GIS Based Estimation of Sediment Discharge and Areas of Soil Erosion and Deposition for the Torrential Lukovska River Catchment in Serbia

In the present study the SHETRAN river basin modelling system was used in conjunction with Geographic Information System (GIS) to estimate potential erosion and deposition rates within the catchment and the concentrations of sediment in a flow at the catchment outlet on the example of the 114.31 km² mountainous torrential Lukovska River catchment in Serbia. The streams in the Lukovska River catchment are short, steep and often produce hazardous torrential floods as a consequence of strong rainfall of short duration. The soil erosion and sediment discharge were analysed in view of the catchment response to physical characteristics of the catchment. Considering that the most of total annual sediment discharge in watersheds of torrential character is achieved during storm events, the SHETRAN modelling system was calibrated on the example of a storm event in 1986 and validated for three other storm events in 1974, 1976 and 1979. The simulated results of discharges and sediment concentrations at the catchment outlet for both calibration and validation events were compared with the observed data and found to be reasonable. The changes of erosion and deposition rates within the catchment and in the course of time were estimated for the calibration event in 1986. The simulated erosion rates were within the range of 1 to 10.5 t/ha and corresponded to the observed rates of erosion in Europe during extreme rain events. The presented methodology is useful in identifying the erosion vulnerable regions in a catchment where erosion control measures should be implemented.