Page 100 - Çevre Şehir ve İklim Dergisi İngilizce - Özel Sayı

The use of Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing Technologies in
Combating Desertification and Erosion

give monthly and annual soil losses due to water erosion (Renard et al., 1997;
Wischmeier and Smith, 1978). RUSLE technology produces results through
the interaction of some parameters that are influential on erosion. These
parameters are as follows:
A= R x K x L x S x C x P (8)
• A: Annual soil loss (t ha-1 y-1)
• R: Rainfall erosivity (MJ mm ha-1 hour-1y-1)
• K: Soil erodibility (t ha h ha-1 MJ-1 mm-1)
• L: Slope length (m)
• S: Slope steepness (%)
• C: Cover-management factor
• P: Support practices factor
All these parameters were obtained by multiplying through the ‘ArcGIS’
‘raster calculator’ function, which is an integrated geographic information system
software that carries out data analysis, update and management, geographical
analysis and mapping operations. Additionally, Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
was used to calculate some parameters. According to the results of the study,
the combination of RUSLE with GIS and remote sensing technologies is very
important in determining the degree and spatial distribution of soil loss caused
by water erosion. Furthermore, it is essential to produce maps to be used in
planning in order to prevent erosion around dams, lakes, ponds and water
catchment basins and to extend their rotation periods.
In their study, ‘Mapping Soil Erosion Risk Using RUSLE, GIS, Remote Sensing
Methods: A Case of Mountainous Sub-watershed, Ifni Lake and High Valley of
Tifnoute’, Lamyaa et al. (2018) used RUSLE model to find the annual amount
of soil lost due to erosion in the catchment. The RUSLE factors (R, K, LS, C
and P) were calculated through the geographic information system software
‘ArcGIS’ using the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), executed by
the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Space
Research Agency to study tropical rainfall, as well as topographic map, soil
analysis, digital elevation model (DEM) and remote sensing. In the calculation,
the C factor parameter was obtained through satellite imagery using the
geospatial data processing and analysis software ‘ENVI 4.6’. The results of
the research demonstrate that GIS and RS technologies are an important
database to provide planning of conservation practices to control soil erosion.
Jazouli et al. (2019) conducted a study titled as ‘Remote sensing and GIS
techniques for prediction of land use, land cover change effects on soil
erosion in the high basin of the Oum Er Rbia River’ in order to reveal land use,
soil and vegetation changes in a basin vulnerable to soil erosion. In their study,

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Special Issue / 2024