Comparison of Sediment Loss Modelling by Using the Physically-Based Erosion-3d Model and The USPED Empirical Model: A Case Study of the Svacenicky Creek Catchment (Slovakia)

Abstract

The study presents a validation of the physically-based EROSION-3D model and the USPED empirical model and compares them with actual measured data. During the last decade there has been an intention to develop a new generation of erosion models in order to replace the Universal Soil Loss Equation used worldwide with more effective methods. One of those methods is represented by physically-based models, which provide a tool that relies upon descriptions of the processes that occur in actual natural conditions. The essential element of physically-based models is that they are process-based and reflect the most recent advances in erosion and hydrological research. In the modelling of soil erosion, the validation and verification of the methodologies used are considered as general problems. The importance of a model´s validation can be seen in the building of confidence in the ability of the model to generate satisfactory simulation results in order to discover the strengths and weaknesses of the model used. The physically-based EROSION-3D model is suitable not only for research purposes, but also for engineering practices, e.g., for assessing the effect of changing agricultural management practices and their impact on soil losses. The validation of the models has been performed on a continuous rainfall series for the selected period 2015 - 2016. The modelled results were compared with the actual measured sediment deposition data acquired by a bathymetry survey of the Svacenicky Creek polder using the EcoMapper Autonomous Underwater Vehicle device in the same period. The Svacenicky Creek polder is a part of the flood protection measures in the investigated territory of the Myjava region in Slovakia. The final results present a comparison between the outputs from the models used together with a confrontation of the modelled and observed results obtained by the bathymetry measurements.