Feras Alghamaz(1) (2)*, Mohammad Dikkeh (1), and Younes Idriss (3)
(1). Dept. of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tishreen, Lattika, Syria.
(2). General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research, Damascus, Syria.
(3). General Organization of Remote Sensing, Syria.
(*Corresponding author: Feras Alghamaz, E-mail: fghammaz@gmail.com ).
Received: 4/12/2023 Accepted: 28/01/2024
Abstract:
Water erosion is one of the biggest problems facing lands on slopes, especially when annual rainfall increases in the Al-Bayer and Al-Basit area in Latakia Governorate. The segments of the following factors were intersected using GIS after weighting to determine degraded lands and the degree of deterioration, which are segments of frequent high rainfall, soil texture, percentage of organic matter, land uses, and slope. Thus, the resulting map indicates the hotspots of land degradation or the lands most vulnerable to degradation and erosion by surface runoff from intense rainfall, which when intersected with a slice of the physiographic units results in a slice of areas representing each type of degradation (mild, moderate, severe…etc.) depending on the difference in the units. Physiography of the study area and soil type, where soil samples were taken for the selected areas to study soil properties. A soil loss map was produced by cross-sectioning rainfall profiles, slope degrees, land use and human activity, soil texture, and the NDVI vegetation index. It is noted from the soil loss map that the areas in which the erosion rating was low are the areas that are flat, meaning that the slope factor is low and the areas where vegetation is widespread. We conclude from this that the factors (slope and vegetation) are the two factors that control the erosion process in a study area. As for the vegetation cover factor, it affects the movement of surface water runoff, and thus reduces soil erosion processes.
Keywords: water erosion, soil loss map, degraded lands, surface runoff, The drifting ability of a raindrop, slope factor.
Full paper in Arabic: PDF