Objective This study systematically evaluates the estimation accuracy of a simple rainfall erosivity model across different regions and rainfall levels. Methods Based on observational data from 2 078 meteorological stations in humid, semi-humid, and semi-arid regions of China, rainfall erosivity of different magnitudes was calculated using the classic EI30 model at hourly and daily rainfall scales as the baseline, and then compared with estimates from the daily rainfall erosivity model proposed. Results 1) Rainfall erosivity calculated by the two methods showed a spatial pattern of low values in the northwest and high values in the southeast, with significant positive correlations in humid, semi-humid, and semi-arid regions. 2) Without considering rainfall classification, estimation deviations of the daily rainfall erosivity model in humid, semi-humid, and semi-arid regions were 16.06%, 22.47% and 24.19%, respectively. However, under different rainfall levels, deviations of rainfall erosivity estimation in the above regions increased markedly, with systematic overestimation for moderate and heavy rain and systematic underestimation for rainstorms and extreme rainstorms. 3) Considering both data deviation and correlation coefficient, the daily rainfall erosivity model achieved the highest estimation accuracy in humid regions under rainstorm conditions, followed by semi-humid regions under rainstorm, and the lowest accuracy was found in humid regions under moderate rainfall conditions. Conclusion Accuracy differences and variation patterns of the daily rainfall erosivity model under different rainfall levels and in different dry and wet regions will provide an important basis for development of zoned and graded estimation models.
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