Soil erodibility estimation using LUCAS point survey data of Europe

Soil erodibility estimation using LUCAS point survey data of Europe Panagos, P., Meusburger, K., Alewell, C., Montanarella, L. (2012) Soil erodibility estimation using LUCAS point survey data of Europe, Environmental Modelling & Software, Volume 30, April 2012, Pages 143-145, doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2011.11.002 Modelling soil erosion is mostly hampered by low data availability, particularly of soil parameters. One key parameter for soil erosion modelling is the soil erodibility, expressed as the K- factor in the commonly used soil erosion model USLE (Universal Soil Loss Equation). The K-factor is related to crucial soil factors triggering erosion (organic matter content, soil texture, soil structure, permeability). We calculated soil erodibility using measured soil data, collected during the 2009 LUCAS (Land Use and Cover Area frame Survey) soil survey campaign across the member states of the European Union. The proposed dataset overcomes the problems of limited data availability for K-factor assessment and proposes a high quality dataset to modellers who aim at soil erosion estimation on local/regional, national or European scale.
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