terms of the results obtained, it was discovered that the soil loss was approximately 11 tonnes for the direct measurement method and roughly 10 tonnes for the UAV method. Furthermore, the parameters of the erosion rill cross-sections obtained by both methods were compared, namely area, wetted perimeter, width, and maximum depth.

One of the most precious natural resources of any country is its soil which must be preserved because it cannot be replenished. However, a variety of processes threaten and degrade the soil. The most prevalent type of soil degradation is water erosion. One of its forms is rill erosion. There are various ways to quantify soil loss caused by it. The first is by direct measurement in the field using a so-called erosion bridge. In addition, close photogrammetry methods based on imaging of the locality using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can be used. The principle of this method is to create a digital terrain model, and by analysing it, the volume of eroded material is determined. For the volumetric quantification, a deep erosion rill was chosen. It can be found in the municipality of Otnice belonging to the South Moravian Region (NUTS 3) of the Czech Republic, at the distance of approximately 20 kilometres southeast of the city of Brno. The rill is about 145 metres long and is located on a grassland (on arable land). The soil in the locality consists of brown soil modal (HNm). In terms of the results obtained, it was discovered that the soil loss was approximately 11 tonnes for the direct measurement method and roughly 10 tonnes for the UAV method. Furthermore, the parameters of the erosion rill cross-sections obtained by both methods were compared, namely area, wetted perimeter, width, and maximum depth.

volumetric quantification, soil loss, erosion bridge, UAV

volumetric quantification, soil loss, erosion bridge, UAV

BURŠÍK, L.; SOBOTKOVÁ, V.; DUMBROVSKÝ, M.; KARÁSEK, P.; POCHOP, M.

15.09.2025

WASWAC

Rabat

31

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