In order to assess the rainfall erosivity in the Pannonian basin, several parameters which describe distribution, concentration and variability of precipitation were used, as well as 9 extreme precipitation indices. The precipitation data is obtained from the European Climate Assessment and Dataset project for the period 1961-2014, for 8 meteorological stations in northern Serbia, 5 in Hungary and 1 in eastern Croatia. The extreme values of precipitation were calculated following the indices developed by the ETCCDI.RclimDexsoftware package was used for indices calculation. Based on statistical analysis and the calculated values, the results have been presented with Geographic Information System (GIS) to point out the most vulnerable parts of the Pannonian basin, with regard to pluvial erosion. This study presents the first result of combined rainfall erosivity and extreme precipitation indices for the investigated area. Results ofPCIindicate presence of moderate precipitation concentration (mean value 11.6). Trend analysis ofFI(mean value 22.7) andMFI(mean value 70.2) implies a shift from being largely in the low erosivity class, to being completely in the moderate erosivity class in the future, thus indicating an increase in rainfall erosivity for most of the investigated area (except in the northwestern parts). Furthermore, the observed precipitation extremes suggest that both the amount and the intensity of precipitation are increasing. The knowledge about the areas affected by strong soil erosion could lead to introducing effective measures in order to reduce it. Long term analysis of rainfall erosivity is a significant step concerning flood prevention, hazard mitigation, ecosystem services, land use change and agricultural production.

The Western Balkans (WB) region is highly prone to water erosion processes, and therefore, the estimation of rainfall erosivity (R-factor) is essential for understanding the complex relationships between hydro-meteorological factors and soil erosion processes. The main objectives of this study are to (1) estimate the spatial-temporal distribution R-factor across the WB region by applying the RUSLE and RUSLE2 methodology with data for the period between 1991 and 2020 and (2) apply cluster analysis to identify places of high erosion risk, and thereby offer a means of targeting suitable mitigation measures. To assess R-factor variability, the ERA5 reanalysis hourly data (0.25° × 0.25° spatial resolution) comprised 390 grid points were used. The calculations were made on a decadal resolution (i.e., for the 1990s, the 2000s, and the 2010s), as well as for the whole study period (1991–2020). In order to reveal spatial patterns of rainfall erosivity, a k-means clustering algorithm was applied. Visualization and mapping were performed in python using the Matplotlib, Seaborn, and Cartopy libraries. Hourly precipitation intensity and monthly precipitation totals exhibited pronounced variability over the study area. High precipitation values were observed in the SW with a >0.3 mm h⁻¹ average, while the least precipitation was seen in the Pannonian Basin and far south (Albanian coast), where the mean intensity was less than an average of 0.1 mm h⁻¹. R-factor variability was very high for both the RUSLE and RUSLE2 methods. The mean R-factor calculated by RUSLE2 was 790 MJ mm ha⁻¹·h⁻¹·yr⁻¹, which is 58% higher than the mean R-factor obtained from RUSLE (330 MJ mm ha⁻1·h⁻¹·yr⁻¹). The analysis of the R-factor at decadal timescales suggested a rise of 14% in the 2010s. The k-means algorithm for both the RUSLE and RUSLE2 methods implies better spatial distribution in the case of five clusters (K = 5) regarding the R-factor values. The rainfall erosivity maps presented in this research can be seen as useful tools for the assessment of soil erosion intensity and erosion control works, especially for agriculture and land use planning. Since the R-factor is an important part of soil erosion models (RUSLE and RUSLE2), the results of this study can be used as a guide for soil control works, landscape modeling, and suitable mitigation measures on a regional scale.

Estimation of rainfall erosivity (RE) and erosivity density (ED) is essential for understanding the complex relationships between hydrological and soil erosion processes. The main objective of this study is to assess the spatial–temporal trends and variability of the RE and ED in the central and southern Pannonian Basin by using station observations and gridded datasets. To assess RE and ED, precipitation data for 14 meteorological stations, 225 grid points. and an erosion model consisting of daily, monthly, seasonal, and annual rainfall for the period of 1961–2014 were used. Annual RE and ED based on station data match spatially variable patterns of precipitation, with higher values in the southwest (2100 MJ·mm·ha⁻¹·h⁻¹) and southeast (1650 MJ·mm·ha⁻¹·h⁻¹) of the study area, but minimal values in the northern part (700 MJ·mm·ha⁻¹·h⁻¹). On the other hand, gridded datasets display more detailed RE and ED spatial–temporal variability, with the values ranging from 250 to 2800 MJ·mm·ha⁻¹·h⁻¹. The identified trends are showing increasing values of RE (ranging between 0.20 and 21.17 MJ·mm·ha⁻¹·h⁻¹) and ED (ranging between 0.01 and 0.03 MJ·ha⁻¹·h⁻¹) at the annual level. This tendency is also observed for autumn RE (from 5.55 to 0.37 MJ·mm·ha⁻¹·h⁻¹) and ED (from 0.05 to 0.01 MJ·ha⁻¹·h⁻¹), as for spring RE (from 1.00 to 0.01 MJ·mm·ha⁻¹·h⁻¹) and ED (from 0.04 to 0.01 MJ·ha⁻¹·h⁻¹), due to the influence of the large-scale processes of climate variability, with North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) being the most prominent. These increases may cause a transition to a higher erosive class in the future, thus raising concerns about this type of hydro-meteorological hazard in this part of the Pannonian Basin. The present analysis identifies seasons and places of greatest erosion risk, which is the starting point for implementing suitable mitigation measures at local to regional scales.

The paper aims to provide an overview of the most important parameters (the occurrence, frequency and magnitude) in Vojvodina Region (North Serbia). Monthly and annual mean precipitation values in the period 1946–2014, for the 12 selected meteorological stations were used. Relevant parameters (precipitation amounts, Angot precipitation index) were used as indicators of rainfall erosivity. Rainfall erosivity index was calculated and classified throughout precipitation susceptibility classes liable of triggering soil erosion. Precipitation trends were obtained and analysed by three different statistical approaches. Results indicate that various susceptibility classes are identified within the observed period, with a higher presence of very severe rainfall erosion in June and July. This study could have implications for mitigation strategies oriented towards reduction of soil erosion by water.

Miško M. MILANOVIĆ, Tanja MICIĆ, Tin LUKIĆ, Snežana S. NENADOVIĆ, Biljana BASARIN, Dejan J. FILIPOVIĆ, Milisav TOMIĆ, Ivan SAMARDŽIĆ, Zoran SRDIĆ, Gojko NIKOLIĆ, Miloš M. NINKOVIĆ, Dušan SAKULSKI & Branko RISTANOVIĆ - APPLICATION OF LANDSAT-DERIVED NDVI IN MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT OF VEGETATION COVER CHANGES IN CENTRAL SERBIA, Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, February 2019, Vol. 14, No. 1, p. 119 - 129; DOI:10.26471/cjees/2019/014/064