The paper attempts at evaluating the influence of certain factors (slope gradients and the length of fields, the granulometric composition of soil, the existence of terraces, and the ploughing direction) on the intensity of water erosion (annual soil losses) determined with the USLE method, exemplified by a mountain village of Konina. Konina is situated on the northern slopes of the Gorce Mountains (the range of the Western Beskidy Mountains) in the communes of Niedźwiedź, at about 500 – 1200 metres above sea level. This area is dominated by brown soils formed from sedimentary rocks (sandstones, mudstones, marls) with a clay soil texture: silty clay loam, silty clay, clay loam. Average annual temperature ranges between 6–8oC, precipitation – between 850-950 mm. The intensity of erosion was examined for arable lands, which constitute 63% of all agricultural lands. Arable fields are situated in areas where the slope gradient ranges between 0-5%, at the bottom of the Konina river valley and on mountain ridges, to 40% on steep slopes. The majority of fields are characterised by short slope lines, 10–30 metres on average, 100 metres at the most. The article distinguishes 4 land erosion models, for which regression equations have been calculated. The ...
