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Predicting Soil Erosion Using RUSLE Model in Duhok Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

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Natural Resources Deterioration in MENA Region

Part of the book series: Earth and Environmental Sciences Library ((EESL))

Abstract

Soil erosion is a main cause of land degradation, adveresly impacting soil health, soil fertility, and soil carbon. This study used the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) model and geoinformatics tools to predict soil erosion rates in the Duhok governorate, located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The RUSLE model integrates several to predict annual soil loss: soil erodibility factor (K), rainfall erosivity factor (R), slope (L), slope steepness factor (S), land use/cover factor (C), and conservation methods (P). Information layers for these variables were created using ArcGIS 10.3, showing the extent of soil erosion. Additionally, we identified and prioritized erosion hotspots to implement conservation practices. The results showed that approximately 78% of the study area experienced very low and low levels of soil erosion, whereas only 4 and 7% were subject to high and very high erosion rates, respectively. The findings also emphasized the significance of slope and land-use interactions in accelerating soil erosion, particularly in agricultural areas characterized by steep slopes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the University of Zakho's assistance and the Department of Agriculture at the University of Duhok for providing us with the necessary data and information.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Young Researchers and Elite Club, Gorgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Gorgan, Iran

    Azade Mehri

  2. Department of Biological Science, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA

    Hazhir Karimi

  3. Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, University of Zakho, Zakho, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

    Yaseen T. Mustafa

  4. Petroleum and Mining Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Tishk International University, Erbil, 44001, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

    Ayad M. Fadhil Al-Quraishi

  5. School of Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia

    Saman Galalizadeh

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  1. Azade Mehri
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  2. Hazhir Karimi
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  4. Ayad M. Fadhil Al-Quraishi
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  5. Saman Galalizadeh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hazhir Karimi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Petroleum and Mining Engineering Department, Tishk International University (TIU), Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

    Ayad M. Fadhil Al-Quraishi

  2. Environmental Science Department, University of Zakho, Zakho, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

    Yaseen T. Mustafa

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Mehri, A., Karimi, H., Mustafa, Y.T., Al-Quraishi, A.M.F., Galalizadeh, S. (2024). Predicting Soil Erosion Using RUSLE Model in Duhok Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In: Al-Quraishi, A.M.F., Mustafa, Y.T. (eds) Natural Resources Deterioration in MENA Region. Earth and Environmental Sciences Library. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-58315-5_9

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