SAWEMD: South Asian Water Erosion Modeled Dataset

SAWEMD: A State-of-the-Art Water Erosion Modeled Dataset for South Asia. Water erosion is a pressing environmental issue in South Asia, exacerbated by climate change. SAWEMD, the South Asia Water Erosion Modeled Dataset, addresses this challenge by identifying potential erosion hotspots and assessing future risks under various climate scenarios using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). This dataset integrates high-resolution data on climate, land use, harvested crop areas, soil types, and elevation for both current and future periods. Future projections are based on CMIP6 climate and land use datasets, evaluated under two distinct Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSP126 and SSP585). SAWEMD is the first open-access water erosion dataset for South Asia, providing crucial information and related parameters for researchers and policymakers. The comprehensive data and methodology used to create this high-resolution dataset are detailed in the following publication: Das, Subhankar, Manoj Kumar Jain, and Vivek Gupta. "An assessment of anticipated future changes in water erosion dynamics under climate and land use change scenarios in South Asia." Journal of Hydrology 637 (2024): 131341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131341