Spatial assessment of soil erosion through the application of the RUSLE model and geospatial technologies in the upper and middle reaches of the Tafna watershed (northwestern Algeria)
The soil erosion phenomenon is becoming a critical environmental challenge that is significantly impacting ecosystems, agriculture, and water resources. This study assesses and maps the soil erosion in the Upper and Middle Cheliff watershed in the northern part of Algeria by using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), which is integrated with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Semi-arid climates, steep slopes, and sparse vegetation primarily cause significant soil erosion in the study area, which spans over 10,930 km2. The methodology applied in this paper incorporates thematic mapping of erosional factors, including rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), topographic features (LS), land cover management (C), and conservation practices (P). The results reveal several erosion levels across the watershed, ranging from negligible erosion in flat, vegetated areas to severe erosion in steep, barren regions. Annual soil loss rates were categorized into five classes, where the highest rates reached 20.33 t ha-1yr-1 in some areas. Such high rates of soil degradation indicate critical hotspots where land productivity and ecological stability are under serious threat. The study emphasizes the urgent need to carry out targeted interventions of conservation, such as reforestation to restore vegetation cover, contour farming to minimize runoff velocity on sloping lands, and the construction of gabions to stabilize stream banks and trap sediments. These practices, when integrated, can substantially mitigate the soil losses. The findings provide essential insights for sustainable land management and erosion control strategies adapted to the fragile conditions of Algeria’s semi-arid regions, where soils and water resources are increasingly under pressure from both climate change and anthropogenic activities.
A. Ratiat, Al Haddad· Carpathian Journal of Earth...· 0 citations
The Western Ghats (WG) of southern India represent a geomorphologically sensitive terrain where soil erosion and landslides constitute major geohazards. The Chittar sub-basin (CSB) of the Achankovil River Basin (ARB) was selected for investigation owing to its steep slopes, high-intensity rainfall, and increasing anthropogenic pressure, which together accentuate erosional processes. This study employs remote sensing and GIS techniques in conjunction with the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) to quantify annual soil loss and delineate erosion susceptibility zones. High erosion affects 684.11 ha (24.8%) of the basin, whereas low erosion is observed across 780.03 ha (28.3%). Multicriteria evaluation indicates that vegetation cover (NDVI), rainfall, soil texture, soil depth, slope, aspect, and elevation exert the greatest influence on erosion susceptibility. Spatial analysis reveals that the western sector of the basin is most vulnerable, the central region exhibits moderate susceptibility, and the northwestern part remains comparatively stable. The results provide a process-based understanding of erosion dynamics in tropical high-relief basins and furnish a decision-support framework for prioritizing soil and water conservation strategies in the WG.
S. Arjun, R. Arsha, S. Dhanil Dev et al.· Discover Geoscience· 0 citations
Soil requires focused management to ensure long-term productivity and ecological balance. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) is an effective empirical model that, when combined with Remote Sensing (RS) techniques and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), enables the analysis of annual soil loss by integrating RUSLE factors and indices within the ArcGIS environment. In the current study region, limited attempts have been made to assess annual soil loss rates, identify erosion hotspots, and provide spatially explicit evidence to guide soil and water conservation measures. However, most inhabitants heavily depend on agriculture for survival. The RUSLE model was applied, integrating GIS and RS, to understand erosion rates and the spatial distribution of erosion intensity. The input datasets were acquired from diverse sources, including NASA POWER, FAO DSMW, USGS Earth Explorer, and the European Space Agency (ESA) LULC, and analyzed using ArcGIS 10.8.2 software. The finding unveiled that about 43,890.3 ha (9.77%), 30,388.14 ha (6.76%), and 1,459.17 ha (0.32%) of the study region experience high, very high, and severe soil erosion intensity, which requires effective conservation and management practices, including contour farming, terracing, check dams, vegetative barriers, crop rotation, mulching, agroforestry systems, and participatory watershed management. The annual soil erosion rate extends from 0.18 to 486 tons ha-1 year-1, with higher erosion intensity (46.09 to 486 tons ha-1 year-1) observed in the western portion of the study region. These areas are characterized by low vegetation cover, receiving higher rainfall, and a lack of effective support practices and cover management mechanisms. The findings offer insights into local erosion risk hotspots and support national initiatives in sustainable watershed management, climate resilience, and food security. Land managers, experts, and decision-makers can utilize the study results to develop the most effective long-term soil conservation and restoration plans.
