Nibal Alsaleh^(1)*   

(1) .General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research, Damascus, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Dr. Nibal ALsaleh. E-Mail: neebal_alsaleh@yahoo.com).

Received:15/09/2024          Accepted: 11/12/2024

Abstract: 

One of the key challenges facing soils in mountainous regions is the soil erosion. In order to develop effective soil conservation plans, it is essential to accurately estimate the rates and distribution of erosion. This research was conducted in Jwilin watershed on the western side of Jabel-Alarab mountain in southwestern Syria between 2017-2021, utilizing the GeoWEPP (Geo-spatial Water Erosion Prediction Project) model. This research aims at investigate the performance of GeoWEPP model for sediment yield prediction by comparing the predicted values with the observed values taken between 2017 and 2019. Furthermore, the research will evaluate the spatial distribution of soil erosion. The results demonstrated that the values of R² and NSE reached 0.85 and 0.71, respectively, indicating a positive indication of the effectiveness of GeoWEPP for estimating soil erosion in the study area. Soil erosion rates ranged between less than 1 t.ha^-1.yr^-1 and 50 t.ha^-1.yr^-1. Additionally. A total of 31% of the watershed area was classified as a high-ratio eroding area, with the majority of these areas concentrated in the central part of the watershed, where slopes with a gradient of more than 10% are located.

Keywords: Soil loss, erosion modeling, GeoWEPP model, spatial distribution, Jwilin watershed.

Full paper in Arabic: pdf