CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Bakker, L.; Heung, B.; Dragicevic, S.; and Schmidt, M.G.
Date : 2011.
Title : Spatial disaggregation of the Universal Soil Loss Equation using a cellular automata approach.
Publication : 2011 Annual Meeting of the Western Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers. March 10-12, 2011. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC.
Issue :
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Abstract
Cellular automata (CA) are part of a suite of models that handle spatio-temporal components of dynamic phenomena. CA are ap-propriate for modeling physical phenomena because they both act at small scales but result in patterns at larger scales. Often, large-scale patterns are directly fitted with a statistical model, such as the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). To obtain a better resolution for the USLE (which operates at the slope level), a spatially disaggregated CA model was developed, using the compo-nents of the USLE. Rainfall erosivity; vegetation cover derived from satellite imagery; and slope characteristics were incorporated into the model. In addition, soil depth and soil erodibility attributes derived from polygon soil data (digitized from existing soil surŽvey maps) were included. The developed model was tested on Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada where soil redistribution predictions were made for 100 years. Soil depth change ranged from a 3cm loss to a 23cm accumulation with greatest loss on hill-tops, and greatest accumulations in convergent areas. Proof of quantitative equivalence to the USLE, incorporation of spatially-explicit soil attribute data (soil texture, depth, erodibility, and bulk density), and an assessment of the impact of neighbourhood size are areas for future research. This model has the potential to assist in long-term habitat, ecological, and resource management as well as contribute to digital soil mapping.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology