An Extended Multi-Source WEPI Framework for Mapping Wind Erosion Potential, Hotspots, and Priority Zones in Lorestan Province, Iran

Abstract Wind erosion is a major driver of land degradation in dryland and seasonally exposed landscapes, yet its spatiotemporal dynamics remain insufficiently quantified in many mountainous semi-arid regions. This study developed an extended multi-source Wind Erosion Potential Index (WEPI) to assess wind erosion susceptibility in Lorestan Province, western Iran, during 2016–2025. The proposed framework integrated 120 monthly observations at 1000 m spatial resolution by combining vegetation protection loss, bare soil exposure, soil moisture dryness, land surface temperature, wind force, precipitation dryness, soil erodibility, topographic susceptibility, and land-cover exposure. The results revealed persistent moderate-to-high wind erosion potential, with annual mean WEPI ranging from 0.584 in 2020 to 0.605 in 2021 and a long-term mean of approximately 0.592. Approximately 95.31% of valid pixels were classified as moderate or higher risk, while summer exhibited the highest seasonal erosion potential, with a mean WEPI of 0.633. Component contribution analysis showed that bare soil exposure and vegetation protection loss together accounted for nearly 45.8% of the total WEPI. Spatial analyses identified 12,804 statistically significant hotspot pixels and 17,366 persistent high-risk pixels, indicating that chronic erosion susceptibility was more extensive than areas exhibiting significant temporal increases. The proposed framework provides a robust, reproducible, and transferable approach for identifying priority areas for wind erosion monitoring, land degradation assessment, and sustainable land management in semi-arid environments.