ASSESSMENT OF SOIL LOSS SUSCEPTIBILITY IN SANTA RITA WATERSHED IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

ABSTRACT Estimation of soil loss susceptibility is of great importance for the management of watersheds. Thus, several models for soil loss prediction have been proposed. This study estimated the total annual soil loss for the Santa Rita watershed, located in southern Brazil, using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation. In addition, a classification to soil loss index (ISL) was proposed to identify regions with critical soil loss values. Altitude, slope, land use, and soil class data were applied to the model, in addition to spatial information for 78 soil samples collected within the study...