Data description

Maps of erosion risk on arable land

Last changed: 13 May 2024

The maps show where there is a risk of erosion on Swedish arable land. Erosion is a process whereby soil particles are slurried into and carried away by water flowing on the ground.

The map product consists of two different types of maps: raster (geotif) maps showing where the risk of soil particles being released from the soil surface is greatest, and line polygons (shapefiles) showing where the risk is greatest for water flowing on the surface to transport large quantities of soil particles. Both types of map show the risk of erosion in seven risk classes.

The maps can be used, among other things, to identify areas where measures can be implemented to make it more difficult for soil particles to be released and to reduce erosion. They cover an area of 202 279 km², from the Dalälven river basin in the north to the Southern Baltic Sea water district in the south. The area covers 90% of Sweden's agricultural land.

Download data

Data can be downloaded from the Swedish Board of Agriculture website (the page is in Swedish only): Kartor med information om svensk åkermark.

Go to data source Creator

Contact

Faruk Djodjic

Metadata

Publisher The Swedish Board of Agriculture
Funding agency The Swedish Board of Agriculture
Keywords erosion, soil particles, arable land, flow, runoff, geodata, modelling
Data citation

Djodjic, F. & Markensten, H. (2019). From single fields to river basins: Identification of critical source areas for erosion and phosphorus losses at high resolution. Ambio, 48 (10), 1129–1142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018-1134-8
Frequency of update Irregularly
Limitations with regard to usage

The maps show where there is an estimated risk of erosion occurring and cannot be used on their own to assess the risk of erosion at a site, but should be supplemented with additional information.
Subject area
  • Soil properties and soil chemistry
  • Water chemistry and hydrology
Habitat type
  • Agricultural landscapes
Swedish environmental objectives
  • Zero eutrophication
Related tools and applications

Data from the erosion maps are included in two web-based map stories, which can be used to, among other things, identify areas at risk of flooding and to assess risks of surface runoff and erosion. The map stories are in Swedish:

The erosion risk maps can be viewed online with the county administrative boards' map service: Övergödningskartan.