Open AccessEstimation of soil erosion dynamics using remote sensing and swat in Kopaonik National Park, Serbia
Author(s) -
Ivan Potić,
B.P.M. Ćurčić,
Milan Radovanović,
Gorica Stanojević,
Slavica MalinovićMilićević,
Stanislav A. Yamashkin,
Anatoliy Yamashkin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
zbornik radova/zbornik radova - geografski institut "jovan cvijić"
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.16
H-Index - 2
eISSN - 1821-2808
pISSN - 0350-7599
DOI - 10.2298/ijgi2103231p
Subject(s) - environmental science , surface runoff , hydrology (agriculture) , erosion , land use , deciduous , soil conservation , soil retrogression and degradation , national park , geography , land cover , swat model , evergreen , drainage basin , agriculture , ecology , soil water , geology , soil science , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , cartography , biology
Soil erosion is a global environmental and economic problem that is significantly related to land-use changes. Over the last decades, several mountain areas in Serbia were exposed to strong human pressure caused by winter tourism development. The largest ski center in Serbia is situated on Kopaonik Mountain within the boundaries of Kopaonik National Park, where the conflict between economic and conservation goals is rapidly growing. In this study, we calculated the sedimentation and surface runoff in three sub-basins in the area of Kopaonik ski resort for two years (1984 and 2018) using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and analyzed the changes that occurred during the observed period. The results show an increase in surface runoff and sediment yield in sub-basins 1 and 3 and a decrease in sub-basin 2. The analysis of land cover change shows an expansion of evergreen forests, appearance of barren soil and urban areas, reduction of mixed forests and pastures, and the appearance of deciduous forests. These findings indicate that in the area studied, the dominant processes are the development of tourism and natural revegetation of abandoned agricultural land. Application of remote sensing techniques and SWAT contributes to identifying and monitoring land degradation problems and improving conservation and management practices.