Section 4: Soil and Water Conservation Engineering
Soil and Water Erosion
Subtopic: Soil loss estimation
Question Statement:
According to the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) $A = R K L S C P$, calculate the average annual soil loss $A$ in $\text{tonnes/(ha}\cdot\text{year)}$ for an agricultural field where rainfall erosivity factor $R = 400$, soil erodibility factor $K = 0.25$, topographic slope factor $L S = 1.20$, cropping management factor $C = 0.25$, and conservation practice factor $P = 0.80$.
Answer Key:
24
Step-by-Step Solution & Explanation
$A = R \times K \times LS \times C \times P = 400 \times 0.25 \times 1.20 \times 0.25 \times 0.80 = 100 \times 1.20 \times 0.20 = 120 \times 0.20 = 24.0\text{ tonnes/(ha}\cdot\text{year)}$