The universal soil loss equation (USLE), a model for estimating the potential soil loss, has been used not only in research areas but also in establishing national policies in South Korea. Despite its wide applicability, USLE cannot adequately address the effect of seasonal variances. To overcome this limit, the ArcGIS-based Sediment Assessment Tool for Effective Erosion (ArcSATEEC) has been developed as an alternative model. Although the field-scale (< 100 m²) application of this model produced reliable estimation results, it is still challenging to validate accuracy of the model estimation because it only estimates potential soil losses, not the actual sediment yield. Therefore, in this study, a method for estimating actual soil loss based on the ArcSATEEC model was suggested. The model was applied to eight watersheds in South Korea to estimate sediment yields. Correction factor was introduced for each watershed, and the estimated sediment yield was compared with that of the estimated yield by LOAD ESTimator (LOADEST). Sediment yield estimation for all watersheds exhibited reliable results, and the validity of the proposed correction factor was confirmed, suggesting the correction factor needs to be considered in estimating actual soil loss.

Keywords: ArcSATEEC, sediment delivery ratio, soil loss, USLE