Mapping the soil erosion risk in Flanders: A remote sensing based assessment of the crop management factor (C-factor)

Abstract

This study investigates how to estimate soil erosion loss in Flanders as a function of different cropping systems, using remote sensing. The basic idea is to establish, based on satellite images, time series of fractional vegetation cover at plot level. These time series are then used to estimate the risk of soil loss over time. In this way, the soil loss associated with particular cropping systems over a defined period of time can be calculated, expressed as a crop and farm factor (C-factor), a key component within erosion calculation models.