Vulnerable Soils: Hillslope Water Erosion Hazard

Hillslope water erosion hazard was digitally mapped as part of the DPIPWE Water for Profit Program to enhance identification of Enterprise Suitability by effectively incorporating a sustainability measure of vulnerable soils. The mapping shows areas where a water erosion hazard might exist if sufficient groundcover is not maintained, which could lead to soil resource degradation through soil, organic matter and nutrient loss, resulting in sedimentation and contamination of drainage lines and waterways after significant rainfall and runoff events. Assigned classes are; Very Low, Low, Moderate, High, Very High and Extreme as classified ratings of a soil erosion. The index was generated as an erodibility factor (K) as part of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), combining Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) inputs of the soil properties Coarse Fragments, Sand %, Silt %, Clay %, Organic Carbon %, Soil Permeability, and Soil Structure, with Slope and Slope-Length (from the SRTM Digital Elevation Model). The mapping covers the entire state of Tasmania at 30m resolution.