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USLE-based assessment of soil erosion by water in the watershed upstream Tessaoute (Central High Atlas, Morocco)

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Abstract

This study involves a loss of soil modeling in the catchment basin of Tessaoute upstream (Central High Atlas, Morocco), the integration of the universal soil loss equation in Wischmeier (USLE) in a Geographical Information System (GIS). The model allows a qualitative and quantitative assessment of water erosion. The various factors of water erosion (climate, topography, soil, land use and erosion control practices) were mapped, processed, sorted and merged in order to quantify the water erosion rate per unit area. The result is a quantitative map, spatial reference, with an average loss of about 15.44 t/ha/year by runoff sheet and rill. This allowed us to better understand the impact of each erosive factor, assess its contribution to soil loss and establish the decisive factors that control water erosion in the watershed in order of importance, slope, soil erodibility and vegetation cover.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Applied Geology, Geomatic and Environment, Faculty of Sciences Ben M’sik, Hassan II University of Casablanca, B.P. 7955, Sidi Othmane, Casablanca, Morocco

    Abdenbi Elaloui, Chakib Marrakchi, Ahmed Fekri & Soufiane Maimouni

  2. Research Group on Cities and Regionalization in Morocco, Department of Geography, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, University Sultan Moulay Slimane, Beni Mellal, Morocco

    Mohamed Aradi

Authors
  1. Abdenbi Elaloui
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  2. Chakib Marrakchi
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  3. Ahmed Fekri
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  4. Soufiane Maimouni
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  5. Mohamed Aradi
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Correspondence to Abdenbi Elaloui.

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Elaloui, A., Marrakchi, C., Fekri, A. et al. USLE-based assessment of soil erosion by water in the watershed upstream Tessaoute (Central High Atlas, Morocco). Model. Earth Syst. Environ. 3, 873–885 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-017-0340-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-017-0340-x

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