Estimation of Long-Term Suspended Sediment Yield from a Small Agricultural Catchment

Abstract

Predicting and estimating sediment yield from the catchment is crucial for the effective management of water resources and controlling soil erosion. Universal Soil Loss Equations (USLE) and their modifications have been appreciated and commonly applied among many methods. The idea of this work is to use the ESDAC database (a web platform hosting a series of pan-European and global datasets on soil erosion) to build the modified form of the USLE for the Zagożdzonka catchment, a small agricultural area located in central Poland. The calculated sediment yield is compared with the one determined based on the reservoir survey. The conducted analyses show that the average annual suspended sediment yield from the study catchment estimated using the MUSLE equation accounts for 201 Mg and is close to that determined based on the reservoir survey, i.e., 248 Mg. However, MUSLE, with the initially proposed parameters, will overpredict sediment transport at the study site. The ESDAC database may support local studies concerning soil erosion and sediment transport. The research is helpful for policymakers, planners, and engineers.