Abstract
Jordan is a country dominated by arid climate and fragile ecological system, where 91% is classified as arid land with annual average rainfall rarely exceeds 200 mm/y. Therefore, land degradation, soil erosion and desertification are important areas of interest, where soil erosion is considered one of the major causes for land degradation in Jordan. The main objective of this study is to create an erosion hazard map and identify the areas susceptible to soil erosion in Erak Al karak watershed in southern part of Jordan. Soil erosion model RUSLE with the integration of GIS tools has been developed to estimate the annual soil loss. The estimated mean annual soil loss is (38.7 ton/ ha/year). The erosion map produced highlighted the hot spot areas susceptible to soil erosion. A relationship was obvious between terraces land use and soil loss, where 22% of the soil loss was reduced by applying soil conservation technique (terraces). According to this model, most of the hot spot areas are located in the rangeland 63% while the agricultural areas are responsible for 14% of the hot spot areas. The results emphasis the importance of urgent land use planning and conservation practices to reduce the impact of soil erosion.
Highlights
Jordan is situated in the dry region of the eastern Mediterranean Sea
Its area approximates 89,000 Km2, of which 91% is classified as arid land, where the annual average rainfall rarely exceeds 200 mm/y
In Jordan, several studies have shown that the country is at risk of Land degradation due to high population growth, desertification, deforestation, soil erosion and intensive cultivation
Summary
Jordan is situated in the dry region of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its area approximates 89,000 Km2, of which 91% is classified as arid land, where the annual average rainfall rarely exceeds 200 mm/y. Soil degradation by erosion is a serious environmental problem in the highlands region of Jordan, resulting topsoil loss and declining soil quality and productivity. Soil erosion is the process of dislodgement and transport of soil particles from the surface by water and wind. The soil particles can be moved by the energy expended at the soil surface by the raindrops and transported by water, wind or the force of gravity, [7]. Many different models have been developed to describe and predict soil erosion by water and associated sediment yield. They vary considerably in their objectives, time and spatial scales involved. Among them is the Revised Universal Soil Loss model RUSLE which was chosen because it represents the effects of rainfall, soils, terrain and management practices on soil loss
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