ASSESSMENT OF SOIL FLUSHING BASED ON AN IMPROVED UNIVERSAL EQUATION OF SOIL LOSSES USING GIS AND SATELLITE DATA ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE RUBEZHKA RIVER BASIN OF THE WEST KAZAKHSTAN REGION

Abstract

The article highlights the current problem of water erosion of soils in the basins of small rivers of Kazakhstan. Soil erosion reduces the productivity of arable land in the agricultural sector as a result of a decrease in the area of fertile territories. The purpose of this work was to assess the intensity of soil loss in the Rubezhka river basin for various types of agricultural land. To achieve this goal, we used GIS, satellite data and an improved equation of soil losses with the introduction of a new Cu indicator, which allowed us to adjust the indicators of soil loss and more accurately determine its scale in the territory of the studied basin. The lowest rate of soil loss from 0 to 0,684 t/ha per year as a result of the study was determined for pastures on chestnut sandy and sandy loam soils in the southern part of the basin. This area has the lowest precipitation and steeper slope. The northern part of the river basin has a soil loss rate from 1,368 to 2,052 t/ha per year. These lands are mainly used as arable land on dark chestnut loamy soils in conditions of flat relief and greater humidification of the climate. In the central part of the basin, there is an increase in the share of pastures and a decrease in the amount of average annual precipitation with the highest rates of soil loss - up to 3,418 t/ha per year, which corresponds to a "low level of loss".

Keywords: river basin, erosion processes, soil, GIS, satellite data.