Applied research on soil erosion and sediment transport has experienced great advance due to the development of erosion models. Nowadays, there are many models available which differ in their complexity, the processes modelled, the input parameters and the results. This variability makes it difficult to choose the most appropriate model for a given case study. Issues such as the spatial scale and the temporal resolution are fundamental in defining the kind of results that can be obtained from a given model. The objective of this article is to make a review of current erosion models. A classification of erosion models according to their mathematical structure is provided, and some key aspects are discussed in depth. Finally, a set of models are presented and described in detail. This work should be useful to researchers and technicians facing the problem of choosing the most appropriate erosion model.
