Global rainfall erosivity assessment based on high-temporal resolution rainfall records

Area of Science:

• Earth Science
• Environmental Science
• Soil Science

Background:

• Water erosion is the primary cause of global soil degradation.
• Global patterns of rainfall erosivity are poorly quantified, hindering effective soil management.
• Accurate rainfall erosivity data requires high temporal resolution rainfall recordings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify global rainfall erosivity patterns.
• To develop the first comprehensive Global Rainfall Erosivity Database.
• To create a high-resolution global erosivity map to support soil conservation strategies.

Main Methods:

• Collected rainfall data from 3,625 stations across 63 countries.
• Estimated rainfall erosivity using high temporal resolution rainfall recordings.
• Developed a global erosivity map using Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) at 30 arc-seconds resolution.

Main Results:

• The Global Rainfall Erosivity Database is the first of its kind.
• Mean global rainfall erosivity is estimated at 2,190 MJ mm ha⁻¹ h⁻¹ yr⁻¹.
• Highest erosivity is observed in South America, the Caribbean, Central/East Africa, and Southeast Asia; lowest in Canada, Russia, Northern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Conclusions:

• The developed global map provides crucial insights into rainfall erosivity distribution.
• Findings highlight regions with high erosion potential, informing targeted soil degradation mitigation.
• Climate zones show distinct erosivity patterns, with tropical zones exhibiting the highest mean erosivity.