Soil erosion has become a critical problem leading to land degradation and environmental risks globally. To grasp the rates of soil loss and identify the main factors driving these issues, it is vital to examine the specific impacts of soil erosion across different locations. Therefore, between 2021 and 2023, a research initiative was undertaken to assess, rank, identify, and map sections of the watershed that are particularly susceptible to soil erosion. The RUSLE components for factors R, K, L, S, C, and P were integrated using the ArcGIS 10.4.1 spatial analyst's raster calculator tool to calculate and create maps that illustrate the risk and intensity of soil erosion in the Dhumuga watershed. The Dhumuga watershed was categorized into five groups based on average annual soil loss: 0–5 ton/ha-1 year-1 (very slight), 5–10 ton/ha-1 year-1 (slight), 10–20 ton/ha-1 year-1 (moderate), 20–50 ton/ha-1 year-1 (high), and > 50 ton/ha-1 year-1 (very high). The assessment of soil erosion severity was influenced by factors such as rainfall, soil type, DEM, land use, and land cover, employing the GIS-based RUSLE equation. The spatial risk of soil erosion was sorted into five categories based on severity, with 11.58% of the area categorized as very high risk (>50 ton ha-1 year-1), and 54.2% in the very low to low-risk category. On average, the watershed yielded an annual sediment production of up to 13.94 tons/ha/year, which is within an acceptable range. Considering these research findings, GIS-based analyses can be utilized to pinpoint areas at risk of soil erosion and identify vulnerable zones, offering crucial insights for future soil conservation and model enhancement.
| Published in | American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering (Volume 8, Issue 4) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ajese.20240804.12 |
| Page(s) | 100-106 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Dhumuga-Watershed, Erodibility, Erosivity, Land Use Change, GIS
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APA Style
Soboka, D. M., Mohammed, M. (2024). Spatial Assessment of Soil Erosion Risk Using RUSLE and GIS in Dhumuga Watershed, Ambo, Ethiopia. American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering, 8(4), 100-106. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajese.20240804.12
ACS Style
Soboka, D. M.; Mohammed, M. Spatial Assessment of Soil Erosion Risk Using RUSLE and GIS in Dhumuga Watershed, Ambo, Ethiopia. Am. J. Environ. Sci. Eng. 2024, 8(4), 100-106. doi: 10.11648/j.ajese.20240804.12
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ajese.20240804.12,
author = {Diriba Megersa Soboka and Mekin Mohammed},
title = {Spatial Assessment of Soil Erosion Risk Using RUSLE and GIS in Dhumuga Watershed, Ambo, Ethiopia
},
journal = {American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering},
volume = {8},
number = {4},
pages = {100-106},
doi = {10.11648/j.ajese.20240804.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajese.20240804.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajese.20240804.12},
abstract = {Soil erosion has become a critical problem leading to land degradation and environmental risks globally. To grasp the rates of soil loss and identify the main factors driving these issues, it is vital to examine the specific impacts of soil erosion across different locations. Therefore, between 2021 and 2023, a research initiative was undertaken to assess, rank, identify, and map sections of the watershed that are particularly susceptible to soil erosion. The RUSLE components for factors R, K, L, S, C, and P were integrated using the ArcGIS 10.4.1 spatial analyst's raster calculator tool to calculate and create maps that illustrate the risk and intensity of soil erosion in the Dhumuga watershed. The Dhumuga watershed was categorized into five groups based on average annual soil loss: 0–5 ton/ha-1 year-1 (very slight), 5–10 ton/ha-1 year-1 (slight), 10–20 ton/ha-1 year-1 (moderate), 20–50 ton/ha-1 year-1 (high), and > 50 ton/ha-1 year-1 (very high). The assessment of soil erosion severity was influenced by factors such as rainfall, soil type, DEM, land use, and land cover, employing the GIS-based RUSLE equation. The spatial risk of soil erosion was sorted into five categories based on severity, with 11.58% of the area categorized as very high risk (>50 ton ha-1 year-1), and 54.2% in the very low to low-risk category. On average, the watershed yielded an annual sediment production of up to 13.94 tons/ha/year, which is within an acceptable range. Considering these research findings, GIS-based analyses can be utilized to pinpoint areas at risk of soil erosion and identify vulnerable zones, offering crucial insights for future soil conservation and model enhancement.
},
year = {2024}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Spatial Assessment of Soil Erosion Risk Using RUSLE and GIS in Dhumuga Watershed, Ambo, Ethiopia AU - Diriba Megersa Soboka AU - Mekin Mohammed Y1 - 2024/11/29 PY - 2024 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajese.20240804.12 DO - 10.11648/j.ajese.20240804.12 T2 - American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering JF - American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering JO - American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering SP - 100 EP - 106 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2578-7993 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajese.20240804.12 AB - Soil erosion has become a critical problem leading to land degradation and environmental risks globally. To grasp the rates of soil loss and identify the main factors driving these issues, it is vital to examine the specific impacts of soil erosion across different locations. Therefore, between 2021 and 2023, a research initiative was undertaken to assess, rank, identify, and map sections of the watershed that are particularly susceptible to soil erosion. The RUSLE components for factors R, K, L, S, C, and P were integrated using the ArcGIS 10.4.1 spatial analyst's raster calculator tool to calculate and create maps that illustrate the risk and intensity of soil erosion in the Dhumuga watershed. The Dhumuga watershed was categorized into five groups based on average annual soil loss: 0–5 ton/ha-1 year-1 (very slight), 5–10 ton/ha-1 year-1 (slight), 10–20 ton/ha-1 year-1 (moderate), 20–50 ton/ha-1 year-1 (high), and > 50 ton/ha-1 year-1 (very high). The assessment of soil erosion severity was influenced by factors such as rainfall, soil type, DEM, land use, and land cover, employing the GIS-based RUSLE equation. The spatial risk of soil erosion was sorted into five categories based on severity, with 11.58% of the area categorized as very high risk (>50 ton ha-1 year-1), and 54.2% in the very low to low-risk category. On average, the watershed yielded an annual sediment production of up to 13.94 tons/ha/year, which is within an acceptable range. Considering these research findings, GIS-based analyses can be utilized to pinpoint areas at risk of soil erosion and identify vulnerable zones, offering crucial insights for future soil conservation and model enhancement. VL - 8 IS - 4 ER -
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, EIAR, Ambo Agricultural Research Center, Ambo, Ethiopia
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Fogera National Rice Research and Training Center, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
