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Predictability and uncertainty of the soil erodibility factor using a global dataset
Author
Torri, Dino
Poesen, Jean
Borselli, Lorenzo
Publisher
CATENA
Publication Year
1997
Body

This paper investigates the predictability of the soil erodibility factor (K) in the revised universal soil loss equation from soil clay content (C), the Naperian logarithm of the geometric mean particle size (DG) and organic matter content (OM), using a global dataset compiled from published studies. A multiple regression equation accounted for only 41% of the observed variance. Because of the large unexplained variance, an alternative procedure was explored to describe theK data in terms of the lower and upper bounds of the range of variation and the most probable value in this range. However, this approach did not provide sufficient information about the distribution of the observedK values. A procedure based on fuzzy logic and fuzzy mathematical theories was then developed, using the program FUZKBAS, which describes the frequency distribution of observedK values for a given soil, characterised byDG,C and OM, in terms of membership functions.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Journal Issue/Article
Journal Volume
31
Journal Number
no. 1-2
Journal Pages
pp. 1-22
Collection
Southern Africa Collection
Journal Name
CATENA
Keywords
water erosion
soil erodibility
Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation
Fuzzy logic
Fuzzy erodibility
Erosion prediction
Erosion uncertainty
soil erosion
modelling
Africa