Assessment of soil erosion in a tropical mountain river basin of the southern Western Ghats, India using RUSLE and GIS

Researchers found that while the Muthirapuzha River Basin (MRB) in the southern Western Ghats, India, experiences significant gross soil erosion at 14.36 tons per hectare per year, net erosion is substantially lower at 3.60 tons due to deposition processes. About 86% of the basin undergoes slight erosion, while nearly 3% acts as a depositional environment for sediments. Human activities in agricultural areas and tea plantations significantly accelerate soil erosion compared to natural vegetation belts. The study used the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) combined with transport-limited sediment delivery (TLSD) modeling to quantify soil erosion and deposition, providing critical data for land management strategies to mitigate soil degradation in tropical mountain river basins.

Thomas, J., Joseph, S., & Thrivikramji, K. P. (2018). Assessment of soil erosion in a tropical mountain river basin of the southern Western Ghats, India using RUSLE and GIS. Geoscience Frontiers, 9(3), 893–906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2017.05.011