Geomorphometric Analysis of Agricultural Areas Based on a New Digital Elevation Model

The use of geographic information technologies and digital elevation models (DEMs) enables significant automation of the process of analyzing the relief of the study area. Modern DEMs are based on remote sensing (RS) data, and their accuracy is constantly improved. The research was performed to analyze the possibility of using DEM for geomorphometric analysis of the relief of an agricultural area. A geomorphometric analysis of the relief of the agricultural territory of the experimental production farm Mikhailovskoe, Federal Research Centre Krasnoyarsk Science Center, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, was based on the new generation nonprofit Forest and Buildings removed Copernicus Digital Elevation Model (FABDEM) and the functionality of the geographic information system (GIS) toolkit SAGA GIS (System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses, Geographic Information System). A series of large-scale thematic maps of the farm has been compiled: of the steepness and aspect of slopes, of curvature (horizontal and vertical), of terrain ruggedness index (TRI), of the index of planar erosion potential (LS-factor), of topographic wetness index (TWI), etc. A model of surface runoff has been obtained. Despite the small area, the surface structure of the territory of the Mikhailovskoe farm is heterogeneous, including 85% of plain areas (flat surface) and 15% of local elevated landforms. Slopes to 3° steep account for 92% of the total area; and plots on slopes steeper than 3° occupy only 8%. The farm fields are dominated by areas with western and eastern slopes (42%), southern slopes account for 36%, and northern slopes occupy 22% of the total area. The results of the analysis of the TWI of the farm area testify to insignificant erosion danger: 0.5% of the total area of the farm are occupied by plots with drainage depressions and 3% are represented by hills. According to the index of planar erosion potential, plots on hills are located on slopes more than 4° steep.