Maps of erosion risk on arable land
Metadata
Djodjic och Markensten (2026). Kartor över erosionsrisk på åkermark 2026. https://gis.slu.se/data/slu_agriculture/Erosion/2026/
The maps show where there is an estimated risk of erosion occurring and cannot be used on their own to assess the risk of erosion at a site, but should be supplemented with additional information.
The maps contain personal data, but are not subject to confidentiality, according to the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s assessment.
The maps can also be viewed in a so-called Storymap, together with explanations and background information (in Swedish):
The maps show where there is a risk of surface runoff, erosion and standing water on Swedish arable land. Erosion is a process whereby soil particles are slurried into and carried away by water flowing on the ground.
The map product consists of three different maps:
- Mobilisation of soil particles: a raster (geotif) showing where the risk of soil particles being released from the ground surface is greatest. Classified into seven risk categories.
- Flow accumulation: line polygons (shapefiles) showing where the risk is greatest that surface runoff may transport large quantities of soil particles. Classified into seven risk categories.
- Distribution of flows across the landscape: raster (geotif) showing how surface runoff can spread from line polygons depending on differences in elevation. Divided into two classes.
The maps can be used, among other things, to identify areas where measures can be implemented to make it more difficult for soil particles to be released and to reduce erosion. They cover an area of 202 279 km², from the Dalälven river basin in the north to the Southern Baltic Sea water district in the south. The area covers 90% of Sweden's agricultural land.
The map should primarily be used as a basis for discussions on appropriate measures, such as buffer zones and cultivation measures.
Information about the erosion risk maps is also available on the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s website: Riskområden för erosion (in Swedish)
The methods used are described in a scientific article:
Djodjic, F. & Markensten, H. (2019). From single fields to river basins: Identification of critical source areas for erosion and phosphorus losses at high resolution. Ambio, 48 (10), 1129–1142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018-1134-8
The first version of the maps showing the risk of erosion on arable land was launched in 2018. The latest version is from 2026.
The erosion risk maps are published under the Creative Commons 0 (CC0) licence for open data.
Download data
Data can be downloaded from SLU’s GIS server.
The maps can also be accessed via various web services:
- Jordbruksverkets GeoServer (WMS, WFS, WCF)
- The maps are also available on the County Administrative Boards’ ‘Eutrophication Map’ service, which can be accessed here (page in Swedish): Kartgalleri
- The maps are available in "Basen" for those working at county administrative boards.