ИСТИНА

Soil erosion by water constitutes one of the most potent processes of soil and land degradation, resulting in the degradation of the quality of ecosystem services provided. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms and impacts of soil erosion by water is critical for developing effective strategies to mitigate its effects and protect our environment. This research represents a pioneering effort in the high-resolution spatial modeling of soil erosion by water in steppe areas considering national dynamics (the 1980s to 2010s) in Russia. To our knowledge, this study is the first to comprehensively investigate the dynamics of soil erosion by water processes, utilizing advanced modeling techniques and incorporating detailed spatial data. While previous studies examined broad-scale soil erosion levels or offered century-old data lacking spatial detail, our research fills this gap, offering valuable insights into erosion patterns and distribution.