Application of MUSLE for the prediction of phosphorus losses

摘要

Soil erosion in forestlands affects not only land productivity but also the water body downnstream. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) has been applied broadly for the prediction of soilnloss from upland fields. However, there are few reports concerning the prediction of nutrient (P)nlosses based on the USLE and its versions. The present study was conducted to evaluate thenapplicability of the deterministic model Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE) tonestimation of phosphorus losses in the Kojor forest watershed, northern Iran. The model wasntested and calibrated using accurate continuous P loss data collected during seven storm eventsnin 2008. Results of the original model simulations for storm-wise P loss did not match thenobserved data, while the revised version of the model could imitate the observed values well.nThe results of the study approved the efficient application of the revised MUSLE in estimatingnstorm-wise P losses in the study area with a high level of agreement of beyond 93%, annacceptable estimation error of some 35%.