Rainfall aggressiveness as a determining factor of erosion processes. Case Study: Calintir River Basin (Republic of Moldova)

The climatic factor is of particular interest in the evaluation of erosion processes. The spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall is actually a key factor for erosion processes. The intensity of precipitation and the action of the potential energy of rainfall on the slopes is expressed by the rainfall aggressiveness. In order to represent the impact of the rainfall action on the soil and to assess the risk of certain surfaces to erosion, was chosen its representation by certain specific indicators. In this study, we proposed the estimation of rainfall aggressiveness using the Modified Fournier Index. The erosive effect of rainfall was taken into account for the stations located near the Calintir river basin, and the data were obtained from the archive of the State Hydro meteorological Service for a period of 30 years. Period recommended by the WMO as optimal for the analysis of climatic elements.