Introducing G2 Model with the Ability to Provide Spatial and Temporal Soil Loss Map as the Main Tool for Watershed Management

Direct measurement of soil loss especially in hillslope and watershed scales is expensive and difficult thus soil erosion models are widely used and the new models with more accuracy and advantages are developed day by day. G2 is a new USLE-based soil loss model with the ability to predict soil loss in monthly, seasonal and annual timescales and provide the spatial soil loss map in watershed scale. The input data in G2 model includes meteorological and pedological data and ASTER, SPOT and MERIS satellite images. The results of G2 in Southeast Europe (Greece and Bulgaria) with Mediterranean and semi-humid climate showed that this model has the acceptable accuracy to predict monthly soil loss. The main characteristics of G2 model are simplicity, being realistic and data-driven. It’s recommended to use G2 model to prepare the spatiotemporal soil loss map in some representative watersheds of Iran, because of the availability of data and satellite images.