- 1University of Vienna, Department of Geography and Regional Research, Vienna, Austria (robert.kanta@univie.ac.at)
- 2Private Pädagogische Hochschule Burgenland, Eisenstadt, Austria (sabine.kraushaar@ph-burgenland.at)
- 3Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany (sabine.kraushaar@tum.de)
Soil erosion in viticulture significantly exceeds the natural soil formation rate of 1.4 t ha⁻1
yr⁻1 for mineral soils in Europe and poses a major challenge, particularly in vineyards situated
on steep slopes. While numerous studies have quantified erosion in European vineyards,
particularly in Western, Central, and Mediterranean Europe, focused erosion research in
Austrian vineyards is rare. Despite accounting for only 0.25% of agricultural land, Austrian
vineyards experience high erosion rates, with estimates averaging 21.2 t ha⁻1ˆ yr⁻-1, according
to RUSLE-based modeling.
Traditional erosion estimation methods, including the stock unearthing method (SUM) and its
improved version (ISUM), offer cost-effective approaches for assessing vineyard erosion.
However, both approaches are based on limited Gnss measurements, which neglect terrain
irregularities and underestimate the erosion volume. Recent advances in Structure-from-
Motion (SfM) photogrammetry using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) allow for highresolution
digital elevation models (DEMs), providing enhanced spatial accuracy and multitemporal
surface analysis.
This study introduces and evaluates the airSUM method, which integrates UAV-based SfM
with SUM to improve erosion estimates in a Viennese vineyard. Erosion patterns, modeled
surface runoff, and total soil loss were assessed using recent DEMs generated by each
method and validated against external GNSS RTK measurements. When applied to an area of
700 m2, airSUM detected approximately 32.7 +/- 17.5 m3 of soil erosion over the past eight
years, which is equivalent to about 84.1 +/- 45 tons per hectare per year. The airSUM approach,
leveraging SfM’s ability to capture detailed micro-topography, achieves a more precise
representation of erosion dynamics and enables cost-effective long-term monitoring. These
results illustrate the potential of airSUM to refine erosion assessments in viticulture in order to
implement targeted soil protection measures and promote the sustainable management of
vineyards.
How to cite: Kanta, R. and Kraushaar, S.: airSUM: Enhancing Erosion Modeling in Viennese Vineyards with Structure from Motion andStock Unearthing Methods, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-18519, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-18519, 2025.