This study aims to spatially analyze the potential soil loss rates of the Özkonak Watershed, located within Nevşehir Province, using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) integrated with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) technologies. In the 149.9 km2 watershed, the main parameters triggering erosion—rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), slope length and steepness (LS), land cover and management (C), and support practices (P)—were modeled in a GIS environment. According to the spatial analysis results, 85.8% of the watershed area falls within the “very low” and “low” erosion susceptibility classes. Nevertheless, erosion increases markedly in the northern areas with high slope gradients and in areas where agricultural activities are concentrated. The mean soil loss across the watershed was calculated as 2.75 t ha−1 yr−1. The eroded and transported material was determined to constitute a threat to the dam. The findings indicate that conservation plans, including afforestation in the upper watershed, adjustment of land use to natural land capability, and construction of check dams, should be implemented to ensure sustainable management of the watershed. From a soil and sediment remediation perspective, the identification of erosion-source areas and sediment-transport pathways provides a scientific basis for source-control measures aimed at reducing sediment delivery and associated water-quality deterioration in the Bayramhacılı Dam reservoir.
Water erosion is a core issue that threatens the ecological integrity of the highland ecosystems in the Andes Mountains and the agricultural sustainability of the Ramis River basin. This study uses the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), which integrates five factors, rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), topography (LS), cover and management (C), and support practices (P), to estimate the spatial distribution of potential water erosion rates in this basin. The results show that the very low and low erosion classes together cover 73.21% of the basin, while the high, very high, and extreme erosion classes account for 17.29% of the total area. Among these, the extreme erosion class, with an annual erosion volume exceeding 250 tons per hectare, covers 8.07% of the basin, equivalent to 1190.13 square kilometers. This extreme erosion is concentrated in steep headwater areas and five sub-basins including Cuenca Grande. Comparative model verification shows that the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model only identifies a positive correlation between slope gradient and potential soil loss, with an extremely low explanatory power (R2 = 0.045). Its residuals exhibit significant spatial autocorrelation (Moran’s I = 0.204, p < 0.001). In contrast, the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model greatly improves the model fit (R2 = 0.359, RMSE = 148.288) and eliminates the spatial autocorrelation of residuals, proving that the slope-erosion relationship has spatial non-stationarity. Sensitivity analysis shows that the C factor has the highest sensitivity (0.980), followed by the LS factor (0.626). Based on these findings, this study proposes that cover and management measures such as vegetation restoration should be prioritized in high-risk headwater sub-basins. It should be noted that the values estimated in this study are potential soil loss amounts, rather than actually measured erosion values.
J. A. Mamani Gomez, J. A. do Nascimento Batista· Earth· 0 citations
Soil erosion and the nutrient loss it causes are core issues threatening sustainable land use in arid and semi-arid regions. In this study, our aim was to reveal the spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics of soil erosion and soil nutrients in an ecologically fragile area of eastern Inner Mongolia—Tuquan County and clarify the relationship between them in order to provide a scientific basis for the precise management of water and soil resources and ecological construction in this region. Based on four sets of remote sensing images and ground observation data from 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used to evaluate the dynamics of soil erosion, statistical methods were employed to analyze the spatial distribution and grade characteristics of soil nutrients (organic carbon, SOC; total nitrogen, TN, total phosphorus, TP) and pH values, and correlation analysis was conducted to explore their association with environmental factors (rainfall erosivity, R; soil erodibility, K; slope length, LS; vegetation cover and management factor, C). Our results demonstrate the following: (1) From 2012 to 2024, the intensity of soil erosion in the study area showed an increasing trend, with the average annual soil erosion modulus increasing from 551.4 t/(km2·a) to 859.6 t/(km2·a), and the high-intensity erosion areas were mainly distributed in the northwest. (2) The soil nutrient content was generally at medium to low levels, with the SOC and TN in the study area mainly categorized as “deficient” and “adequate”. The SOC ranged from 5.8 to 33.8 g·kg−1, with an average content of about 23.5 g·kg−1, while the TN content ranged from 0.45 to 4.63 g·kg−1, with an average content of about 1.50 g·kg−1, and was significantly affected by soil type. (3) There was a significant negative correlation between the soil erosion modulus and the SOC and TN content (p < 0.05), which was a key driving factor for nutrient loss. This conclusion suggests that soil erosion in Tuquan County is intensifying: the risk of nutrient loss is severe, and its spatial pattern is jointly restricted by topography, vegetation cover, and soil background characteristics. Therefore, future ecological engineering should focus on high-intensity erosion areas and combine the prevention of soil and water loss with the conservation of soil fertility in order to achieve sustainable land use in the region.
Pengcheng Gao, Bo Zhang, Zhiqiang Shang et al.· Sustainability· 0 citations
