High-resolution, spatially resolved quantification of wind erosion rates based on UAV images (case study: Sistan...

Estimating the quantitative distribution of wind erosion rates is one of the most important requirements for managing affected environments and optimizing locations to control wind erosion. This study develops high-resolution maps for wind erosion with unmanned aerial vehicles or UAV images in the Sistan region-an area in southeastern Iran with severe wind erosion. Aerial imaging by UAV was done during period of erosive winds. Changes in the amount of wind erosion were measured for 7 months. Digital elevation models or DEM with a spatial resolution of 6 mm, orthophoto mosaic images with a resolution of 3 mm, were prepared before and after the erosion event. Three erosive facies consisting of surface, edge, and blowout were identified. The amount of erosion in different geomorphological landscapes or facies was measured according to differences of DEMs (DOD). The effect of physical factors of the geomorphological landscapes on wind erosion was investigated by calculating the correlation between the erosion, roughness, and slope in the geomorphological landscapes. The results showed that the highest and lowest mean of eroded soil were 22 mm and 4 mm in the blowout and surface facies, respectively. The average rate of wind erosion was 201 t/ha during the study period, which indicates the high intensity of wind erosion in the Sistan plain. Overall, UAV-as an aerial imaging technique collecting ground data-can be a helpful tool in the aeolian geomorphology especially for collecting data for measuring the rate of soil erosion by the wind in the aeolian landscapes located in remote regions.