A method for determining landslide-prone areas based on remote sensing data and meteorological data is proposed for the Ukrainian territory. It was tested within different landscape sites of the country: the Ukrainian Carpathians, the Dniester river valley, the right-bank of Dnieper river within Kyiv and Kaniv, right side of the Dnieper-Donets Rift within Kharkiv, and the Black Sea Lowland within the Odessa city. The digital elevation model (DEM) data based on the topographic survey by Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) as well as data from meteorological stations were used. The Erosion Relief Index (ER) method was obtained based on terrain morphology as reflected by the DEM. The index considers vertical and horizontal terrain dissection. The potential areas prone to erosion and landslide risks were identified by the ER index values. On the background of the Koppen climatic classification, the potential of rainfall events to cause the activation and intensification of landslides was analyzed by adopting threshold curves of meteorological criteria. The study argues that the use of the ER index in conjunction with meteorological data is an effective method to identify potential areas with erosion and landslide risks.
