Testing alternative erosivity indices to predict event soil loss from bare plots in Southern Italy

Abstract

Methods for predicting unit plot soil loss for the 'Sparacia' Sicilian (Southern Italy) site were developed using 316 simultaneous measurements of runoff and soil loss from individual bare plots varying in length from 11 to 44 m. The event unit plot soil loss was directly proportional to an erosivity index equal to (QREI30)1.47, being QREI30 the runoff ratio (QR) times the single storm erosion index (EI30). The developed relationship represents a modified version of the USLE-M, and therefore it was named USLE-MM. By the USLE-MM, a constant erodibility coefficient was deduced for plots of different lengths, suggesting that in this case the calculated erodibility factor is representative of an intrinsic soil property. Testing the USLE-M and USLE-MM schemes for other soils and developing simple procedures for estimating the plot runoff ratio has practical importance to develop a simple method to predict soil loss from bare plots at the erosive event temporal scale.