Soil Erosion Assessment Using the Intensity of Erosion and Outflow Model by Estimating Sediment Yield: Case Study in River Basins with Different Characteristics from Cluj County, Romania  
[PERSON]  
1 Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 400020 Cluj-Napoca, Romania  
2 Faculty of Land Reclamation and Environmental Engineering, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Bucharest, 011464 Bucharest, Romania  
3 Faculty of Geography, Babes-Bolyai University, 40000 Cluj-Napoca, Romania  
4 Clui-Napoca Subsidiidiary Geography Section, Romanian Academy, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania  
5 Department of Technical and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania  
6 Department of Land Measurements and Exact Sciences, Faculty of Forestry and Cadastre, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania  
7 Department of Sustainable Development and Environmental Engineering, University of Life Sciences \"[PERSON], 300645 Timisoara, Romania  
8 Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Nis, Vigegradska 11, 18000 Nisis, Serbia  
9 Geography Department, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Montenegro, 81400 Nissic, Montenegro  
most significant challenges to the sustainable management of soil and water resources [3; 4]. The implementation of any strategy for the scientifically sound conservation of soil and water, as well as for integrated land management, requires quantification of these processes. The quickening of soil erosion brought on by global human activity has led to an increase in sediment flow in many parts of the world [5; 6; 7]. The natural process of soil erosion takes place when the forces that hold soil particles together are surpassed by the power of wind and water acting on the soil surface [8; 9]. Erosion can be caused by a number of different factors. The presence of vegetation cover shields the soil from the destructive impacts of these wind and water pressures. This protective layer can be easily disturbed by land management operations such as ploughing and extensive grazing, which leave the soil vulnerable to the processes of erosion [10; 11]. Unwanted additional repercussions of soil erosion have been identified as a serious problem for human sustainability. These impacts include the loss of soil fertility, a drop in water quality, modification of the hydrological systems, and environmental contaminations. Alterations to land use and land cover are critical regulating elements that can have a significant impact on the hydrological response of a watershed. A significant link between soil loss and shifts in land use has been found to exist, according to the findings of a number of studies [12; 13; 14]. Changes in land use need to be considered on a local scale because they have the potential to affect the water balance within a watershed and the variability of that balance, as well as to increase the flow of sediment and nutrients into rivers. Sampling of stream sediment and direct measurements of soil erosion in watersheds both demand large investments of both time and money on the part of the investigator [9; 15]. As a result, experts from all around the world are currently interested in the use of soil erosion and sediment yield models at the watershed scale. For a quantitative knowledge of hydrological processes at the watershed scale, modeling of microscale processes like infiltration, permeability, and even the transit of water and particles in porous soils is also required. These processes include infiltration, permeability, and the transport of water and particles [16; 17; 18]. The first thing that happens in the process of erosion is the breaking up of soil particles, which is followed by transport and deposition of those particles [9; 19].