Environmental Erosion Research Journal

Soil erosion is one of the most important environmental issues and problems we face today. This type of soil loss is a major problem in watersheds, agricultural areas, and natural resources, causing land degradation and reducing soil fertility.The aim of this study was to assess soil erosion risk using 15 morphometric indices, including branching ratio, drainage density, drainage texture, infiltration coefficient, stream frequency, average slope, flow power index, elongation ratio,form factor, roughness number, topographic moisture, shape factor, circularity ratio, density coefficient, roughness ratio. These indices are prepared from the SRTM digital elevation model with a spatial accuracy of 30 meters, for zoning the potential risk of soil erosion in the Karkheh watershed and using WSA methods. Therefore, first the necessary pre-processing, including the removal of hydrological errors in the digital elevation model, was carried out using SAGAGIS software. Then, all the mentioned indicators were prepared for the sub-basins of the studied region.The results of this study showed that the indices of elevation, slope, and roughness play a significant role in the occurrence of soil erosion in the Karkheh watershed. In the WSA method, the central areas of the watershed are at greater risk of soil erosion, and sub-basins with low and very low erosion potential are located in the northern (Mahidasht) and southern (Azadegan Plain) areas of this watershed.