Soil erodibility mapping using the RUSLE model to prioritize erosion control in the Wadi Sahouat basin, North-West of Algeria
| Autor: | Mohammed Achite, Sylvain Ouillon, Abderrezak Kamel Toubal, Abdelatif Dehni |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
Risk
Conservation of Natural Resources Geological Phenomena Geographic information system 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Erosion control Model Builder 0208 environmental biotechnology 02 engineering and technology Management Monitoring Policy and Law Structural basin 01 natural sciences Soil RUSLE Wadi 0105 earth and related environmental sciences General Environmental Science Hydrology geography geography.geographical_feature_category business.industry Sediment General Medicine Models Theoretical Remote sensing GIS Pollution 020801 environmental engineering Universal Soil Loss Equation Thematic map Wadi Sahouat Erosion Algeria Geographic Information Systems Environmental science business Environmental Monitoring |
| Popis: | Soil losses must be quantified over watersheds in order to set up protection measures against erosion. The main objective of this paper is to quantify and to map soil losses in the Wadi Sahouat basin (2140 km(2)) in the north-west of Algeria, using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model assisted by a Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing. The Model Builder of the GIS allowed the automation of the different operations for establishing thematic layers of the model parameters: the erosivity factor (R), the erodibility factor (K), the topographic factor (LS), the crop management factor (C), and the conservation support practice factor (P). The average annual soil loss rate in the Wadi Sahouat basin ranges from 0 to 255 t ha(-1) year(-1), maximum values being observed over steep slopes of more than 25% and between 600 and 1000 m elevations. 3.4% of the basin is classified as highly susceptible to erosion, 4.9% with a medium risk, and 91.6% at a low risk. Google Earth reveals a clear conformity with the degree of zones to erosion sensitivity. Based on the soil loss map, 32 subbasins were classified into three categories by priority of intervention: high, moderate, and low. This priority is available to sustain a management plan against sediment filling of the Ouizert damat the basin outlet. The method enhancing the RUSLE model and confrontation with Google Earth can be easily adapted to other watersheds. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|