Soil Erosion Calculator — Formula
## How to Calculate Soil Erosion (USLE)
The Universal Soil Loss Equation estimates average annual soil erosion.
### Formula
**A = R * K * LS * C * P**
- **R** = Rainfall erosivity
- **K** = Soil erodibility (sandy=0.02, loam=0.03, clay=0.04)
- **LS** = Slope length and steepness (flat=0.5, moderate=2, steep=5+)
- **C** = Cover management (forest=0.01, grass=0.1, bare=1.0)
- **P** = Conservation practice (none=1.0, contour=0.5, terracing=0.1)
Soil loss tolerance is typically 5 tons/ha/year for sustainable agriculture.
The Universal Soil Loss Equation estimates average annual soil erosion.
### Formula
**A = R * K * LS * C * P**
- **R** = Rainfall erosivity
- **K** = Soil erodibility (sandy=0.02, loam=0.03, clay=0.04)
- **LS** = Slope length and steepness (flat=0.5, moderate=2, steep=5+)
- **C** = Cover management (forest=0.01, grass=0.1, bare=1.0)
- **P** = Conservation practice (none=1.0, contour=0.5, terracing=0.1)
Soil loss tolerance is typically 5 tons/ha/year for sustainable agriculture.
Exemplo Resolvido
Farmland with R=200, K=0.03, LS=2, C=0.3 (row crops), P=0.8 (minimal conservation).
- Soil loss: 200 * 0.03 * 2 * 0.3 * 0.8 = 2.88 tons/ha/year
- Per acre: 2.88 / 2.471 = 1.17 tons/acre/year
- vs tolerance: 2.88 / 5 * 100 = 58% of limit
- With best practices (P=0.3): 200 * 0.03 * 2 * 0.3 * 0.3 = 1.08 tons/ha/year