Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Estimating the CSLE Biological Conservation Measures B Factor Using Google Earth Engine

Version 1 : Received: 27 November 2023 / Approved: 28 November 2023 / Online: 28 November 2023 (10:11:26 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Wu, Y.; Shi, H.; Yang, X. Estimating the CSLE Biological Conservation Measures’ B-Factor Using Google Earth’s Engine. Remote Sens. 2024, 16, 847. Wu, Y.; Shi, H.; Yang, X. Estimating the CSLE Biological Conservation Measures’ B-Factor Using Google Earth’s Engine. Remote Sens. 2024, 16, 847.

Abstract

The biological conservation measures factor (B) in the Chinese Soil loss Equation (CSLE) model is one of the main components in evaluating soil erosion, and the accurate calculation of B factor at the regional scale is fundamental in predicting regional soil erosion and the dynamic changes. In this study, we developed an optimal computational procedure for estimating and mapping the B factor in the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud computing environment using multiple data sources through data suitability assessment and image fusion. Taking the Yanhe River Basin in the Loess Plateau of China as an example, we evaluated the availability of daily precipitation data (CHIRPS, ERA5, and PERSIANN-CDR data) against the data at national meteorological stations. We estimated the B factor from Sentinel-2 data and proposed a new method, namely trend migration method, to patch the missing values in Sentinel-2 data using three other remote sensing data (MOD09GA, Landsat-7, Landsat-8). We then calculated and mapped the B-factor in Yanhe River Basin based on rainfall erosivity, vegetation coverage, and land use types. The results show that the ERA5 precipitation dataset outperforms the CHIRPS and PERSIANN-CDR data in estimating rainfall erosivity and rainfall, and it can be utilized as an alternative data source for meteorological stations in soil erosion modeling. Compared to the harmonic analysis of time series (HANTS), the trend migration method proposed in this study is more suitable for patching the missing parts of Sentinel-2 data. The restored high-resolution Sentinel-2 data fit nicely with the 10-m resolution land use data, enhancing the B factor calculation accuracy from the region to the spot level. The B factor computation procedure developed in this study is applicable to various river basin and regional scales for regional soil erosion monitoring.

Keywords

B-factor; CSLE; google earth engine; soil erosion; data patching

Subject

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Remote Sensing

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